Paleo Cashew Cheese:

(Makes…a lot! Enough to freeze a large amount for later)

*For the record…this recipe is dedicated to my MAMMA WHO LOOOOOVVVESSS CHEESE:).

*This recipe is an amazing substitute for cheese. For all of my fellow lactose-intolerant friends, and those who just want a HEALTHY version of cheese, this is great. If can be grated into shredded cheese, sliced into slices, subbed for cheese in ANY recipe, and is an excellent cheese topping for bagels, pizzas, casseroles, lasagnas, pastas, and more. It can also be frozen and kept for months in the freezer. Because this recipe takes a little lime, I always make a TON of it in bulk, put a smaller amount in the fridge to use for cheese use from day-to-day, and then put the rest in small Tupperware containers to take out as needed from the freezer. This cheese has no gross fillers, casein, soy, or chemicals and is lactose free and all natural! It also contains grass-fed gelatin, which is PACKED with protein.

*Tip-One of my favorite ways to serve this cheese is to place 3 or 4 slices on top of a halved bagel, sprinkle with Himalayan sea salt and dried, chopped chives, and bake at 350 degrees F until the cheese is melted. Then let the bagel sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Excellent on top of my amazing plantain bagels. Yes, they are bagels made from plantains, not flour…recipe will be posted soon!

*Tip-Another interesting way to use this cheese is in the form of a very thin wafer. Simply place about ¼ cup of the cheese on a microwave –safe plate and microwave for 1 ½ to 2 minutes (or until a crisp wafer forms). This is an excellent soup or salad topper crumbled on top or added as a beautiful garnish!

Ingredients:

-6 cups raw cashews

-8 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk

-Just less than 3/4 cups lemon juice

-6 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

-1 cup grass-fed gelatin

-1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil

-5 tsp. Himalayan sea salt

-3 tsp. dried basil

-1 tsp. black pepper

-3 tsp. dried oregano

-6 dashes of organic garlic powder

Method:

1. Place your cashews in a large soup pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. As soon as you reach boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes until your nuts are soft.
2. Drain your nuts in a strainer and place in your Vitamix or food processor. Add to your salt, basil, pepper, and oregano, and garlic powder to your Vitamix or food processor. Blend until thick, smooth, paste forms.
3. Put your almond milk, vinegar, gelatin lemon juice, and olive oil into the same pot used to boil your cashew nuts, and bring to a boil, stirring throughout. AS SOON AS you reach a boil, reduce the heat to medium and lightly boil for 5 minutes, stirring every one-minute.
4. Let the liquid cool slightly and then add to your cashew paste in your Vitamix or food processor and blend until smooth.
5. Then wipe the inside of your Tupperware with olive oil on a paper towel (to keep the cheese from sticking to the sides) and pour the liquid into each. Then place your filled Tupperware in the fridge for at least 2 hours until firm. Then keep one Tupperware in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer to store for later. To thaw the cheese, simply place you tupperware back in the fridge over night.