Basil Cashew Cheeze

I hope you guys enjoyed the last few days of summer because fall is definitely here! I love the cold fresh air, the yellow leaves, the snow on the mountains…I love it all! Here is a picture of how beautiful it was on the weekend! I know you guys will think it’s terrible weather but I believe there is a time for every season and we should appreciate them all instead of always looking forward for the next one. Although I have to admit, I’m guilty of drooling over my new dream winter jacket and shopping for cross-country skis! As much as I love eating raw food in the summer, fall is all about soups and warm comfort food. Believe me; my comfort food is nowhere close to yours! But that is ok, because I want to help you try healthy options that will make you feel great every day, rather than tired, bitchy moody and bloated.

 

While we are on that subject, it’s been a month since I became a vegan and I absolutely love it! I have never been so excited about food in my life and I catch myself wishing there were more meals in a day so I could eat all this food at once. I literally have trouble choosing what to eat because everything is too good! I also feel a lot better. I have more energy, no more stomach pains, I don’t get tired after lunch, I am not moody and I almost never crave sweet or starchy stuff! I also recover better between workouts so I can run longer and faster and I get more training in! I think I lost a few pounds too because my new pants I just bought are too big! Oh well, I might just have to go shopping! What a shame! J

Now I told you guys I had a bit of a cooking frenzy last week and part of it was experiencing with nut cheeses. Here is a recipe of a cashew cheeze I came up with. I love it so much! It’s great in a sandwich, with crackers, in lasagnas, sauces… it’s good with everything. I personally love it as a pizza sauce, thanks to Angela Liddon @ Oh She Glows. You should check out her blog, she has fabulous recipes!  Alright! Less chatting, more cooking. Here is the recipe… (The pizza recipe will follow)

Basil Cashew Cheeze

Prep time: 5 min    Waiting time: 4 hours    Cooking time: 0      Servings: Approx. 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup Cashews

½ cup Water (plus water for soaking)

3 Garlic Cloves

7 Big Basil Leaves

¼ tsp Fennel Seeds

¼ tsp Guar Gum

 

Start with soaking the cashews in water for 4 hours or overnight. Rinse and drain. Add to food processor with all ingredients and process until smooth. Keep refrigerated for up to one week.