Cashew Spread

Intrigued by the possibility of vegan cheese I tried out this recipe of Vegan Pepper Jack Cashew Cheese.

The recipe calls (optionally) for agar powder. But as I couldn't find it anywhere I left it out.
The recipe also calls for a specific brand of pectin: Pomona's pectin. I had seen this brand in shops for kitchen supplies but didn't have the chance to pick it up before I tried the vegan cheese recipe. Instead I used pectin for jam.

The result was a rather un-cheesy cashew spread with a hint of sweetness. I wouldn't make it again in the same way I made it. But it tasted promising enough that I would be up for trying it again and sticking more closely to the recipe :)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Smoothie

This is my recent favorite breakfast smoothie: Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal... in a smoothie! Yum!
I substitute half of the milk for either almond milk or rice milk. But I don't want to substitute all of it because it gives the smoothie a creaminess that the milk alternatives don't.

This is what I use:
2 bananas
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 handful of nuts (cashews)
1/4 cup (about 1 1/2 pack) of instant oatmeal

Raw Kale Salad

Second best way to eat kale? Raw, with an amazing sauce!
This recipe is from a friend and ever since I first tried it, I wanted to make it myself. I think, this sauce is the secret reason I wanted to have a blender! I could eat this three times a day!

Cashew-Nut-Sauce for Raw Kale Salad:
Base ingredients:
1/2 cup cashews
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tbs olive oil
1 lemon (for juice)
Salt + pepper to taste
Other ingredients:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast and 1 tsp miso (Genmai)
or
1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 tsp Better than Bouillon (stock base)
Blend all ingredients, add a bit of water to get the blender started.

Banana Chocolate Smoothie

I tried something new with the Banana Chocolate Smoothies and I really like the result: I added nuts, maple syrup and a few pieces from a chocolate bar (70%). I've also been adding almond coconut milk to those smoothies and it tastes fantastic!

Banana Chocolate Smoothie:
2 bananas
1/3 - 1/5 cup of nuts (e.g. cashews, pecans)
1tbsp cocoa powder
1tbsp maple syrup
1tsp vanilla extract
4 pieces from a 70% chocolate bar
1/2 cup of almond coconut milk (or just almond milk, or rice milk)
Blend well. Add more almond coconut milk to get the desired consistency.