Semi-dried Tomato and Basil Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese

Cultured cashew cream cheese is one of my favourite things to have in the fridge. The store bought ones can get pricey so I prefer to make my own, it’s super easy. I use it as a dip with crackers and veggies, dollop it on pizzas, veggies or just about anything. I love playing around with different flavour combinations and this one is delicious.

This cream cheese has been fermented which means it will last longer, is easier to digest and is filled with good for your guts probiotics.

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Semi-dried Tomato and Basil Cultured Cashew Cream Cheese

Makes a 250ml size jar

Gluten free, dairy free, egg free

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cashews (soaked for 6-12 hours)

• 6-8 semi dried tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons of sauerkraut juice or cultured vegetable brine (this will work as a starter to ferment the mixture)

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Pinch pepper

• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

1. Soak cashews in water for 6-12 hours or until soft.

2. Rinse the cashews in water and add to a high speed blender (you can use a thermomix but double the recipe otherwise you will be doing a lot of scraping).

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour into a jar and leave to ferment for 12-24 hours or until you see small bubbles (you can skip this skip if you want to eat it straight away).

5. Store in the fridge where it will keep for a couple of weeks.

6. Serve as a dip with crackers and veggie sticks, as a spread or dolloped on just about anything.