Herbed (Vegan) Cashew Soft Cheese

Hello! I hope you’re all having a great end to your (hopefully) amazing Thursday. I saw this food video from The Buddhist Chef on face book (side note: if you’re not following them… start – their recipes are amazing!) and came across this Vegan Cashew Cheese recipe and immediately had to make it. I made their recipe but added just a little bit less nutritional yeast. I’ll post their recipe below and you can make adjustments accordingly. You can find their face book here and you can easily find the cashew cheese video if you want their play-by-play. This cheese turned out PERFECT. I had low expectations because I didn’t know how it would work out with the agar powder but it ended up being the best consistency. (You can change up the salt, pepper or herb amounts if you want, to match your taste preference) This vegan soft cheese pairs well with falafel chips, everything bagels and on top of scrambled eggs. YUM. This is definitely a good substitute if you can’t have dairy (allergies) or if you are vegan. Now, although it doesn’t taste exactly like real soft cheese, the texture and flavor are still really tasty!

Try it with Mary’s Crackers!

Herbed Vegan Cashew Soft Cheese
(from The Buddhist Chef)

1/2 cup cashews raw + enough h2o for soaking the cashews
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pink sea salt
Pepper to taste
1.5 tsp cornstarch
1/2 chopped garlic clove
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup
1 cup water (you’ll need 1/2 for when you first mix everything up.. then the remaining half later in the recipe)
1.5 tsp agar agar powder

Directions:
1. Soak the cashews in a bowl of filtered h2o for at least a few hours. Once done, add strained cashews to a good quality blender or vitamix.
2. Next, add in basil, oregano, salt, pepper, cornstarch, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, maple syrup and 1/2 cup h2o. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Do a little taste test and adjust to your taste 🙂 Once done, set aside.
3. In a small pot, bring 1/2 cup of h2o to a small boil and add the agar agar powder. Whisk continuously for a minute or two. Add in cashew cream mix and whisk continuously. Once it’s the thickness you want (this should happen after a few minutes on heat while whisking) you can turn off the heat. Be careful not to burn it! You can watch their video to see their consistency and how thick it is if you’re unsure.
4. Oil up a small round bowl with oil. I used coconut oil. Pour mixture into the bowl and smooth the top so it’ll be even. Place in the fridge for a few hours. Enjoy!

Let me know how it works out for you! I will be experimenting with different flavors… stay tuned.

xo Marcy