Cashew Nut "Cream Cheese"- raw, vegan

Cashew "cheese" on a cracker with salad and sundried tomato (apologies foe the poor quality of these pictures, which were taken in artificial light.)

Probiotic powder

This is my husband's recipe, and it's definitley a "keeper"; there are lots of different variations on this non-dairy "cheese"; it can be aged until it resembles a hard cheese, firmed up in the fridge or dehydrator and rolled in herbs and seasonings to make a "roule", and the flavours you can add to it are many and varied. This is the basic version, and yields a moderate- small amount- I'll be sure to post different versions as we make them. Don't worry if you don't have a dehydrator; you can use a yoghurt maker or airing cupboard. You can get similar flavours by mixing together tahini, lemon juice and soy sauce but this is live and the friendly bacteria will do your digestive system good. If you are vegan but still get cravings for the tanginess of cheese, then this recipe is for you!

100g cashew nuts

1 tsp probiotic powder

About 50ml water- enough to make a "cream"

• Grind the nuts in your food processor into a fine flour.
• Add the probiotic powder.
• Add the water, mixing well. It should look thick and creamy.
• Put into a container and dehydrate for 12 hours at 43C The "cheese" will become tangy and cheese-like.Keep in the fridge, where it will firm up a little. Add some seasalt, yeast flakes, ground peppercorns, herbs etc. as you wish, or just leave it as it is...