Cashew Cream Cheese

This is one of my favorite recipes ever… seriously. As I cheese lover, it can be difficult to avoid or cut back on the stuff, but this “cream cheese” does the trick! Thanks to my friends at College Park Yoga for sharing this recipe during a raw food cleanse a few years back, it is still heavy in my rotation of quick, simple and delicious recipes to keep around at all times.

You will need:

1 cup cashews

1 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 clove of garlic (or 1 small clove)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 – 3/4 cups water

Directions:

Soak nuts over night to soften (especially if you are not using a high-powered blender).

Drain and rinse nuts, and place in a blender with lemon juice, garlic and sea salt. Begin blending, adding water as needed. Blend until thick and smooth (think cream cheese consistency).

Spread on a gluten free cracker, include in a wrap, or use as a dip!

To jazz up your cashew cream cheese, you can also add:

sun dried tomatoes

fresh herbs (like dill and/or parsley)

chipotle pepper

honey

chili pepper

dried herbs (Herbes De Provence)

(insert anything else you think would taste delicious – and make sure to share in the comments below!)

Plain cashew cheese can also be a great cheese substitute!

Simply use 1 cup (soaked) cashews and begin with 1/4 cup of water, blend, and continue adding water until consistency is reached. You can use this on top of gluten-free pasta, grain dishes, veggies and/or in wraps! Feel free to add some nutritional yeast (1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon, depending on the flavor you like) to create a stronger cheese flavor.

Here it is used on top of a baked veggie lasagna (thanks Andrea!):