Cashew Cheese Logs 3 Ways

When you’re starting a vegan diet or you discover a dairy allergy, giving up cheese can feel like the hardest part, right? Not anymore! When soaked and ground, cashews can be whipped into almost-like-the-real-thing “cheese,” and when it’s shaped, chilled, and rolled in sweet or savory toppings, every bite is reminiscent of your favorite tangy goat cheese. This recipe takes some time to make (12 hours, to be exact), but once it’s ready to eat, consider your cheese cravings satisfied.

Cashew Cheese Logs 3 Ways

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 12 hours and 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the cheese
2 cups Thrive Market Organic Raw Cashews
Filtered water, plus additional ½ cup for cheese
¼ cup nutritional yeast
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon juice
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper

For the toppings

A little sweet
¼ cup Thrive Market Organic Dried Cranberries
¼ cup dried cherries

A little seedy
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Chia Seeds
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Pumpkin Seeds, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Thrive Market Organic Sunflower Seeds, coarsely chopped

A little nutty
¼ cup Thrive Market Organic Walnut Halves and Pieces, toasted and chopped
¼ cup Thrive Market Organic Pecan Halves, toasted and chopped

Instructions

Make the cheese
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water; let soak at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse nuts, then add to a food processor. Pulse until nuts are crumbly and start to get creamy. Add all remaining cheese ingredients, and blend until fully combined and creamy.

Arrange 3 rectangular pieces of plastic on the counter. Equally split cashew cheese onto the center of each piece. Roll up the cheese into a log, wrapping the sides tightly. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.

Make the toppings
Place dried cranberries and cherries on one plate; chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds on the second plate; and walnuts and pecans on the third plate. Roll each log into one of the three plate toppings, pressing toppings onto logs as needed. Serve with bread or crackers.

Recipe by: Angela Gaines