Are you looking for a quick & easy raw vegan appetizer to surprise and delight your friends and family at your next summer party? Try this Greek Salad Appetizer with Almond Cashew Cheese. It has all the freshness and the flavor of a typical Greek salad, and the traditional feta cheese has been replaced by a creamy dairy-free alternative.
Greek Salad Appetizer with Almond Cashew Cheese
SERVES: 4-6 people
EQUIPMENT: chef knife, cutting board, blender, rubber spatula
INGREDIENTS:
Almond Cashew Cheese (+/- 1 cup)
½ cup of white almonds (directions: Julie’s Tips & Tricks)
½ cup of cashews
6 tablespoons of water
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 ½ tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1/3 teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
Greek Salad Appetizer
1 large cucumber, finely sliced
3 large tomatoes, finely sliced
10 fresh black olives, pitted & minced (or more to taste)
1 small red onion, minced
Fresh basil to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Almond Cashew Cheese
Combine white almonds, cashews, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt in the blender. Blend until smooth.
Greek Salad Appetizer
- Use a slice of cucumber as the base of the appetizer.
- Add a slice of fresh tomato and spread some of the cheese on top.
- Top with finely minced red onion and fresh black olives.
- Add another slice of cucumber, a slice of fresh tomato and a dollop of cheese.
- Finish with extra red onion, black olives, fresh basil and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
- Follow these steps to create white almonds:
- Soak ½ cup of almonds in purified water for 8-12 hours or overnight.
- Pour away the brown soaking water and soak in warm water for about 10 minutes.
- Peel the almonds by squeezing them between your thumb and index finger.
You can of course purchase white almonds in your local organic shop or regular store in order to save time, but just know that those won’t be as nutrient dense because they have been blanched.
- Nutritional yeast – also known as ‘hippie fair dust’ ☺ – is a non-active yeast, which means it won’t continue growing in your body (good news if you are trying to avoid a candida yeast infection like I suffered from in the past!). It has a rich cheesy flavor and it is very high in B-vitamins.
- This almond cashew cheese will stay fresh for at least 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- For the cheese: if you are using a high-speed blender (Vitamix/Blend Tec) and you want to achieve a super creamy texture, make sure you move to high speed (not turbo!) as soon as possible. If this doesn’t work, you can use your rubber spatula to prevent air bubbles from blocking the blending process.
- If you have guests coming over, feel free to prepare the almond cashew cheese a few hours or even a day ahead, but wait to the last minute to stack your appetizers because the salt in the cheese will react with the fresh vegetables. They will start to release their water content and the appetizer will turn into one soggy mess.
Now I would love to hear from you! Which raw vegan appetizer would you like me to create next time? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
