Life got exciting today. I made my raw food recipe for raw cashew cheese and it turned out great! I have been preparing raw food for some time now but the cheese, the ones that you have to make and set-up for a day, seemed a little daunting. Well, as my friend Michael often says, sometimes you just have to pull the bands back and let them fly. I’m glad I did. A few handfuls of cashews, some rejuvelac, and a little patience turned out a delightful cheese spread that is a welcome addition to any raw diet.
If you are wondering what rejuvelac is, it is a fermented liquid made from sprouting wheat berries that is said to be high in enzymes, friendly bacteria, vitamins and minerals. It is known as a health drink. If you have been following this site, you know I am sprouting a lot of wheat berries these days. I decided to put some of those sprouted wheat berries to work, make some rejuvelac and then, the cheese.
Rejuvelac
- 1/2 C sprouted wheat berries (sprouted just until tails start)
- 4 C filtered water
Place the wheat berries and the water in a jar. Leave in a warm place for 24-48 hours. You will see a little fizz. The liquid should be a little tart but not smell off.
Cashew Cheese
- 2 C Cashews
- 1/2 C rejuvelac
Cover cashews with water and soak overnight. Drain off water. Place cashews in vitamix and process with rejuvelac until a smooth paste forms. You can add a dash of celtic sea salt. Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheese cloth. Spoon mixture into the cloth. Set in a warm place and let set for 24 hours. Form into the shape you want. I coated the outside with cracked pepper. Put in refrigerator to finish setting. Serve with Onion Sunflower Seed Flat Bread.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
you got to figure an APP where we can share the food over Twitter……..pictures tell a thousand stories………one taste of that and I will personally move you to Colorado to make that!!
Nice work!
You need to come to Colorado to share all of the great food you are tormenting us with here on this great site. What do suggest as a pairing with this cheese?
Your site looks amazing! love it, come see me at
http://www.debbiedoesraw.blogspot.com
deb
Susan,
just a quick question. The water that you pour over the wheat berries, is that all rejuvelac or only the top fizzy part? How much water would I need to prepare to have 1/2 cup for the cheese recipe? I don’t have a jar that fits 4 cups and was wondering whether I can just make less wheatberries with less water and still have enough rejuvelac for the cheese.
And will room temperature (it’s summer here currently) be enough for the rejuvelac process to work?
Thanks for your help
Eva
Yes…all of the water that is produced is rejuvelac. You can use a smaller jar, just use a little less sprouted wheat berries.
I can’t wait to try this cheese *getting up to prepare the rejuvelac right now*
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thanks for proving the link to your site…what a great resource you have here. Can’t wait to try this recipe…looks delicious =)
Once sprouted what do you do with the Wheat berries? I’m very new to all of this.
Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you.
As stated in the recipe…you then take 1/2 C of the wheat berries and 4 cups of water. Combine and let ferment for 24-48 hours to get your rejuvilac.
My cheese has been on the counter overnight, but it still feels like a thick yoghurt. Is it supposed to be like that?
You need to refrigerate it once you have let it sit out.
If one is allergic to wheat, would they also be allergic to sprouted wheatberries? Curious…
I think it would have to be determined by what exactly you are allergic to concerning wheat and is that present in the sprouted wheat.
The cheese looks amazing!! I am alergic to milk so this looks like a great alternative however…I am also trying to follow the blood type diet and cashews are not beneficial, have you every tried this with almonds? Do you think it would taste just as good? I see lots of recipes using cashews and I’m imagining substituting almonds, what do you think?
I will do a little research. The reason people use cashews are because of the texture. Let me see what I can figure out.
i saw this and had to lift my jaw off the floor! it looks amazing!! i tried it but it seems too fluffy… almost like a solid cashew mousse (hum… recipe idea here? maybe not… haha!) when setting the mixture in the cloth do you wind it tightly or is it just lightly covered?
I do wind it. You can also set a plate on top of it. Did you make sure your rejuvelac was fizzy? Did you let it set up long enough?
the rejuvelac was fizzy, though i forgot to mention that the mousse texture was before i put it in the fridge to set. it is much firmer now and tastes pretty good!
what do you do with your left over wheat berries?
To Kevin: I think mac nuts would be another option if you are allergic to cashews.
To Susan: I applaud you, your recipes are beautiful!
You can use the wheat berries in breads, etc.
Once you’ve used the wheatberries for rejuvelac, you should discard them, according to Ann Wigmore at least. They get a very special taste/smell after using them to prepare rejuvelac, which might be something to keep in mind.
You are correct…the sprouted wheat that is used in the rejuvelac should be discarded. I believe that I was referring to sprouted wheat berries in general, not the ones used in the rejubelac. Thanks for making that clear.
How long should the cheese set in the fridge? And how long till the cheese is ready to eat?
Long enough so it firms up. It will take at least 5 hours. It is ready to eat right away.
Sorry for this question- English isn`t my first language. Is wheat berry the same as a wheat grain or seed? If not, what is it?
Thank you. By the way- I love this homepage ! The information, the pictures- everything! You are doing a great job. Thank you!
Yes…it is the wheat grain.
I am so very new to the raw diet and I have stumbled across this site…… I am learning and going to try and make a few things here……… Thank you for sharing.
I am also trying the “Eat Right For Your BloodType” while trying to maintain a mostly vegan/raw diet. Cashews are used in lots of my recipes. I was wondering if you had researched a cashew substitution as yet?
You could try Brazil nuts?
my mom makes adds olive pimentos to her cashew cheese, really tasty but i’m wondering if they are raw- aren’t they just pickled with the olive?
The Pimento comes from pimento peppers. I believe that they are just pickled along with the olives.