for all my vegans out there, or lactose intolerant people, this recipe is for you! of course, this is also for people who want to make homemade cheese deriving from nuts. all-in-all, the cheese was pretty good (still not as tasty and amazing as real homemade ricotta cheese). it stood up to dairy ricotta pretty well on pizza and i'm looking forward to using it in pasta, and with these little guys. the taste was a bit on the sweet side (much like a cashew nut). i've read that nutritional yeast adds more of a cheesy flavor, perhaps next time i'll try it out. as far as the pizza goes in this recipe here, you can obviously choose whatever toppings you like. the onion and zucchini were really tasty and married well with the cheese. likewise, the fresh chopped garlic tasted awesome with the tomatoes and cheese. i'm quite confident that whatever toppings you choose it will work well with the cashew ricotta.
*i don't tolerate bread that well. therefore, i use sprouted tortillas when i make pizzas. i get the ezekial brand at my local fairway supermarket. however, i've been told that they're not that easy to find. i assume that most whole foods markets carry them, as well as health food stores, or large supermarkets. but you can just as easily use regular tortillas, or pizza dough.
adapted from The Simple Veganista
makes about 2 cups of cheese
• ingredients:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chopped oregano
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
sea salt and pepper to taste
• directions:
soak the cashews for at least 2 hours, make sure the water covers the cashews
drain cashews and place all the ingredients in a blender (you can also use a food processor), blend scraping down the sides. adjust seasoning
chill in the refrigerator. the cheese will stiffen up a bit and will take on the flavor a bit more
// pizza
makes 4 mini pizzas
pre heat oven to 375°
prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper
• for the zucchini pizza:
2 mini sprouted tortillas
4 tablespoons cashew ricotta cheese
1/4 of a red onion
1 small zucchini
drizzle of basil oil
• for the tomato + garlic pizza:
2 sprouted tortillas
4 tablespoons cashew ricotta cheese
2 vine tomatoes, sliced thinly
one clove (or 2) of garlic, chopped
• directions:
coat both sides of the tortillas with a thin layer of olive oil. place tortillas in oven for about 3 minutes (until the edges are slightly crispy). remove from oven and top your pizzas.
bake pizza for 6-8 minutes, until slightly browned
slice and enjoy