Chive Vegan Cheese Spread and Veggie Crackers
Last winter, I completed my Professional Plant Based Cooking Certification Course through Rouxbe.com. It was a wonderful journey of intense learning that I would highly recommend to anyone that wishes to take their plant-based cooking to a higher level.
One of our assignments was a plant based “shindig” where we put together a menu and threw a party. You can read all about mine and see the pictures here: Rouxbe Shindig. I want to share with you a delightful raw vegan cheese recipe that came out of that assignment.
One of my favorite raw, vegan recipes that I developed for the party was a watermelon sushi topped with a chive “cream cheese”. The chive “cream cheese” was delicious and fresh. It fast became one of my favorite cheese spreads. Now that we are well into June, and my chives are growing like mad, it seems like a great time to share the recipe!
And since you are going to need something to spread it on, I threw together a wonderful little recipe for raw veggie crackers. They are gluten free and full of veggies. I have included directions for baking them in the oven but honestly, if you have a dehydrator, that is the best way to do it. Dehydration keeps them raw, light, crispy and flavorful. You would be amazed at the difference.
And one more great thing? You can freeze the Chive “Cream Cheese” Spread. But at this house, that doesn’t happen. We eat it too quickly!
How did we get that cracker texture?
If you are wondering how I got the texture in the crackers, I used a knobbed rolling pin. You can find one here: Square Cut Rolling Pin
Chive "Cream Cheese" Spread with Veggie Crackers
makes 4-5 dozen crackers and 1 1/2 cups spread
Chive “Cream Cheese” Spread
- 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
- 5 tablespoons chopped chives*
- Place all ingredients except chives in high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
*Hint: I love a lot of chives in this. You can add even more. Letting it sit overnight will really meld the flavors but you can eat it right away.
Veggie Crackers
- 2 cups almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup roughly chopped broccoli
- 3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup ground light flax seed
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos, light tamari or soy sauce of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon himalayan salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Pulse almonds, broccoli and carrots in food processor until you get a rough meal texture. You still want to see bits of the almonds, carrots and broccoli.
- Remove to bowl, stir in onion and ground flax seed.
- In a separate bowl, stir together water, coconut aminos. Stir into the veggie mixture and let rest 10 minutes before rolling out.
- Roll out to 1/8-inch thick and score into crackers. Dehydrate at 145 for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 115 and dehydrate for 8-12 more hours, flipping once during dehydration.
- Store in air-tight containers for 2-3 weeks.
*Alternatively you can bake these at 200 for 45 minutes. Flip the crackers and bake until dry. These will not be raw if prepared this way.
Claire wrote on January 27, 2016
Hello,
Could we use cashew and almond butter, instead of the soaked nuts ?
Thanks !
Donna wrote on January 15, 2016
How long does the chive “cream cheese” spread stay good for in the fridge?
Susan wrote on January 15, 2016
Hi, Donna, It should be good for 3-5 days but make sure no air gets to it. Cover the top with something to keep it air tight. Cheers!
Donna wrote on January 15, 2016
Thanks so much!
Amanda wrote on December 17, 2015
Oh my these crackers and spread are amazing! I made them yesterday and I can’t stop eating them. The spread is so good! Susan you are super talented.
Thank you so much for sharing these recipes with everyone. Keep up the great work!
Susan wrote on January 15, 2016
Thank you, Amanda!
Amelia wrote on December 8, 2015
Your site is amazing! I hate to be that person, but I’m allergic to flax. Is there something I can substitute it with please? Thanks, Amelia
Susan wrote on December 8, 2015
Hi, Amelia, You can use chia seeds or psyllium husks. It’s a great question! 🙂
Mattie wrote on November 16, 2015
I Crystal,
The crackers, can i made them strait from almond flour????
And is this 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained and 1/4 to 1/2 cup water sepret water.
Looks very nice I like to try it for X_Mas
Thanks voor helping out.
Susan wrote on November 17, 2015
Hi, Mattie, Yes, you discard the soaking water and use fresh water for the added 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Using almond flour will dramatically change the recipe. Cheers!
Susan Clow wrote on November 2, 2015
I made this and it is so good. They are the best raw crackers that I’ve ever tasted. And the cheese is so good I could eat it on anything but wow what a great combo.
Susan wrote on November 17, 2015
Thank you, Susan! I am so glad you liked them. They are a favorite around here, too. 🙂
Susan Clow wrote on November 2, 2015
I made the crackers and the cheese and thought I’d gone to heaven eating them. Oh my gosh thank you for sharing this recipe. It is absolutely scrumptious
Kyla wrote on August 27, 2015
Hello! These crackers and that dip look divine! I want to make them today – but I’m on a SIBO diet and unable to consume flax seeds/chia seeds, etc. Will it still work without them? Some other nut flour/seed that I could use instead? Thank you so much for any help you can provide. 🙂
Susan wrote on August 28, 2015
The chia seeds and flax seeds give the structure that we need when not experiencing the chemical changes of cooking. You could use psyllium but I am not sure if you can have that? 🙂
Lana wrote on June 22, 2015
I love the recipe. Is there any way to substitute nuts in crackers? Beans may be? It does not have to be raw
Jacqueline wrote on December 8, 2015
Hi Lana, I have a friend with severe nut allergies and I always make her raw crackers using pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and/or sunflower seeds – hope this helps 🙂 – Jacs
Susan wrote on June 25, 2015
Hi, Lana,
I have never tried substituting beans for nuts in crackers. Since this recipe was created using nuts as one of the main ingredients, a substitution like that could be tricky. Cheers!