Baked Almond and Cashew ‘Feta’
Get ready for your life to be changed. Okay, that might be a little over the top, but as a former cheese addict, one of the reasons it took me so damn long to go plant-based was because of my love for all things dairy. Milky coffees, ice cream, buttery toast and *sigh* cheese. I soon learned that milk and ice cream and butter all had delicious and easily bought substitutes but a decent cheese replacement proved elusive.
And I mean, I tried. Vegan cheese can be expensive AF too and I threw more than one $17 cheese straight in the bin 😩 Finally I decided to give it a red hot go myself and try and make my own. Now look, I’ll be honest with you; this isn’t cheese per se. But it’s creamy and salty and tangy in the way that feta is creamy and salty and tangy. But different. And different is okay with me. Trust me, this does the trick and will definitely fill your cheese shaped hole (not a euphemism 🤣).
Recipe
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup water + extra if needed
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried herbs (I use Masterfoods Tuscan Seasoning) + extra for the top
Salt to taste
Details
Put the nuts in a bowl and cover with bowling water and set aside for a few hours or overnight. The longer they soak, the creamier the result will be. I soak for 4-6 hours generally and then I can’t wait anymore because, well, cheese 🤷♀️
Pre-heat oven to 180ºC
Drain and rinse the nuts and then throw everything into a high speed blender
Blend until smooth – adding water as needed. You want a thick consistency that can hold its shape. You’ll be forming it into a cheese style round later so keep that in mind
At this point taste and adjust as needed. More herbs? Salt? Lemon?
Pour the mixture onto a tray prepared with baking paper
I use a cake spatula to shape the mixture and smooth the edges and top. Finish by sprinkling with more herbs (pressing down to ensure they stick) and bake for around 15 minutes. You could drizzle extra oil over if you prefer a more golden result
Serve still warm on crackers (yum!) or sliced on toast with avocado, in salads or crumbled on pasta. Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days (although it lasts maybe half an hour in our house!)
Enjoy!
