Cashew Cheese Two Ways

Thanks to nutritional yeast, this cashew-based cheese really does taste like cheese, albeit a soft one, and is a very satisfying snack, dip, or appetizer. What's great about cashew cheese is that the base stays the same throughout most recipes, and to create a variety of flavors, one simply has to change the seasonings. In this post, we offer you two: Black Pepper Onion and Garlic Herb. Enjoy them with crackers or your favorite bread.

Cashew Cheese Two Ways [Vegan]

Ingredients

For the Base:

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for about 2 hours
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons probiotic powder

For the Black Pepper Onion Cheese:

• 1 heaping tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Garlic Herb Cheese:

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped, mixed fresh herbs (basil, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, parsley, etc.)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Drain and rinse the cashews.
2. Place cashews and water into a blender and blend on high until smooth, about 5 minutes. You might need to stop and scrape the sides a few times. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more water, but you don’t want it to become runny, so be patient.
3. Place the cashew mixture into a medium bowl. Mix in the probiotic powder, this will help ferment the cheese. Cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature, and ferment, for 12-24 hours.
4. Divide the “cheese” into 2 equal portions.
5. Into one portion, stir in the nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
6. Into the second portion, stir in the herbs, chives, garlic, salt, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
7. Transfer each cashew cheese mixture to a bowl or ramekin. Smooth it out with the back of a spoon, and cover.
8. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Notes

The cheese will keep, refrigerated, for about a week.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/cashew-cheese-two-ways/