Fermented Nut Cheeze

Giving up cheese is one of the hardest aspects of going vegan, but these fermented nut cheezes are really great.

Of course, the inspiration and basic recipes for these come from my raw food guru – Deborah Durrant. Check out her website
at Deliciously Raw…. and if you are ever in a position to do one of her hands on raw food courses – Go For It!

That’s where I learnt about these cheezes.

So you need to make a batch of the basic nut cheeze, ferment it overnight, and then flavour it as you wish.

If you are making a harder cheeze, you can dehydrate it to make a sort of rind.

Here is a basic fermented cheeze recipe –

2 C raw cashews (soaked)
1/2 C water
1/2 t probiotics (use powder from 3 acidopholus capsules)

Blend all above together in a high speed blender, but add the probiotic at the end.
Put the mixture into a cheesecloth and drain.
Leave to ferment for at least 24 to 36 hrs.

Still for the basic mixture,

Mix in:

1/4 t salt
1T nutritional yeast
1 T lemon juice

This basic mixture will make 2 standard size cheezes, so split the mixture into 2 and flavour accordingly.

For my garlic and onion variation, add the following to one half:

1 t garlic salt
1 t onion powder
2 t nutritionl yeast

Now either roll the mixture to form a log and refrigerate, or put in a mold and dehydrate for about 8 to 12 hours to form a rind.

Next week I will give you Karen’s ‘cheddar’ variation.

Bon apetit.