Herbed Probiotic Cashew Cheese

A couple of weeks ago, I had the fun of catering the food for a baby shower for some friends. It was really beautiful ~ a garden-party afternoon tea on a warm sunny day, with lots of happy people joining the celebration.

The food was afternoon-tea style, with little crustless sandwiches, fruit salad with cashew cream, muffins and a really fun cake. All of it was gluten- and soy-free, and vegan of course.

The centerpiece of the feast ~ she’s having twins 🙂

But one of my absolutely favorite things from the day was the cucumber sandwiches with herbed cashew cheese. The probiotics gave it a nice, subtly tangy flavor, and the crunchy cucumbers were a perfect match for it. And the best thing is that you can customize it as you wish. I used dill and chives, but other herbs would be great also. Maybe some lemon thyme?

Herbed Slightly-fermented Cashew Cheese

•  2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 6-8 hours
• 1 cup water
• 1 probiotic capsule *
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup minced fresh dill
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Drain the cashews and blend them well with the fresh water. Get them as smooth as possible. Open the probiotic capsule and blend the powder into the cashews. Place in a bowl in a warm place (like inside the oven or a cabinet) and let sit for 6-8 hours or overnight.

If you put the bowl in the oven, make sure you take it out before turning the oven on. I’ve made that mistake before.  🙂

When it has fermented for several hours, place it back into the food processor or blender and add the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and blend well. Put it back into a bowl and stir in the herbs. Chill thoroughly and enjoy!

* You can also use a tablespoon of light miso in place of the probiotic powder.