Cashew and Macadamia Nut “Boursin Cheese” (Raw)
This is a great vegan “cheese” which also becomes the base for some delicious creamy sauces. You can use pinenuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, or play with any combo of the three. This makes about 4 cups of cheese.
- 4 cups soft nuts, soaked for 2 -4 hours (cashews, pine nuts, or macadamia nuts)
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 2 shallots
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 4 t. nutritional yeast
- 2 t. salt
Blend together in a food processor or blender until smooth, let chill 2 hours for flavors to mellow.
Serve as a spread on raw crackers or thin as a dip for vegetables.
For flavored cheese spreads, add any of the following to a cup of the cheese recipe:
- 1Tbs finely minced fresh herbs and garlic
- 1/4 c Finely diced sweet red pepper and scallions
- Zest of one lemon
- …or come up with your own!
Chocolate Super-Macs
“Chocolate hides a multitude of evils!” I use a little regular cocoa to get the rich chocolate taste and look, add a little extra sweetener, and then pack these with raw chocolate, blue green algae and any other superfoods I have on hand (and can get away with) – ground goji berries, mangosteen powder, etc. Have fun watching people who would never eat this kind of stuff pop these cookies in their mouth, one after the other!
- 1 recipe Marvelous Macs
- 1/2 cup finely ground raw cacao
- 3 – 4 T organic cocoa powder (not dutch/alkalized)
- 6 – 8 capsules Crystal Manna blue-green algae*
- 2 T agave or maple syrup
Add all ingredients together and adjust for taste (which means, if you can get away with adding more blue-green algae and not tasting it – do it!
Scoop and dehydrate as for Marvelous Macs.
* You can use any kind of greens or blue-green algae you like – I find that this brand has a very mild flavor which allows me to use a lot more without detection.
Marvelous Macs
These are a staple in our house – I eat these for breakfast! This is a recipe adapted from Sarma Melngailis’ first cookbook, Raw Food Real World and the original version of these Blond Macaroons can be purchased at OneLuckyDuck.com.
- 3 cups dried unsweetened coconut
- 1 1/4 cups raw almond flour, ground with 1/4 c hemp seeds
- 2/3 c maple syrup/agave (dark or light)*
- 1 T vanilla
- 1/2 t. sea or Himalayan salt
- 3 T maca powder (optional)
- 1/3 c coconut butter
- 1/2 c raw cacao nibs (optional, for “chocolate chip macs”)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl (kneed the last bit in with your hands!)
Spoon or scoop 1 1/2 inch balls onto a dehydrator screen. (A 1 oz French ice cream scoop is perfect for this job!). Alternately, you can chill this in the refrigerator for a hour and roll into balls with your hands.
Dehydrate 115 F for 12 – 24 hours, or until they are a crunchy/chewy as you like!
* Use all agave for a low-glycemic version, or you can play with other sweeteners like Yacon syrup.
TIP: Double this recipe, split in half, and make Chocolate Super Macs too!
Conscious Food Choices 