Calling all vegans - these are for you! Or for anyone who loves to eat delicious food, for that matter! These cashew cheeses are completely dairy-free and make a great addition to a cheese board for any occasion. They are soft and creamy - made with cashews, herbs and spices. Using probiotics and lemon juice help give that familiar tangy flavor often associated with dairy cheese. Once prepared, they can keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge and 4 months in the freezer. Probiotics and nutritional yeast can be found at health food stores. The basic cashew cheese recipe can be used as the base for our Lemon Herbed and Southwest Spicy cashew cheese recipes, below.
INGREDIENTS - CASHEW CHEESE
- 1 pound of raw cashews, soaked overnight
- water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 probiotic capsules
PREPARATION
- Cover cashews with water and soak for at least 12 hours. The cashews will be very soft and absorb much of the water. Rinse the cashews well until the water runs clear.
- Working in 2 batches, put the cashews, the probiotic powder without the capsule and sea salt into a blender and puree until smooth and creamy, adding small amounts of clean water to keep the blades moving and scraping the sides as needed.
- Place in a jar and cover with a clean piece of cheese cloth. Leave out on the counter for 12-24 hours, this will help the fermentation process accelerate and provide the sharp tang associated with most dairy cheese. Can be stored covered under refrigeration for up to 2 weeks. If wrapped in plastic it will freeze up to 4 months.
INGREDIENTS - LEMON HERBED CASHEW CHEESE
- 8 ounces of Cashew Cheese (see above)
- 1 quarter of a preserved lemon, cleaned and chopped (recipe available on evoxtelevision.com)
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon Italian Parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
PREPARATION
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until combined. Line a medium sized ceramic ramekin with plastic film, pack and evenly spread cheese into mold and wrap with the remaining plastic.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours to allow the flavors to mingle and for the cheese to set up before un-molding and serving.
INGREDIENTS - SPICY SOUTHWESTERN CASHEW CHEESE
- 8 ounces of Cashew Cheese (see above)
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
PREPARATION
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until combined. Line a medium sized ceramic ramekin with plastic film, pack and evenly spread cheese into mold and wrap with the remaining plastic.
- Refrigerate for at least 8 hours to allow the flavors to mingle and for the cheese to set up before un-molding and serving.
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