make your own cashew cheese

miss cheese? we do. i didn’t think we’d actually make our own non-dairy cheese, but this was much simpler and less time consuming than we thought. this version is almost identical to the texture of ricotta, and its salty, nutty flavor mimics it as well. use it on crackers with some wine, or in a lasagne (which is what we’re doing as i write this post!)

this really is dead simple. the first step is to soak 1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted cashews in water, enough to cover them completely. let them soak for about two hours. in the meantime, do some dishes, clean the house, paint something, go grocery shopping, whatever you want!

when they’re done soaking, drain out the water.

then, in the same bowl, add in:

• 1/3 cup water
• a squeeze or two of lemon juice
• the equivalent of 1 1/2 cloves of garlic
• freshly ground pepper
• sea salt (i like salty cheese, so i added in a good amount. you can add some in later as well, so do it to taste)

then simply process in your food processor until smooth.

all that’s left to do is store in a tupperware-esque container in your fridge. give it an hour or so and it should solidify a little. 

this is the most basic recipe, essentially. you could add other spices and herbs, or make a hard cheese. (we plan on making hard and semi-hard cheeses later, we just didn’t have the right ingredients today.) the possibilities with nut milks and cheeses are really great, and not as hard as you would think! try it!