Recipe:  “Sweet and Creamy “Cheese” Spread”

“As a child, I used to love cream cheese.  If there was a block of it in the refrigerated cheese drawer, I’d find it.  The texture was smooth and creamy and it made everything I spread it on taste sensational.  In fact, one of my grandmother’s favorite homemade sandwich fillings was simply cream cheese mixed with green olives and pimentos thickly slathered between two pieces of Wonder Bread.  I loved every bite . . . but now I cringe at the thought of eating that processed, pasturized concoction.  So . . . I developed a guilt-free version of cream cheese from raw cashews to satisfy my cravings for all things slightly sweet, creamy, and cheesy.

The recipe below is my pure, raw, vegan creation of cream “cheese” spread.  I slather it on all manner of veggie sticks and fruit slices or eat it straight from the spoon.  It is super-smooth and thick, nutrient-dense, and chock-full of vitamins, minerals, slow-release carbohydrates, healthy fat, and fiber.  I’ll almost guarantee that you’ll fall in love with this luscious recipe and make it often!  Enjoy!”

Stephanie Tourles

Sweet and Creamy “Cheese” Spread

A nondairy, sweetened “cream cheese” that’s out of this world! I slather this mild, creamy spread on everything — strawberries, carrot and celery sticks, young asparagus spears, bell pepper slices, dehydrated cookies, and sprouted Essene bread. I’ve even been known to enjoy it straight from the spoon. It has a rich, slightly figgy-sweet flavor. You must try this recipe!

3 large, dried Calimyrna or Turkish figs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup raw cashews

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 Soak the figs in a small bowl for 6 hours, completely covered by purified water. Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of the sweet soak liquid.

2 Trim the stems from the figs and put the fruit and reserved soaking liquid in a food processor. Add the lemon juice, cashews, honey, and salt and blend until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula as needed to incorporate all of the cashew bits. Expect the light crunch of fig seeds to remain.

3 Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Yield: About 11/4 cups

3 large, dried Calimyrna or Turkish figs

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup raw cashews

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

A good source of:

B vitamins, potassium, calcium, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, protein, healthful fat, slow-release carbohydrates, and fiber

“Reprinted with permission from “Raw Energy,” by Stephanie Tourles, published by Storey Publishing, LLC, December 2009.