CASHEW BLEU CHEESE
A work of art, this nut cheese delivers all
the pomp and circumstance of provincial
“Blue.” Shhh... don’t tell anyone, but this
cheese gets its colour from the superfood
spirulina. It’s packed with flavours that
are fresh and healthy and it still has a
full creamy texture. “But does it really
taste exactly like blue cheese,” you ask?
Thankfully, no! It tastes much better!
Makes: 2 x 3inch cheese rounds
• 300g (2 cups) raw cashews
• 20g (¼ cup) Irish moss
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1½ tsp Celtic sea salt
• 2 tsp refined coconut oil
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 capsule acidophilus (3-billion-active-
culture strain)
• ½ tsp powdered spirulina or frozen live
spirulina
• 60ml (¼ cup) aquafaba (water from a
15.5 oz can of garbanzo beans)
Easy Pre-Prep:
Place the cashews in filtered water in a
small bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Rinse the Irish moss very well in a colander
until all of the sand is removed and the
smell of the ocean is gone. Then place it in
water in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate
overnight.1 Drain the Irish moss and place it in the
bowl of a Vitamix along with the water.
Blend on high speed for 1 minute or until
it is emulsified. Measure out 2 tablespoons
and reserve the rest.2 Drain the cashews. In a clean pitcher of
the Vitamix, place the cashews, emulsified
Irish moss, the nutritional yeast, salt,
coconut oil, garlic powder, acidophilus, and
aquafaba.3 Blend on medium speed, using the
plunger to evenly distribute the mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a cheese mould.4 Sprinkle the spirulina over the cheese
and, using a small spatula, marble it
through in all directions. Do not overmix or
your cheese will turn green.5 Place the cheese mold in the dehydrator
and dehydrate at 90 degrees F for 24 hours.
Refrigerate overnight6 Serve, or store in a humidifier or wine
cooler for up to 3 weeks.- Recipes and images from This Cheese is Nuts
by Julie Piatt (Avery; published June 2017)