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Vegan Cheese Ball with Rosemary and Cranberries

Course Appetizer, holiday, party

Ingredients

  • 2 cups raw cashews (soaked overnight or soaked in hot water for a couple hours)
  • 1/3-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp white miso paste
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1-3 tsp minced)
  • 1/2 tsp salt optional
  • 1/4 cup fresh rosemary, finely minced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts or pistachios, finely chopped Use any nut or seed of your choice

Instructions

  1. Soak cashews, either overnight in the refrigerator or in hot water for at least an hour. 

    Drain and add to a high powered blender. 

  2. Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso, garlic, and salt (if using). Start blender on low and use the tamper to push the ingredients into the blades. 

    Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender and push everything into the blade area. Blend and stop and scrape as necessary. 

    Continue to blend, increasing the speed until you have a very smooth mixture. (See pictures in my blog post)

  3. Add chopped rosemary and cranberries. Pulse a few times to incorporate the rosemary and cranberries. 

  4. Line a small bowl (approximately 2"-3" deep and 4"-5" wide) with plastic wrap, using enough to drape over the edges and wrap up and over the cheese ball when done. 

  5. Scrape all the cheese out of the blender and spoon into the lined bowl. (See pictures in my blog post)

    Smooth the top of the mounded cheese and wrap the plastic wrap up and twist it at the top. 

  6. Place in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) or place in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up. 

  7. While cheese firms, toast the walnuts (or whatever nuts/seeds you are using) in a dry frying pan over medium/high heat. You'll know they're done when the start to smell nutty and begin to dry out a bit. 

    Cool and chop finely, either with a knife or in a small food processor. I like to get them chopped to about the size of a grain of rice. 

  8. Carefully unwrap the cheese ball and drop into a shallow bowl full of the chopped nuts. Using your hands, gently roll until all surface is covered in chopped nuts. If it's really sticky, use the plastic wrap on your hand to gently shape into a nice ball. 

  9. Place on a platter and surround it with crackers. Celery is another tasty way to serve this.