Oh a whim, I decided to make lasagna last week. It was a cold, dreary day, and I was seriously craving some comfort food – and lasagna is my comfort food of choice!
The only thing standing in my way of a delicious pan of hot lasagna was that I didn’t have any cheese to use. I only had a bit of Daiya shreds left (and I don’t like to eat much processed food, so I keep my Daiya consumption to a minimum, even though it’s delicious!), so that wouldn’t work.
After a bit of pondering, I figured I’d make my vegan ricotta cheese to spread throughout the lasagna. Thankfully, I had already soaked some cashews early that morning to use for something at lunch, which I never ended up making, so I used those cashews to make the cheese.
It came together so easily, and in no time flat. After making this in my food processor, I scooped the ricotta into an air-tight container and let it sit in the fridge for about 20 minutes, while I prepared the lasagna noodles and marinara sauce. This gave the ricotta ingredients a bit more time to marinate.
This cheese spreads on lasagna very well, but – it’s not just for lasagna! Use this ricotta as a dip, spread on crackers, or even add a dollop to your salad. It’s very versatile. Any way you choose to eat it, this cheese is incredible!
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours, then drained
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup plain non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tbsp dried basil
- ⅓ cup fresh chives
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- Add soaked cashews, garlic, emon juice, non-dairy milk, maple syrup, oil, basil, and chives to your food processor.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. If your ricotta is too dry, add a bit more non-dairy milk. It took me about 5 minutes to process my cheese until it was smooth enough for me.
- Season with salt & pepper, to taste.
*You can use agave instead of maple syrup.
*You can use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice.
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