Cheese on a raw food diet? Really?
Yes really, and it’s super easy!
A common complaint among cheese lovers
A fellow ‘raw rocker’ emailed me the other day and said that she is worried she’ll miss cheese on a raw food diet.
Boy can I relate!
I used to love big hunks of dairy cheese, but my waistline didn’t.
Dairy is notoriously heavy to digest for a lot of people, and many are allergic to dairy without knowing it. (Plus it’s not nice for the cows, as any vegan will tell you).
So what do you eat when you want to stop the dairy but still have cheese?
Option one: store ‘cheese substitutes’
I have vegan friends who buy those packets of ‘vegan cheese’ that you can get in many supermarkets.
They contain some good things like nutritional yeast and nuts, but they often also contain soy protein, solidified vegetable oil, tapioca flour, vegetable glycerin and a number of dyes to make the cheese look orange or whatever color they’re after.
It’s easier…and cheaper… to make your own!
I’ve got two nut cheese recipes here for you!
A 5-minute cheese recipe (pictured above)
Put the following ingredients in a food processor:
1/2 cup cashews
A handful of macadamia nuts
A big dash of lemon juice (a tablespoon or so)
1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (which you can get here)
Mix well. That’s it!
You’ll have a nice crumbly ‘cheese’ which you can sprinkle over salads or soups.
A soft cheese recipe
This takes a bit longer but it will give you a nice soft, spreadable cheese.
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon probiotic powder OR lemon juice
A strainer and some cheesecloth, muslin, panty hose or a clean fine cloth
Soak the cashews for a few hours, overnight, or while you’re out for the day.
Then toss them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
Put your cloth into your strainer and pour the mixture through the cloth. Tie the cloth shut and let the ‘juice’ drain out into a bowl underneath (you’ll discard the water when it’s done).
Leave it on a countertop (not in a very warm or cold place) for 48 hours.
That’s it! You’ll have some soft cheese to which you can add herbs or spices!
