Vegan kimchi lox and cream cheese combines salt, fat, acid and heat for a perfect brunch meal. Kimchi is a fermented food that helps with gut health. Cashew chive cream cheese tames the heat and acidity of the kimchi. Vegan lox is an easy meal to make for a relaxing weekend morning, or to bring to a patio brunch potluck! Disclaimer: this recipe is in partnership with Nasoya. I received product but all opinions are my own.
Kimchi. Fermented cabbage. Korean condiment. It’s a food that I’ve eyed cautiously from a far, like it’s a giant dog that’s either going to cover me in kisses or chase me down the street. How the heck do I use it? The hesitation stemmed from not really being familiar with it and having only eaten it a handful of times. But my interest in kimchi (and generally in fermented foods for vegans) has increased over the past few months, especially after learning about the importance of maintaining good gut health.
As a fermented food, kimchi is great for gut health. There are trillions of different bacteria living in your gut (don’t worry, it’s a GOOD thing!) that help with all sorts of body processes. They break down food, help with inflammation, synthesize and produce vitamins, communicate with the immune system, an influence weight (source). Maintaining a healthy gut is important for overall health! Fermented foods like kimchi, have been shown to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria (source).
Ok, so how to use kimchi? Kimchi is an explosion of flavors. Tangy. Spicy. Sour. Umami. It makes my taste buds dance. I needed to pair it with something to highlight the depth of flavors. Something mild that could cool my mouth while the kimchi lit it up, but something strong enough to hold it’s own.
How about using kimchi to replace lox to make vegan lox and cream cheese? Cream cheese would have that mild , “cooling” effect. Plus, that breakfast screams nostalgia.
From middle school all through college, I would eat a bagel, lox and cream cheese as my weekend breakfast. The weekends were a time to relax, sit outside on the patio, do a crossword puzzle or two and have a leisurely breakfast. Once I began running, post-run brunch became quite the ritual and social activity. There are few things I find more satisfying in the summer than being freshly showered, with tired muscles, sitting on the patio in the sun, having breakfast. Call me crazy. Call me a runner.
As a vegan, I’ve had to learn how to be creative in the kitchen. Learning about combining salt, fat, acid and heat has helped! Vegan kimchi lox and cream cheese pairs all four of these categories for a salty, savory, tangy, and filling vegan breakfast. For a more “fishy” lox taste, you can add liquid smoke and/or crushed seaweed to the kimchi. Otherwise the kimchi is just fabulous on its own!
This vegan breakfast creation is insanely easy. No real cooking requires. Plus the recipe checks all the boxes. Salt: capers and everything bagel. Fat: creamy vegan chive cream cheese (made from cashews). Acid: Nasoya kimchi. Heat: toasted bagel. Flavor fireworks, my friends. I brought bagels, kimchi lox and cream cheese to a post-run brunch potluck and it was a HUGE success. This is GOOD.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Rate it, leave a comment, take a picture and tag @Rabbitfoodruns on Instagram.  I’d love to see your vegan kimchi lox creations! Â
Buen provecho,
Becca
Prep Time | 30 minutes |
Passive Time | 8 hours |
Servings |
meals
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- 2 c raw, unsalted cashews
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 c chopped, fresh chives *Or sub one tbsp dried
- 3 tbsp hot water
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 container Nasoya kimchi
- 1/4 c crumbled seaweed or nori flakes *OPTIONAL*
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke *OPTIONAL*
- 8 everything bagels
- capers
- chopped, fresh chives
- 2-3 vine ripened tomatoes
Ingredients
Cashew Chive Cream Cheese
Kimchi Lox
Putting it all together
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- In a large bowl, soak the raw cashews for 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Place cashews, garlic cloves, fresh chives, miso paste, lemon juice, hot water and salt in a food processor. Process for about 15 minutes on high to combine, occasionally scraping down the sides.
- The cream cheese is meant to be thick, but if you would like to thin it out, add more hot water one tablespoon at a time. Store cream cheese in a glass container for up to 2 weeks.
- Empty the Nasoya kimchi container into a large bowl. Chop any large cabbage pieces into smaller strips to resemble lox.
- Optional: mix in liquid smoke for a "smoked lox" taste. Another optional addition: finely crushed seaweed sheets or nori to impart an ocean taste. Totally fine to leave kimchi as is, straight from the container!
- Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle salt on them. Slice and toast the bagels. Spread chive cream cheese on the bagel halves. Top with tomato, kimchi lox, capers and additional fresh chives. Enjoy!
Optional additions of liquid smoke and crushed seaweed heighten the traditional lox taste, but the kimchi is great alone!
Cream cheese is an adaptation of the dehydrated version I posted last year.