CARROT LOX TOAST WITH SWEET MUSTARD CREAM CHEESE
Vegan Carrot Lox toast, made with sweet mustard cream cheese and topped with spring mix, capers, red onions and dill.
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Lox is a light, refreshing, incredible ingredient that I loved adding to crackers and toast. So finding a plant-based alternative was a must for me. Luckily by taking thinly sliced carrots and adding them to the right combination of flavors it is completely possible to create a vegan lox alternative that is equally delicious and satisfying as the original!
HOW TO GET THAT SEAFOOD FLAVOR
Lox has a very unique flavor profile. It’s smokey, fishy, light and refreshing. So is it possible to make a vegan version?…ABSOLUTELY!
Carrot lox gets its fishy flavor from nori flakes, aka seaweed flakes. You can buy this in many grocery stores or online. If you are a seafood fan, but are trying to reduce or cut out seafood, this is a must in your pantry. I often throw it in Ramen and Thai dishes and is an important ingredient for Tofu “Tuna” Salad.
The smokey flavor in this Carrot Lox comes from liquid smoke. Another staple in my cabinet. Liquid smoke is a liquid based smokey flavored ingredient. In addition to carrot lox, I use it for my coconut bacon and many BBQ dishes. You can replace liquid smoke with smoked paprika if desired.
The addition of lemon, salt, soy, maple, and olive oil really drive home the “lox” flavor.
VEGAN SWEET MUSTARD CREAM CHEESE
Vegan cream cheese has come a long way since it first hit store shelves! It is now creamy, delicious, and can hold its own next to the traditional dairy cream cheese. One of my personal favorite brands is currently Kite Hill. They offer several flavors that are delicious as is. But their cream cheese is also a great base to play around with to add more flavor to your dishes. I am a huge sucker for honey mustard everything. This inspired me to make a sweet honey cream cheese! I skipped the honey component and swapped it out for agave. Combined with a whole grain dijon mustard and a few spices, this sweet mustard cream cheese is an amazing condiment! And its also great on crackers!
THE TOPPINGS
I love to add fresh veggies to everything. They amp up the nutritional value of a dish, make it more refreshing, and help keep you fuller for longer.
For this lox toast, I added your traditional red onion, capers, and dill. But I bulked it up a bit with fresh spring mix drizzled with lemon and salt.
MAKE YOUR CARROT LOX IN LARGE BATCHES FOR EASY MEALS AND SNACKS
Other than the obvious, delicious flavor of Carrot Lox…I adore this recipe because it can be made in bulk! I will often make a large batch at the beginning of the week. This makes it incredibly convenient to throw together Carrot Lox Toast for breakfast or Carrot Lox on crackers with cream cheese for snack all week. And the flavors get better as they marinate throughout the week.
VEGAN CARROT LOX TOAST WITH SWEET MUSTARD CREAM CHEESE
Ingredients
FOR THE CARROT LOX
- 2 large carrots
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp white vinegar can substitute rice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp maple syrup can substitute agave
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp nori flakes
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
FOR WASABI CREAM CHEESE
- 1/2 cup Vegan Cream Cheese I used Kite Hill Garden Veggie
- 1 tbsp Whole grain dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Agave
- 1/8 tsp garlic
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
BREAD AND TOPPINGS
- 4 Slices of rye bread
- 1/4 red onion, sliced
- 1 cup spring mix
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 4 tsp capers
- handful of dill
- pinch of salt
Instructions
PREPARE THE LOX
- Shave carrots lengthwise so they are thinly sliced
- Combine all remaining ingredients and stir
- Bring to a poil in a pot
- Add shaved carrots
- Stir and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- **If short on time you can serve once cooled. However, allowing the lox to marinate in the fridge over night will make the flavors more bold
- If allowing to marinate of night…transfer mix into a plastic ziplock bag or container and allow to soak in fridge over night.
PREPARE THE SWEET MUSTARD CREAM CHEESE
- Combine all sweet mustard cream cheese ingredients in a bowl
- Stir until evenly combined
PREPARE THE TOPPING
- Put spring mix in a bowl
- Squeeze half lemon and a pinch of salt on top
- Mix until evenly combined
- Cut onion into thin slices
- Chop up a handful of dill
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
- Toast rye bread
- Once toasted, sprinkle lemon juice and a pinch of salt over the toast (optional, but give dish more flavor)
- Spread 2 TBS cream cheese on each piece of toast
- Top with carrot lox
- Top with spring mix, red onion, capers, and dill
- Enjoy!
