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.
cate thomas wrote on December 5, 2013
hi:)) great! when I make rejuvelac from sunflower seeds and that just be accident has been in the frig for 10 days, is it simply ”more probiotic’ or not to use? doesn’t have bad odor, am highly allergic to mold, mildew, chemical sensitive… thanks for thinking!
Nicole wrote on December 4, 2013
What is the consistency like? Like mozarella? Because it looks like mozarella.
Sharon wrote on August 8, 2013
Hi Susan, what can I use to shape the cheese and do I leave it in the cheese cloth? Enjoying your recipes. Thanks for your help on this journey.
Sharon wrote on August 8, 2013
Susan do I leave the cheese in the cheese cloth when I put it in the refrigerator to set up?
julie wrote on July 18, 2013
Can you use water kefir starter? I make kefir pop and thought it might work> anyone try it yet?
Susan wrote on July 20, 2013
I have not tried it. Anyone?
Paul wrote on June 18, 2013
Thank you for the recipe! We’ve been making rejuvilac on a regular basis and the cheese turned out awesome. Now we have a sensible replacement to dairy. So nice! Thank you.
Jan Carpenter wrote on June 1, 2013
For anyone who is interested, I see several comments about rejuvelac and making it. Some of the best rejuvelac comes from quinoa. The cashew cheese is quite good when you make it with quinoa. You might want to try this as a substitute for those of you who are trying to maintain a gluten free diet.
Maya D wrote on April 23, 2013
I made the rejuvelac, but just to make sure, this recipe includes the liquid ONLY right? Not the actual wheatberries… so we would had the liquid the resulted from the rejuvelac making process with the soaked cashews. I didn’t soak cashews but my rejuvelac is ready: what can I do to keep it good for two days from now? Can I just take the rejuvelac liquid and put it in the frige without the wheatberries?
thanks for answering!