Jess Starwood

My fermented raw nut cheeses have been quite a crowd pleaser (for vegans and non-vegans alike, which is a total win!) and with so many requests for the recipe and process, here it is! My first go at this I used some wild harvested pinyon pine nuts which, let me tell you, was the most laborious adventure I’ve encountered yet. Those things are challenging to shell by hand… especially when you need TWO cups full. Ok, if I didn’t live in the modern world, that would just be life and that’s how you eat.

Here’s the process… and you can replace the cashews/pine nuts with your nut or seed of choice, such as almond, pumpkin or sunflower seed, macadamia, walnut, etc. One of my favorite things about gourmet raw food recipes is that they are so flexible so that modify to your taste or the seasons! If you’re a forager, by all means, try it with pinyon pine nuts… the flavor is incomparable!

Fermented Cashew & Pine Nut Garlic Cheese with Wild Sage Spices

1 cup pine nuts
1 cup cashews
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup spring water
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or substitute your favorite oil)
Probiotic powder or water kefir
Salt to taste

Wild Sage Spices

1 tsp dried white sage
1 tsp dried black sage
2 tsp dried garlic
Salt to taste

Soak the nuts in filtered or spring water for 2-3 hours. Drain and rinse.

Combine all the ingredients for the cheese in a food processor, but ideally a high speed blender will achieve a beautiful, silky smooth texture. Adjust salt if needed.

Next, drain the cheese. Use a cheesecloth to line a colander that fits inside of a bowl to catch the liquid and pour the cheese into the cheesecloth and cover. The excess liquid will seep through the cloth in order to create a thicker, more solid cheese.

Allow this to sit in a warm area for about 2 days in order to ferment. Transfer to the fridge on day 3. On day 4, transfer to a plate and dehydrate (or put into a low temp oven) for a few hours in order to form a nice crust.

Mix ingredients of spice blend with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Sprinkle on top of cheese and enjoy with crisp raw veggies or crackers. Yum!