Cashew Ricotta
Vegan Puerto Rican pastelon with homemade bechamel and ricotta.
Ricotta Cheese is an Italian staple that is technically a by product that is made when making other cheeses like mozzarella or provolone. To form the curds that ricotta is known for the whey or milk needs to be mixed with an acid component like lemon juice, vinegar or even buttermilk. When the acidic dairy mixture is heated to a boiling point the protein’s inside begin to clump up. After cooling and straining fluffy ricotta is made. Ricotta cheese is used in so many recipes from crepes, lasagna and even Puerto Rican pastelon which is why so many of us have come to love it.
Luckily to make a dairy free version we get to skip out on all that. However when veganizing staples such as ricotta or cream cheese I always feel it is important to understand the fundamentals of the non-vegan traditional recipe to then build off of that to get something as authentic as possible even though we are making a plant based version.
Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews, soaked and rinsed
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup tofu - firm,
1/2 cup plant based milk ( oat is the best )
Instructions
Step 1
Blend everything in a blender or nutribullet. When blending nuts, a vitamix or good quality blender really makes all the difference. You can add more water if you feel necessary.
Step 2
Pour your mixture into small jars or a container of your choosing and allow to set in the fridge for 4-6 hours. This recipe will stay fresh for 5-7 days.
