Cashew Ricotta 'Cheese'

Traditional Chinese Medicine Properties: Warming thermal nature, Spleen/Stomach supportive.

Whether you’re trying to avoid dairy or not, you’ll be happy to have this cashew ricotta cheese in your culinary repertoire. It’s easy to put together and tastes fantastic! I use this ricotta in lasagna, stuffed pasta shells, on homemade pizza, or just as a spread for crackers. You can use this for any recipe that calls for ricotta. It’s best to soak your cashews for a few hours. This will help soften the cashews and it’s beneficial for digestion and nutrient absorption. If you’re in a hurry, you can still make this without soaking but you’ll probably need to add a bit more water while blending. Once cashews are done soaking, simply place everything in a food processor/blender and blend until creamy. And that’s it, so easy and delicious. You may find yourself eating it right out to the bowl!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
• 1/2 cup water
• juice of 1 large lemon or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Fresh garlic, 1 clove
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, minced (or one tsp dried basil)
• dash of onion powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper (or Power Pepper),
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes for the vegan version)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours in a bowl of water, covering the cashews about 2 – 3 inches of water as they will swell up.
2. Drain cashews.
3. Place all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor.
4. Process until creamy stopping to scrape down the sides every few minutes.
5. Taste and adjust. Some people like salty ricotta so feel free to add as much salt as you want.
6. Refrigerate for an hour or so to stiffen mixture before using.

• Makes approx. 2 cups.
• If you have trouble with the mixture blending on it’s own, add a little extra water.
• Store in refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.