Raw Vegan Cheese
Life got exciting today. I made my raw food recipe for raw cashew cheese and it turned out great! I have been preparing raw food for some time now but the cheese, the ones that you have to make and set-up for a day, seemed a little daunting. Well, as my friend Michael often says, sometimes you just have to pull the bands back and let them fly. I’m glad I did. A few handfuls of cashews, some rejuvelac, and a little patience turned out a delightful cheese spread that is a welcome addition to any raw diet.
If you are wondering what rejuvelac is, it is a fermented liquid made from sprouting wheat berries that is said to be high in enzymes, friendly bacteria, vitamins and minerals. It is known as a health drink. If you have been following this site, you know I am sprouting a lot of wheat berries these days. I decided to put some of those sprouted wheat berries to work, make some rejuvelac and then, the cheese.
Cashew Cheese
Rejuvelac
- 1/2 cup sprouted wheat berries (sprouted just until tails start)
- 4 cups filtered water
- Place the wheat berries and the water in a jar. Leave in a warm place for 24-48 hours. You will see a little fizz. The liquid should be a little tart but not smell off.
Cheese
- 2 cups cashews
- 1/2 cup rejuvelac
- Cover cashews with water and soak overnight. Drain off water.
- Place cashews in Vitamix and process with rejuvelac until a smooth paste forms. You can add a dash of celtic sea salt.
- Line a strainer with 2 layers of cheese cloth. Spoon mixture into the cloth.
- Set in a warm place and let set for 24 hours. Form into the shape you want. I coated the outside with cracked pepper.
- Put in refrigerator to finish setting. Store in the refrigerator for about a week. Serve with Onion Sunflower Seed Flat Bread.
Gayle wrote on April 9, 2011
I have made this a few times. It is wonderful!
Nashi wrote on January 29, 2011
I’m making this as we speak, but when i went to drain my cashews the water was thick and smelled off.
I rinsed the cashews and proceeded, i thought it might meant to smell like that.
But i was just wondering can cashews go off? Do you think i should still eat this cheese i make if it smells bad?
Thank you 🙂
I hope my cheese turns out as beautiful as yours.
Randahl wrote on January 10, 2011
Oops: they’ll help crowd out mold too (which is a fungus)
Randahl wrote on January 10, 2011
@ Keri B:
Mold only grows where there are mold spores present, so my guess is either you have mold present in your environment, or you need to try getting a new batch of wheat. A way to help the rejuvelac along would be to add some friendly bacteria eg probiotics or perhaps some unpasteurized miso. That’s the nice thing about friendly bacteria: once they’re there, they help crowd out less helpful bacteria, not only in recipes, but in our environment and bodies too!
Nashi wrote on December 27, 2010
Wow, the texture looks very brie/camembert i love it.
What is the taste like? is it close to the brie or camembert?
I’m excited to try this one!
Vegan Traveler wrote on December 9, 2010
This recipe is perfect and just inspired me to make a batch. It’s been awhile. For those wondering about the quantities. 2 Cups of cashews is a great size for the vitamix. I use the plunger in it and with fewer cashews you might need to stop it often and push them down. I also soak my “raw” cashews in water the day before but I don’t think that is necessary. Thanks
I’m off to try your flatbread recipe!
keri b wrote on November 30, 2010
i tried to make rejuvelac twice and I got mold..any suggestions?
charlene wrote on November 10, 2010
What can other liquid can be used instead of rejuvelac?
Susan wrote on November 10, 2010
Rejuvelac is what this recipe is based on. There are other cheese recipes out there that use probiotics. You might want to look up one of those.