Raw vegan chèvre

What could be better than a raw vegan pure cheese to enjoy this new year's eve, especially, if like me, you are spending the night in the warmth of your home, sipping on your favorite drink, listening to your favorite music or watching your favorite show and setting the intention for the new year, calling upon abundance, love, health, fierceness, inspiration and being a vessel for God's bigger plan for you.

This raw vegan chèvre is so simple, it requires few ingredients, it only needs some preparation ahead of time, like remembering to soak the cashews (at least overnight) and being patient while the cheese is fermenting.

I insisted on sharing the recipe today so you have the time to do all that and have your cheese ready by new year 's eve! You can thank me later!

Now go ahead and soak 2 cups of raw cashews, like now!

Ingredients:

- 2 cups of raw cashews (soaked with enough water to cover them by 2 inches, overnight)

- 1/2 cup of spring water

- 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of probiotic powder (depending on how potent is your probiotic)

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1 1/2 tsp pf celtic sea salt

- 1 heaping tsp citric acid (optional)

Toppings:

- Zaatar

- Black sesame seeds

- Dried rose petals

Guidance:

Drain the cashews, discard the water. (the longer the soaking time is, the softer the cashews and the better is the result).

Using a high speed blender, blend the cashews with water until creamy and smooth. This will take some time, since we are not using a lot of water to blend the cashews, you will have to use the tamper to push the mixture down the blade and help with the blending process. (or scrape down the sides of your blender many times)

You may need to add a tablespoon or 2 of water if needed.

The less water you use, the better.

Pour the nut mixture into a bowl, add the probiotic powder and mix really well with a spoon to make sure the probiotic is well incorporated in the mixture.

Transfer the cashew mixture into a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth, and form a ball, squeezing it into the bag or the cheesecloth to extract the excess water, make sure you do not over squeeze otherwise the cheese will start coming out.

Hang the bag (or cheesecloth) to the faucet of your sink (this is how my mom used to make labné or condensed yogurt back in Lebanon).

Let it ferment for 48 hours (unless it is too hot in your house, it may be ready before that, the temperature in my house is around 71, 72 F).

If you don't want to hang it to your faucet, just place it in a colander placed over a bowl with a plate on top to help shed the excess water.

After 48 hours have passed, scoop your cheese into a bowl and add lemon juice, salt and citric acid if using any, and mix well.

Adjust the flavor to taste.

You can add garlic powder, herbs or other spices if you like.

When you are satisfied with the taste, it is time to shape your cheese, I like to roll it into a log shape.

For that, I just use plastic wrap, (8 * 10 inches should be enough, which is 21 * 30 cm) , I place the cheese in a log form and I roll it inside the plastic warp, making sure it is really holding cohesively together, and I squeeze the sides (it will look like a big bonbon :D)

Place it in the fridge to set for couple of hours.

Take the paper wrap off and divide the cheese log into 3 parts.

Add 2 tbsp of each of the toppings on a clean surface or a plate and roll the cheese until covered.

Plate your cheese adding nuts, some fresh fruits or seeds to taste.

I hope you enjoy this cheese as much as I do, and I would love to see a picture of your recreation of this recipe, I will regram my favorites on my IG page.

Love,

And have a fabulous new year!

Nathalie

#cheese #vegancheese #rawvegancheese #cashewcheese #fermentedcheese #nutcheese #vegan #dairyfreecheese #dairyfree #plantbased #food #cheeseandwine