Almond “Cheese”

Last year, I attended a raw food cooking class. I enjoyed learning about a different way of cooking and I loved getting to try the various creations. The first thing that I made at home based on what I did in class was almond “cheese”. My darling M can’t have dairy and is also trying to avoid soya, so I thought this would be a good way to let her have the taste of cheese without actually having dairy cheese or soya cheese.

It looks like an involved recipe, but actually, it’s very easy. It just takes a few days.

You can change the seasonings as you like.

Ingredients:

250 g almonds (whole or flaked; I used a combination)

water

2 probiotic capsules (from a health food store), or about 2 tsp probiotic powder

1-2 tbsp yeast flakes (such as Engevita)

1 tbsp coconut palm sugar or honey or regular sugar

1 pinch salt

1 tsp black pepper, optional

Instructions:

1. Soak the almonds in water overnight.

2. Drain the almonds and grind them in a food processor or blender until fairly small (they can look like the ground almonds you buy in the store or a bit bigger). Add a little water if you need to.

3. Open the probiotic capsules and pour the powder in.

4. Mix well. Put in a bowl, cover the almonds with plastic wrap so the plastic is touching the almonds, and then leave the almonds to ferment for 24-48 hours. Taste after 24 hours to see if it’s sour/cheesy enough for your taste.

5. Season the “cheese” by mixing in yeast flakes, sugar, salt, and black pepper, or any other combination of flavours.

6. Serve on crackers or toast or in a bowl as a dip.