Herbed Cashew Cheese
With fresh herbs and spices folded in, and just the right amount of ‘cheesiness’, you’ll find yourself making this on the regular. Break out this recipe for parties, get-togethers, or a plant-based charcuterie with that special someone!
Prep Time: 24 hours
Assembly Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours, 20 minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 cup organic raw cashews
cup water (for soaking cashews)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 whole garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper, to taste
4 large sun-dried tomatoes, diced fine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh shallot
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or scallions/green onion
1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
FOR PRESENTATION (CHOOSE ALL OR NONE)
sliced chives or scallions/green onion
fresh basil
paprika
lemon zest
cracked pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak raw cashews overnight in enough water to cover them 1 inch (I know some recipes say you can soak them for a few hours, but if you're making this recipe, trust me. The longer you soak, the better. I actually soaked them for two nights once and it was the creamiest I'd ever made, so if you have 48 hours, get to soaking!) Drain and put in high-speed blender or food processor.
Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, 2 Tbsp water, vinegar, lemon zest, garlic, salt & pepper. Process until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. If you're using a high-power blender, it may take less time (my Vitamix only takes about 2 minutes to make this super creamy, while I'm using the blending tool to help).
Scoop the cashew cream mixture into a large bowl, adding the sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, chives, basil & chili flakes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, if desired. Garnish with paprika, basil & lemon zest, or any of the presentation items above, and dig in.
