In cookbooks there is little that pleases me more than knowing I can try any (and every) recipe in the book. Crazy Sexy Kitchen: 150 Plant-Empowered Recipes to Ignite a Mouthwatering Revolution
While going through the book I saw a recipe for vegan cashew cream cheese. I was intrigued to try it out. And oh wow. Am I glad I did. It is beyond fantastic. It is a savory spread, the dream for sandwiches and wraps, or piled on veggies. By the spoonful even! I am glad I took the risk of wrecking 2 cups of raw cashews (no cheap feat there). This savory spread should become a staple for anyone living a plant-based diet – and for everyone as else! The recipe is adaptable – add what you want to the base for different taste experiences. The author suggest chopped up olives and tarragon as a different take.
Cashew Cream Cheese
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw cashews
- ½ cup filtered water
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1½ Tbsp finely chopped chives(fresh or freeze-dried)
- ¼ cup finely minced parsley (fresh or dried will work)
- 1½ Tbsp finely minced shallot, about 1 (or red onion)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Directions:
Soak the cashews for a couple of hours (I did 4 hours) in filtered water, to cover. Drain and rinse well.
Add the cashews, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt and pepper to a high-speed blender (used our Vitamix). Process on high, using the tamper, until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and mix in by hand the chives, parsley and shallots. Taste for salt.
Cover tightly and refrigerate. It gets better as it sits (even better overnight) and thickens up as well. Give it at least a couple of hours to meld before using.
There is a recipe in the sandwich and wraps section calling for the cashew cream cheese. Finding air-dried (not oil pack) sun-dried tomatoes without preservatives can be tricky. Most sold in produce sections in grocery stores contain sulfites. It is how the tomatoes are so soft and flexible. Without that. sun-dried tomatoes are crispy and well…dry! Read the packages carefully. You can find natural ones (I buy mine online, they store well in mason jars) or use oil-packed instead, just drain and dice. If you do use all natural a quick soaking in hot water will rehydrate them nicely.
Below is adapted from the recipe, it made 6 wraps – mine is for single serving
Mediterranean Sandwich/Wrap
Ingredients:
- 2 slices bread or one large wrap
- Cashew cream cheese
- Sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped
- Capers, rinsed and drained
- Spinach leaves
Directions:
Spread as thick or thin as much cream cheese as you like, Sprinkle tomatoes and capers on top, Add a thick layer of spinach leaves.
Enjoy!
FTC Disclaimer: We received a preview copy for potential review.
Looking forward to the book. Thanks for the review!
That looks good!
That spread sounds really tasty but do you know why she calls for filtered water and not just “water”? Does it really matter? Also, why no sulfites? I guess I am clueless and don’t know about this stuff. Another question, Vitamixer, I’ve heard they’re amazing but they’re not exactly cheap—want to chat (email?) about their pluses over a typical blender? I’m so curious about them!
Sorry, just full of questions and just wondering, not knocking.
I don’t mind at all 🙂 The sulfites are nasty – most dried fruit has it added. They can make similar texture if they use a little sunflower oil – it keeps it soft. Sulfites can also be a big migraine trigger as well.
On the water…..does it matter? Maybe, maybe not. I am on a community well so I do run my through a water purifier, otherwise if you don’t you get a sludge on the walls of containers within a couple of days. This has happened most places I have lived that were well water. Our showers and sinks get it bad as well. And water can taste better as well – especially if you are on city water with fluoride or chemicals added.
I could yack forever about the Vitamix…lets just say I couldn’t fathom why it could be worth that much $$ until I used one. It is so strong it scared me at first 😀
Is it extremely loud? I hate my blender because I almost need ear plugs.
It isn’t quiet but it is different – mostly because it does the job in under a minute. I used to have to run my blender for 3-4 minutes to get a drinkable frappe, now I do it in 30 seconds – and it is velvet smooth. But…having said that when I grind raw beans into flour it is very, very loud.
Do you go to Costco at all? If you do, keep an eye out, they do road shows all the time – and then you can hear it in person 🙂
I can say this…..we bought a Ninja before it, we returned it. The Vitamix was so much better you can’t compare it.
We do have a Costco but not a membership, we use Sam’s Club. But we do go in sometimes just to check things out. I’ll look, thanks!