This is a fun one. A couple weeks ago, I was in the mood for some lasagna. I discovered this recipe for spiralized lasagna, and decided it was the perfect choice. Well, I was also feeling extremely adventurous and decided to make it a vegan lasagna. I've been wanting to try cashew cheese for a while, so why not? Surprisingly, it turned out so well. I was extremely happy with the final piece and will definitely make it again!
Today is part one of this recipe. I'm going to tell you how to make cashew cheese - trust me, it is so simple, and surprisingly, it tastes like cheese! It works great as a dip for carrots or pretzels, and also as the ricotta layer on vegan lasagna! Read on for recipe details.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups raw cashews (soaked for a couple hours - I soaked mine overnight beforehand)
- .5 cup water
- Juice of 1 lemon OR 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I used ACV)
- 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I use Braggs)
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch of onion powder
- pinch of Himalayan salt
Directions:
- Soak the cashews for at least 3 hours in a bowl of water. The water should be about an inch or so above the cashews because they'll swell when they soak up the water.
- Drain cashews and place all ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy. You will need to stop a couple times and scrape the sides - this is normal.
- Store in the refrigerator for about an hour or two - the cheese is much better chilled!
- This makes about two cups, and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Use as a dip or in other recipes... My recipe for vegan lasagna using this cheese will be on the blog tomorrow so stay tuned!
*Recipe adapted from The Simple Veganista
