Roasted Garlic and Sun Dried Tomato Vegan Cheese
Roasted Garlic? That’s not raw! No, it isn’t. But in this post I am going to show you one of the ways I incorporate cooked elements in my raw recipes to make over the top delicious bites to dine on. For me, food isn’t just about putting nutrients into your body. Food is about delighting your senses with wonderful, healthy edibles.
Cashew cheese is a great entry recipe for making raw, vegan cheese. It takes a couple of days but the actual “hands-on” time is minimal. You just have to be a little patient. I love using rejuvalac to make my cheese because it works great and is very cost effective. But you can substitute a probiotic powder if you don’t want the hassel.
You can make this recipe with roasted garlic (not raw) or raw garlic, which would keep it’s raw status. But I encourage you to live a little and try the roasted garlic version.
I have had a lot of people asking me for recipes that use left over nut-milk pulp. So, I am including a raw recipe for BBQ crackers (shown), which I made with nut-milk pulp.
My favorite nut milk is an almond and cashew blend. I use it 95% of the time. The nut milk pulp I used was this blend. Pure almond pulp would be fine also. Just make sure you are using pure nut milk pulp…with nothing else (ie dates) added. I will note that raw crackers made with nut milk pulp tend to have a little chewier and tougher texture than the ones I make from ground nuts. But they are still tasty and a worthy way to use the pulp.
You can find truly raw cashews here: Raw Cashews
*A note about the pulp. I collect my nut milk pulp over the course of a month or two. When I make the milk, I just throw the pulp in a glass container in the freezer to batch dehydrate (dry) later or immediately dehydrate it and store it. When I have enough saved up and dried, it gets a quick whirl in the high-speed blender and presto! Nut milk pulp flour.
Roasted Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Cashew Vegan Cheese
Cheese
- 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup rejuvelac (recipe here)
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced (you want softened tomatoes)
- 1 head roasted garlic* (2 cloves if using raw)
- Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
- Blend cashews and rejuvelac in blender until smooth. Spoon mixture into cheese cloth lined strainer, cover and let sit on the counter overnight. It may release liquid so have something to catch that.
- Remove cheese to bowl. Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin and stir the cloves along with the sun dried tomatoes into the cheese mixture.
- Form into desired shape and refrigerate 12-24 hours to set. (You can use a ring mold
for this step.)
- If a rind is desired, dehydrate at 115 for 3-4 hours.
*To roast garlic, cut the top off of a garlic bulb. Pour in a little olive oil and wrap the bulb in foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until garlic is soft.
BBQ Nut Milk Pulp Crackers
- 3 cups nut mik pulp flour
- 1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon BBQ spice mix (make sure yours doesn’t have sugar in it)
- Himalayan salt and pepper to taste
- Mix all ingredients together. Let “dough” rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll out 1/4 inch thick on non-stick dehydrator sheets and score.
- Dehydrate at 145 for 30 minutes, then 115 until dry (8-10 hours) removing the crackers to a screen half way through the drying.
guillermo wrote on July 28, 2013
Hello amazing recipe !! with rejuvelac
would like to know how long can i keep my cheese in the fridge and still keeps its freshness
Susan wrote on July 29, 2013
The cheese will last about 2 weeks in the fridge. 🙂
christina wrote on July 18, 2013
I made this cheese and it is absolutely delicious! My family loved it. It has a nice flavor from the fermentation as well as the tomatoes and garlic. Thanks so much for the recipe! I will be making it again.
Mark Sylvester wrote on July 9, 2013
Great to see this recipe. I am on the hunt for raw cashew cheese recipes. I am on my 4th batch now and experimenting with various crackers and dried fruits combinations as well.
I was intriged to read 3-4 hours in dehydrator, I have been going for 12 hours to get a good rind. Now, I will try less. I have been experimenting with small, medium and large molds and not happy with how the cashew doesn’t seem to ‘firm up’ and hold it’s shape. I play with the water content to make it firmer too – and play with the fermentation time (3 days is my favorite).
I have seen recipes that use Almonds, Macadamia and Cashew – but have only done Cashew.
Glad to have found your site.
Sandra wrote on June 30, 2013
Could you use almond meal instead of the pulp?
Melody wrote on June 16, 2013
Hi Susan, I’m new to the whole concept of raw foods, and I’m dying to try this! I have heard a lot of bad press about the oil in ground flaxseeds oxidizing with the oxygen in the air and a warm environment, creating free radicals. What are your views on this? Thanks!
Susan wrote on June 16, 2013
I keep all my flax in the refrigerator and then grind it as I use it. Rancid flax tastes bad. You have to make your own decision but I am fine using it the way I do.
Bernadette wrote on June 8, 2013
It was a long process, from making the rejuvelac to soaking the cashews, and then letting the *cheese* ripen in the fridge but OMG this is sooooo gooooood! So well worth the wait and I am so thrilled it was successful on my first attempt! Susan, how long should the cheese last in the fridge? I’m gone most of the weekend and while it’s so delicious that I could probably eat it all with a spoon, I’m hoping it might last till next weekend when I can sit back and enjoy it leisurely 😉
DB wrote on June 6, 2013
I never made cheese before, I can’t wait to try it!
marquis @realrawkitchen wrote on June 5, 2013
This sounds so delicious! I’ve never made anything like it and you have made it so approachable and easy, I’m tempted 🙂 also, I’ve recently purchased one of your books and I’m loving it (and so is my SO!) so thank you!!
Meaghan wrote on June 3, 2013
Looks amazing! I love how the outer layer looks so rustic. YUM!