Vegan Herby Cream Cheese - Delicious, Healthy and Guilt-Free

Giving up cheese can be a tough endeavor and your cravings for a fresh cheesy spread might make the exciting journey towards a plant based lifestyle feel like a bumpy road instead. But don’t worry, you will be surprised how many crazy delicious alternatives there are to your favorite recipes without any animal suffering. And some are even easier to make than their traditional counterparts. 

Striving for natural foods - How this cheese recipe was born

Since not only the moral backgrounds and the taste are important criteria for my food choices, but also the health aspect of it, I always try to make the best out of a tasty recipe and adapt it to my standards. It has been a while since I made this cheese and this time I didn't want to use oil and salt anymore. I was pretty curious if it would still be as rich and creamy as we like our cheesy spreads, but the result was quite surprising. It is definitely a milder version, which now makes it possible to really recognize the different natural flavors of all the ingredients - slightly sweet cashews, savory onion and the refreshing taste of chives...

I am happy that I tried this variation now and not earlier since I could have found the subtle flavors boring back in those days, but my taste buds have changed a lot over the last year. Did you ever experience an increase in your taste sensitivity once you‘ve eliminated certain foods from your diet? Since turning to raw foods, this has changed profoundly for me and nowadays a simple apple can be a dance of flavors in my mouth - of course, a happy dance! 

Let's get cheesy - How to make your own cashew spread

Ever made cheese by yourself before? Probably not, since the process takes a lot of time and effort. But vegan cheese on the other hand is a piece of cake compared to that. So let’s get started, since you don’t want to miss this creamy deliciousness at your next breakfast. This goes onto your next grocery list: 

• 1 cup cashews 
• Juice of 1 lemon 
• 4 tbsp fresh herbs (e.g. thyme, rosemary, chives, oregano, parsley, basil) 
• 1 clove garlic 
• 1 red onion

First, let the cashews soak in water over night, rinse and drain them afterwards. For the herbs you can also use dried ones, but keep in mind that you then might want to reduce the amount to maybe 2-3 tbsps. I chose chives, by the way, they give the cheese such a fresh taste. Now, put all ingredients into the blender and mix until you have a smooth consistency. You might have to add some water to get the blender going. 

Getting in shape - How you achieve a creamy consistency

Almost there, we just have to get our cheese into shape. Use a clean kitchen towel and let the mixture dive into it. To get rid of the excessive liquid in your cheese, take all ends of the towel together and press down the cheesy dough. If you have one, you can also use a nutbag for this, which makes it easier to press out the excessive fluid and the leftovers can still make a great salad dressing, which you can see on the picture below. 

In case you like your cream cheese a little softer, you might now want to take the mixture out of the towel and put it into a small bowl. For a firmer consistency, place the towel with the cheese into the strainer and the strainer onto a bowl so that the rest of the liquid can drip into it. You can easily cover the mixture with the towel’s ends. 

For the last step, put the bowl into your fridge and let your cheese enjoy the cold for 12 hours or over night. I wanted it to be smoother this time, therefore I took the cheese out of my nutbag before placing it in the fridge. Over night, it still became a lot firmer, but the smooth texture remained. 

Ready, set, enjoy! Get creative with your own cheese dishes

When you open your fridge in the morning, a creamy and savory herb cheese will await you. I used mine for little veggie sandwiches and as dip for my cucumber and carrot sticks. You could also spread it onto your raw flaxseed crackers, put it over your dinner salad as creamy topping or make little zucchini boats with it. 

What meal creation comes into your mind when thinking about cashew cream cheese? Hopefully this recipe will inspire you to go nuts with other creative vegan dishes, that you can munch on happily, without harming any animals or your own health. Enjoy making your own cheesy spread!

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Have a wonderful day and a fruitful journey ahead! 

Yours, Anais 

Nomadic adventuress since 2018 | Raw foodie | Health enthusiast | Minimalist | Freedom seeker | Passionate believer in a life full of bliss.

🍓Hungry for some more healthy nuggets? Check out my raw vegan posts:

• EATING THE RAINBOW - Delicious Red Cabbage Salad with Almond Dressing
• Daily Dose of Green - Moringa-Pear Smoothie
• My 10 Days on Watermelons - How to Regenerate Your Body
• Taste the Paradise - Explore Bali’s Raw Cuisine

🗺 Time for some adventures - follow me around the world:    

• Hidden Treasure in the South of Bali - Melasti Beach
• Tropical Fruit Hunting in Kuala Lumpur - Chow Kit Market
• Hiking Under the Stars - Volcano Sunrise Trek in Bali
• Off the Beaten Path in Hpa-An - Discovering Myanmar's Beauty

🌟Let me inspire you to explore your full potential, with these lifestyle stories:  

• Bowel movement right after your morning coffee? Demasking a hidden constipation
• Travel Hack - How I Stay in Beautiful Homes Around the World FOR FREE
• Free Your Adventurer Within – How to Become a Daily Explorer!
• 6 Reasons why you should start meditating today

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This post is taking part in Steemit 'Fruits and Veggies Monday Competition' from @lenasveganliving .