Cashew "Cheese" Spread

A make-ahead appetizer to cut cook and prep time on dinner day!

Prep & Cooking: Soaking cashews for 4-24 hours and 10-20 minutes to combine ingredients and process
Serves: 6-8 as an appetizer
Pairs well with: Fall Menu Plan

Main Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews – you can use whole or pieces, whole cashews are easier to work with if soaked longer
2 cloves or 2-3 tsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp fresh sage
2 tbsp fresh thyme
3-4 tbsp fresh dill
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
Juice of half a lemon
2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Method:
In a lidded container, soak 1 cup of raw cashews in water for a minimum of 4 hours, to a maximum of 24 hours. The longer you soak the cashews, the easier the nuts are to process and blend. If you will be using an older or low-power blender or food processor soak the nuts as long as possible.

Drain the water and transfer the nuts to a blender or food processor. Add garlic, herbs, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt & pepper. Blend all ingredients until smooth. This will take awhile, up to 10-20 minutes depending on the power of your machine. You will need to stop the blender or processor several times to scrap the sides.

Once you have reached a smooth consistency, transfer the nut cheese mixture to a lidded container and keep in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Serve with crackers, toast or flatbread and enjoy!

Tips & Variations:

• Use the herbs you have on hand. If you have dried herbs use the following amounts:
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 ½ - 2 tsp dried dill