By France Morissette, Restless Palate
1 cup raw cashews
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Water
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Soak the cashews in 1 cup of water for an hour. Drain the cashews. In a blender, add the cashews, lemon juice and nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth adding only enough water to make the cashews creamy but not runny, adding it in 1 tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. If using herbs, mix any freshly chopped herbs into the cheese using a spoon. Refrigerate until cool. It will stiffen a bit more once its chilled.
Variations
Herbed cashew cheese:
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 green onion, finely chopped
Fold in the herbs, after the first steps are completed.
Truffled cashew cheese:
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1 small garlic clove
Add the truffle oil and the garlic clove to the blender with the other ingredients. Blend until smooth, adding only enough water necessary to blend.
Creamy dill dip:
1/4 finely chopped fresh dill
1–2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon Juice
Add the extra lemon juice and just enough water to get desired consistency and blend until smooth. Fold in the chopped dill.
Maple fruit dip:
Omit nutritional yeast and salt and pepper. Add 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and a small dash of salt to the blender and blend until smooth. Serve with your favorite sliced fruit.
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