With fresh herbs and spices folded in, and just the right amount of ‘cheesiness’, you’ll find yourself making this on the regular. Break out this recipe for parties, get-togethers, or a plant-based charcuterie with that special someone!

Prep Time: 24 hours
Assembly Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 24 hours, 20 minutes
Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup organic raw cashews

• cup water (for soaking cashews)

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

• 2 whole garlic cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• black pepper, to taste

• 4 large sun-dried tomatoes, diced fine

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh shallot

• 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or scallions/green onion

• 1/4 teaspoon chili pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

FOR PRESENTATION (CHOOSE ALL OR NONE)

• sliced chives or scallions/green onion

• fresh basil

• paprika

• lemon zest

• cracked pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak raw cashews overnight in enough water to cover them 1 inch (I know some recipes say you can soak them for a few hours, but if you're making this recipe, trust me. The longer you soak, the better. I actually soaked them for two nights once and it was the creamiest I'd ever made, so if you have 48 hours, get to soaking!) Drain and put in high-speed blender or food processor.

2. Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, 2 Tbsp water, vinegar, lemon zest, garlic, salt & pepper. Process until smooth and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. If you're using a high-power blender, it may take less time (my Vitamix only takes about 2 minutes to make this super creamy, while I'm using the blending tool to help).

3. Scoop the cashew cream mixture into a large bowl, adding the sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, chives, basil & chili flakes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, if desired. Garnish with paprika, basil & lemon zest, or any of the presentation items above, and dig in.