As a child I used to have two favorite savory snacks: cheese cubes (preferably with a grape or a pickled silver skin onion on top, very 90’s style ☺) and smoked almonds. I thought, why not combine both flavors and turn them into a Smoked Cashew Cheese Spread? You can enjoy this cheesy sauce with zucchini pasta or rice noodles, as a spread on top of your favorite bread or as a cheesy base on vegan pizza. I’m also going to show you two simple ways to serve this cheese spread as a snack or an appetizer.
Smoked Cashew Cheese Spread
SERVES: 1 ¼ cup
EQUIPMENT: blender, rubber spatula
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup of red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons of lime juice, freshly squeezed
¾ teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt
¼ teaspoon of paprika powder
¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika powder
¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 large pinches of cayenne pepper
1 cup of cashews, finely ground
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine red bell pepper, water, nutritional yeast, lime juice, salt, paprika powder, smoked paprika powder, turmeric powder, cayenne pepper and finely ground cashews in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- The first way I like to enjoy this cheese spread is on top of cucumber rounds. I find that the freshness and the crunchy texture of the cucumber combines really well with the creamy salty flavor the cheese spread. Sprinkle some extra paprika powder on top and you’ve got yourself a cucumber cheese sandwich – 90’s style ☺
- The second way I like to eat this cheese spread is with a big bowl of tortilla chips. As you might know, Simon and I have our own brand of raw vegan snacks called ALL GOOD – including tortilla chips – but you can use any brand you like.
JULIE’S TIPS & TRICKS:
- This Smoked Cashew Cheese Spread will stay fresh for at least 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- You can choose to soak your cashews for 2 hours or longer too. This way, you won’t need to chop them before blending your sauce and you won’t need to add any extra water.
Now I would love to hear from you! Did you have a favorite savory snack as a child? Let me know by leaving a comment down below.
