Vegan “Cream Cheese”

My father outside my grandfather’s flowershop in Bussum circa 1940

My father was born in Amsterdam, and as a result of his influence, I grew up as a child loving cheeses.

Gouda and Edam were staples in our home.

My mother’s side of the family was from Poland… and from that side I learned about cream cheese which we used to enjoy with bagels and lox (sorry about the stereotyping!)

As a young adult I became lactose intolerant, and subsequently have been on the lookout for substitutes to help satisfy my nostalgic taste buds.

Today, most supermarkets have vegan cheese substitutes which quite often can come close to matching some of the original flavors. Many are even certified kosher, but they usually have some unpronounceable ingredients and preservatives in them.

Here’s a pretty good healthy, homemade substitute for cream cheese, which goes especially well on our “Pan de Queso” recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of raw cashews soaked for 1 hour
• 4 tbsps of nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp of GGOO olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 2-4 tbsps of water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Optional: smoked paprika, granulated garlic, fresh herbs ( basil, cilantro parsley, cilantro, dill, etc.)  or dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary). Start conservatively, add more to taste.

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients (only 2 tbsp of water to begin) and blend until you reach your preferred consistency
2. If it is too thick, add more water until you achieve the desired results.

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