Blogs Goals for 2009 and Raw Nut Cheese
This post was written several months ago, but I never got a chance to post it between one thing and another. However, it is a dish I really enjoyed, so I decided to post it, unedited. But before I go ahead into that post, I want to briefly discuss my blog and kitchen goals for this year.
Most of you who have been reading this blog for the past 2 years, will notice that the posting content has made a subtle transformation over the years from Mediterranean foods to incorporating more local and organic (when possible) foods, still within that cuisine’s flavor. This year I am going to continue to talk about making the best out of your leftovers, but I plan take it further to continue to my goal of becoming more sustainable by trying to make more of our daily diet foods at home (it started with making our own bread in 2008), things like yogurt and begin to learn the basics of canning and preserving. We are also going to be trying to expand our porch garden to include more than just a tomato plant and a few herbs. I have always loved gardening, and in our current living space, that has no yard, we have been unable to do that. But this year we are going to get creative and see how we can expand the space with which to work. I really want to get more and more away from the grocery store and begin relying on local producers and ourselves for food. In some cases this will not work entirely, but the point it to try to move more and more towards these goals. Now onto the post…
As I have often mentioned before I have a real respect for raw food cuisine. I am not talking about people who blog about eating a mango and a banana for dinner with some grapes and a shot of wheatgrass. While that is all well and good, if you are into that sort of thing, for me that is more of a diet plan than a cuisine. Cuisine is reflective of something that transforms raw (no pun intended) ingredients and creates something beautiful, delicious and imaginative. Cuisine requires creativity and finesse. When you have only a small set of ingredients with which to work, and you are still able to make something gourmet -that is what I call really thinking outside the box. This is food I really get excited about.
One blog that I always love reading is Lyra’s blog Gluten-Free Hippie. Here is an example of a person that really takes simple and often raw ingredients to all new heights of sophistication and beauty. She has featured various varieties of raw cheeses on her blog – no, not like raw milk cheese, but “cheese” like foodstuffs made from nuts and or vegetables. I have always been really curious about it. Then, recently we went to a raw food restaurant here in Saint Augustine called The Present Moment Cafe, which I reviewed on my other blog, Jenn’s Travel Closeup . I had a salad that was topped with macadamia nut cheese and it was awesome! So when my friend Ani emailed me a recipe for Native Chi’s Non-Dairy Cheese, and I had all the ingredients, I decided to go for it. I did make some changes to the recipe – like making it spreadable instead of sliceable, and adding some extra spices and whatnot, but still, it was wonderful and a great raw food treat !
We ate it as a sandwich filling with lettuce, basil leaves, olives and red onion on home baked bread. I am sure it would be great as a dip for veggies or scooped into an avocado like the way it was presented at Present Moment. I am going to be making this again for sure!!!
Native Chi’s (non-dairy cheese)
adapted from The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook by Tanya Petrovna
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups water
3/4 cup agar flakes – or a one ounce package
(I skipped these two ingredients all together)
2 cups raw cashews (unroasted, unsalted)- I used cashews and macadamias.
1/2 cup lemon juice (or juice from 2 lemons)
2 TBS tahini
2 tsp salt
1 clove of fresh garlic
1 tsp cumin
To make the original, sliceable “cheese”:
Place agar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Turn down to low and continue simmering and whisking for about 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
Grind nuts in a food processor to form a powder (the size of kosher salt). I did it in two batches so it would grind evenly. Put all nuts back in the processor and add lemon juice, tahini, salt, and garlic. Then pour in the water/ agar mixture. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour into an oiled loaf pan and refrigerate until firm, slice and serve – store in the fridge. You can even put a chunk in the freezer until solid and grate it.
I made it the same way, but omitting the water/agar. However, when I processed it all in the processor I did add 3/4 cup of water to make it the right consistency.
joan nova - January 5, 2009 at 10:56 am
Hey Jenn, That’s an admirable goal and I look forward to the information you will share along the way.
kat - January 5, 2009 at 11:32 am
Its like a cashew hummus, yum. Great goal for the New Year. It’ll be fun to see how you do it.
Sam Sotiropoulos - January 5, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Jenn, those are great goals! We keep a rather fruitful kitchen garden from the spring to the autumn which allows us to control a good deal of our veggie intake. For instance, our tomato plants produce enough tomatoes for me to oven-dry enough of them that we don’t buy sun-dried tomatoes over the winter months, our oven-dried ones are much tastier and I preserve them in real olive oil. We also grow zucchini, eggplant, peppers, string beans, green onion, celery, oregano, dill, leeks, mint, parsley, and lettuce. So, go for it, it’s very rewarding! As for the raw nut cheese recipe, I have never tried anything like it myself but now I am curious to give it a whirl. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Sue - January 5, 2009 at 1:12 pm
How could that be bad? I LOVE cashews. I find that raw organic ones are noticably sweeter than roasted conventional ones.
Great goals for the new year. I always wonder a little bit about which is better – buying local or buying organic. Obviously, buying local organic is the best, but that’s not often the choice. I think I’m siding with buying local these days. BUT I almost always think organic tastes better.
Lovliebutterfly - January 5, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Oh man! I’d give anything (well maybe not anything!) to get rid of my nut allergy! This sounds and looks divine!
Patsyk - January 5, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Great goals for 2009. I’ll be reading to see how you are able to make a garden with a small space. Even though I have a large yard, we have too many animals that wander through our neighborhood for a garden to survive. Even flowers get eaten!
