Sliceable Garlic & Herb Cashew Cheese (Vegan and Gluten Free)
If you're looking for a dairy-free, vegan alternative to satisfy that cheesy craving, this recipe is for you! I often make cashew cheese as a dip or sauce to have with meals, but this recipe is sliceable and absolutely perfect for a cheeseboard. It can be made in under half an hour (aside from setting time) and is so so easy to make
Ingredients
- 100 grams Soaked Cashews (soak overnight in cold water or for 20 minutes in boiled water)
- 2 Cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder or granules
- 5 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1.5 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric for colour
- 3/4 tsp Maple Syrup
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Salt adjust to taste)
- 5 tbsp water
- 1 Handful Fresh Chives finely chopped
- 1.5 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1.5 tbsp Agar-Agar Powder (and 1 cup filtered water)
- 90 ml water
Instructions
- Start by draining your cashews and rinsing them
- Then place them in a high speed blender along with the minced garlic, garlic powder or granules, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, maple syrup, turmeric, salt and 5 tbsp water
- Blend well until a very smooth paste forms. Feel free to taste this mixture and add in any more of the seasonings to taste BUT remember it will be quite salty (this will be later diluted with the agar agar mixture). E.g. You may prefer a tangier flavour, so add in more lemon juice
- Stir in the chopped fresh chives and dried oregano
- In a medium sized saucepan, add in the 90ml water and the agar-agar, turn on the heat and gently bring to a boil, constantly whisking. Boil for around 1 minute - it will thicken - turn off the heat when it becomes a similar consistency to cake batter
- Add in the cheesy mixture and whisk until well combined
- Pour this mixture into greased ramekins (I grease with a tiny amount of olive oil and some kitchen towel), cover, and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours or overnight until they're set
- After 2-3 hours, carefully remove from the ramekins by turning them upside down (if they don't come out straight away try going around the edge with a soft knife). Sprinkle over some dried oregano and enjoy!
Notes
Try a chunk on a cracker with some spiced apple chutney
Store in the fridge to keep fresh!