This spread combines the nuttiness of cashews with the brininess of pickled jalapeños for one mouthwatering non-dairy cheese. Add it to a vegan charcuterie or cheeseboard. Or use it as a sandwich spread.
3Tablespoonsbrine from jar of pickled jalapeño slices
1teaspoonwhite miso paste
1Tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeños + extra jalapeño slices for garnish
Instructions
Drain raw cashew pieces and set aside.
In a high speed blender, put in lemon juice, tamari, brine from jar of pickled jalapeno slices, miso paste, and then the drained raw cashews. (Because there isn't much liquid in the cheese, it blends better if the liquid is at the bottom by the blade.)
Blend the mixture, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Depending on how long the cashews have soaked, it may take a while until the mixture is completely smooth. (If the cashews aren't blending well, add a splash of water to move things along.)
Once it is entirely smooth, add the chopped pickled jalapeño slices. Blend for 10 to 20 seconds more, until the chopped slices are incorporated but not entirely smooth. If you'd prefer a completely creamy cashew cheese, keep blending until it's all incorporated.
Move the cashew cheese to a serving dish and garnish with pickled jalapeño slices. If you're not serving it right away, move the cheese to a covered container and put it in the refrigerator. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Video
Notes
Because there isn’t much liquid in this recipe, the cashew cheese blends best if you put the liquid ingredients into the blender first and then add the solid ingredients.For easiest blending, go low & slow. If you try to run the blender too fast, it kicks all of the spread away from the blade. I turn my Vitamix dial to about 4 or 5.If your blender pitcher is very tall, the blade may have a hard time blending this smaller amount of cashew cheese. For easier blending, try doubling the recipe.If you don’t have a high-speed blender, here are three different options as workarounds for perfectly blending cashews.
Soak the raw cashews a long time in water before blending – between 4 and 12 hours.
Boil the raw cashews either in water from a pot on the stove or microwave. Then let them sit in the hot water for at least 15 minutes.
Grind the dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder. Then add it to your standard blender with the other ingredients.
If necessary, add a splash of water to get things going. Be careful not to add too much, which will make the spread runny.This cashew cheese will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It also freezes well.