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.
Sue wrote on January 31, 2013
I have read that you can use the liquid from fermented vegetables instead of the rejuvelac which could be cabbage in the form of sauerkraut. That would have to be home made or unpasturised sauerkraut though as many of the bought ones have been pasturised which kills the cultures required.
Susan wrote on January 31, 2013
You can also use probiotics. Would probably be easier. Cheers!
Robin wrote on November 23, 2012
i read that rejuvelac can be made from cabbage. could that then be made into cheese? do different starters for rejuvelac produce different flavors or work differently in recipes?
Susan wrote on January 31, 2013
I don’t have any experience making it from cabbage. You would have to refer to the source where you read that. Cheers!
Lina wrote on November 4, 2012
The final result looks just great on photo. Big BIG thank you!!!
But would be even greater to see all the steps in photographs.
Susan wrote on November 4, 2012
Thank, Lina! As time permits, I will be adding more photos and even video. Cheers!
Lesley wrote on October 21, 2012
I made the raw cashew cheese with rejuvelac only I used raw almonds instead. It probably wasn’t as creamy as cashews would be but I thought it came out great. I had some on toast and it was delicious.
I’m not vegan, but I use a lot of vegetarian and vegan recipes for health reasons and I”m very happy with your recipes. Thank you.
JL wrote on September 25, 2012
Great recipe thank you- its delicious! My kids love harder cheese that they can cut into pieces. Any suggestions on what I can do to make more of a harder block of cheese? Your advice would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
Manisha wrote on September 13, 2012
I made cashew cheese following your recipe. It came out great. I made one of my friend, who is not vegan, taste it without telling her what it was. And she said.. hey its cheese. Thank you for sharing this!!
I have one question though. The cheese was not hard cheese. It came out to be somewhere between cheese spread and hard cheese. Any idea how to make it hard other than freezing it?
Susan wrote on September 13, 2012
This recipe does not make a hard cheese. Cheers!
carol Prichard wrote on August 19, 2012
Susan the cheese looks fantastic. Where I live every place is warm Hot and humid. Should I make concessions for this?
carol
latrice wrote on August 14, 2012
THIS lOOKS DELICIOUS!!
lily wrote on June 25, 2012
hi, can you use kefir instead of rejuvelac to make the cheese?