Kristen's Raw - January 5, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Great post – I love both simple and gourmet Raw vegan cuisine. It’s fabulous, fresh and so good for you.
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Kristen
nina - January 5, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I agree with your goals and we already had beans and a basil mayo from out garden for supper tonight. The children are watching their crop grow….If I read your recipe correctly, it is almost like hummus, but just with nuts???
Ivy - January 5, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I wish I had a garden to plant a few things. I am looking forward to your idea of making your own canning and preserving. I have already made a lot of jams and spoon sweets (fruit preserves) and my own sausages this year but there are a lot of things I still want to make and challenge myself with.
Kate - January 5, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Wow! That sounds delicious. But, could anyone tell me, per chance, what Agar Flakes could be? I’m a little embarassed to say that I have never heard of them before!
And Jen, I think your goals for the new year are great. I wish I could grow my own vegetables, but alas I have yet to keep a cactus alive, so it looks I will still be Wegmans-reliant.
Maria - January 5, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Sounds like a great plan and one we should all actually follow.
And that spread sounds great. I can imagine it can be enjoyed a number of ways and it must keep well.
Brittany - January 5, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Jenn, yours was one of the first blogs I started reading when I began to develop an interest in food blogging. The LOQ just keeps getting better and better. I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do with your garden, as my husband and I are in the same boat (just a wee porch in which to grow things)
I’d like to try this raw nut cheese- and I will go the spreadable route as well. Just sounds yummier and more user friendly.
Happy new year!
DebinHawaii - January 5, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Hi Jenn,
Great post and great goals for this year. I made a similar raw cheese a few months ago from pine nuts and cashews and really enjoyed it. I’ll have to try this recipe–it looks great. I just bought a new raw foods cookbook and am looking forward to playing around with it.
Happy 2009!
Deb
Alexx - January 5, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Wow – that’s a great goal for 2009! Good luck and I look forward to reading all about it 🙂
Peter G - January 5, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I envy you that yo have the space, even for a little garden…it will be great to see what you come up with. As for the “cheese” it reminds me of a cashew type of hummus. Sounds delish.
Cris - January 5, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I was thinking about this earlier today, my cooking resolutions for this new year… Jenn, what a great way to use up that tahini in the fridge… 🙂
Catherine - January 5, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Those are definitely goals worth going for! How about container gardening? There are several books/articles about it. One plus is that you can move them around according to weather and space?
Thoughtful post, great recipe! Makes me inspired!
Soma - January 5, 2009 at 6:00 pm
My first time here & what a gorgeous place u have here. I have been blogging for the past 4 months & i have no idea how I missed this!
I am adding you to my links.
kat - January 5, 2009 at 7:20 pm
sounds delicious, will have to try this, happy 2009!
toontz - January 5, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Hey Jen-
Happy New Year to you and Roberto. Great goals for the coming year! The raw nut cheese sounds yummy. I too, have a very small yard. Did a little better this summer with our tomatoes and herbs, but would love a “real” garden. I am very lucky that I have a mother that still loves to can and freeze and “put up” fruits and veggies, and that she is willing to share with us.
Navita - January 6, 2009 at 6:15 am
i agree with u on cuisine being different than a diet dear.
thanks for stopping by my blog.
Hope i have found a frequent guest in you!:)
hugs
Judy - January 6, 2009 at 9:25 am
Love your 2009 goals and can’t wait to see more in the coming months. You can bet I am staying tuned. That nut butter is almost like hummus but using nuts! Looks ownderful and would be great on a sandwich!
The Leftover Queen - January 6, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Sue, I ALWAYS vote for local over organic. So much of what you can get at the store that is “organic” is mass produced and pretty much factory farmed. I like supporting my local economy and farmers more than some mass organic farm in Chile that has to fly their food here. And don’t get me started on those vendors at the farmer’s market who cart in veggies in retail plastic…that is so NOT the point of a farmers market – I can get that at the grocery!!!
Yes, Nina, pretty much!
Ivy! My grandfather used to make sausage and it was THE BEST. 🙂
Kate – I have never used agar either, but here is a link to find out more about what it is: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/dairyfreeglossary/g/AgarAgar.htm
Thank you so much Brittany! You are so sweet to say that! You know I love your blog too – and your quick wit! I don’t know how well I am going to do with this garden resolution, but I am going to try!
Which one did you get Deb?
Now I am nervous, Peter because I don’t have space at all…I am literally not going to have a floor on my porch to accomplish this goal! LOL!
That is a great idea, Catherine…right now we have been growing tomatoes and herbs in containers…but I am sure there are lots of other space saving ideas that could be found.
Thanks Soma and Welcome!
Wow Toontz! You are lucky! 🙂
Jo - January 6, 2009 at 4:51 pm
what great goals! I have always loved your blog and your ideas and I can see I will just love it all the more in 2009 🙂 Thanks Jenn!
Esi - January 7, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Jenn, I really love the goals you are setting for yourself…looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Heather - January 8, 2009 at 2:03 am
I’ve been thinking about trying my hand at homemade paneer. Maybe nut cheese would be a good first step. 🙂
Maggie - January 9, 2009 at 7:55 pm
I really like playing with some of the creative raw recipes out there. I’m going to give the slicable version a try soon.
Holly - January 12, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Cashew cheese is great. I just made a vegan frosting for a client last night, Grind cashews, dates, and coconut milk in the processor until you get a frosting consistency It was good.