Blog of the Belly Biter:

Some plant-based, some unhealthy, some super healthy but ALL good. Kid tested and mother approved!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Cashew Ricotta.

I saw this cashew ricotta on my friend Crysta's blog... and totally wanted to try it - for 2 reasons. It looked good and was another new technique to making something animal based into plant based. I'm loving these little challenges. Plus, it's a Tal Ronnen recipe... so I knew it'd be good. And if it worked, it could open up the door to sooo many, now vegan, meals.

It worked. I had to wait to find the perfect recipe to try it on... and then I had to get some probiotic powder (which, I'm still needed to look for other uses for). And someday I'll work up the nerve to try the beet ravioli she used it in... the balsamic maple syrup vinaigrette looked so good.

Tal Ronnen's Cashew Ricotta Cheese
2 cups raw cashews
1 teaspoon probiotic powder (from 6 capsules - I use the All-Flora brand) dissolved in 1 cup of warm water.
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper

Put cashews in a bowl, add cold water to cover them, and refrigerate 12-14 hours. Drain and rinse them under warm water.

Place nuts in a blender with the probiotic powder and water mixture, and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a clean, glass bowl, and let sit at warm room temperature (I leave the oven light on in the closed oven) for 14-16 hours to culture.

Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in remaining ingredients. Cheese will keep for a week under refrigeration.

Now, I'm on the search for some good ricotta recipes...

4 comments:

  1. Dear super knowledgable author,
    Maybe it is super obvious to you, but what do I do next?
    Thanks,
    Clueless in the kitchen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear clueless sister in the kitchen...
    Try the awesome penne with grilled squash I postedon the same day
    http://bellybites.blogspot.com/2011/05/penne-with-grilled-summer-squash-and.html
    Or use it with mom's lasagna recipe or any other recipe you use ricotta in.

    So proud of you!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. When do you add the following: 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
    1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
    1 1/2 tablespoons minced chives
    2 tablespoons minced parsley
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    black pepper

    Is it added after it is cultured? Thanks!

    Sounds like a great recipe as I can't use tofu or any other soy based product and Wendy Poliski referred me to your website. She had a recipe for stuffed tomatoes but I couldn't do the ricotta it called for.

    ReplyDelete
  4. At Kenda... so sorry, I don't keep up with this blog like I should. If you haven't figured it out already or give up all together, yes... after it's cultured. :)

    ReplyDelete

Let me know what you thought if you've bitten one of my bites!