Today, friends, I’m sharing two techniques that are semi-essential to raw food meals:
1. Making nut pates
2. Making collard wraps
Nut pates are one of the first raw recipes I learned. They’re quick, delicious, and oh-so-versatile: you can use them in everything from wraps to sandwiches to salads to vegetable napoleons. They’re also a fun alternative to other soft spreads, like hummus, cream cheese, or refried beans.
What’s the difference between a nut pate and a nut cheese? Not much, except for consistency. I think of thicker mixtures as pates; when you add more water (and make them softer), I think they begin to resemble cream cheese or even soft goat’s cheese.
You can adjust the flavors of these concoctions so that they mimic traditional recipes (I make a mushroom pate, for example, with soaked walnuts and spiced with thyme, that tastes a lot like the classic mushroom pate you might find as an appetizer at a dinner party; I also make a pine nut “ricotta”).
The basic idea is this: you soak a cup or two of nuts (1-2 hours for cashews, and overnight for almonds), throw them in a food processor with about 1/2 tsp salt per cup nuts, and grind them till they’re in a pulp form. Then scrape the sides of the bowl and drizzle water in until the mix comes together and becomes smooth; if you’re looking for a chunkier mix, don’t process for too long. It’s a lot like making hummus in a food processor, and just as fast!
When I make nut cheeses, I always add lemon for a hint of tartness. I also add herbs, sun dried tomatoes, dill, black pepper, or whatever other kinds of mix-ins I’m in the mood for.
Tonight’s cheese recipe was one of my all time favorites: cashew ricotta with sun dried tomatoes and basil–AKA, raw pizza cheese! (It was Melissa who first noted that this cheese tastes a lot like pizza on a spoon.) This cheese is delicious, easy, and can be served in so many ways: stacked between layers of tomatoes and basil in a “napoleon,” in wraps as shown, or on top of zucchini pasta.
| Raw, Vegan "Pizza Cheese" | Print |
- 1 cup (115 g) raw cashews, soaked for two hours or more and then drained of soak water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons light miso
- ¼ cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes (either soft, dry and rehydrated with hot water, or oil packed and drained)
- ¼ cup basil
- Place the nuts into a food processor fitted with the S blade. Pulse a few times to break the nuts down. Add the salt, lemon, and miso.
- With the motor of the processor running, drizzle in about ⅓ cup water. You're aiming for the mixture to be smooth and spreadable–similar to a ricotta cheese. If you need more water, you can add it by the tablespoon until you have a consistency that you like. You can also stop a few times while processing the cashews to scrape the food processor sides down with a spatula.
- Once the cheese has a consistency that's just right, taste it and add black pepper to taste, as well as extra salt if you'd like. Add the tomatoes and basil and pulse the whole mixture until they're well incorporated. Serve.
You may recall my 8 simple swaps post, where I suggested swapping collard leaves for regular old wraps in raw food dishes. Collard wraps are a light, healthy, and creative alternative to your usual wraps or tortillas. A few of you emailed me after that post and asked how, exactly, you make collard wraps work. Here’s my trick.
Step one: de-vein the collard leave by slicing off the bottom of the stalk in a V formation and running your knife over the rest of the stalk to flatten the leaf, like so:
Step two: layer your cheese, pate, hummus, or other filling inside (I used about ¼ cup of the cheese), then pile veggies on top (here I used tomato, carrot, and some basil to complement the Italian flavor):
Step three: fold the bottom and top over the filling:
Step four: fold the sides over, wrap, and roll!
Chop off the tops on a diagonal if you want to look particularly fancy.
Of course you can use this technique for just about any kind of filling. But the pizza cheese is a really good place to start 🙂
I really hope you’ll all begin experimenting, not only with collard wraps, but with all sorts of nut pates. Let me know what you create! And have a happy Friday, all.
xo
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VeggieGirl says
April 24, 2009 at 7:05 amLOOOOOVE these tutorials!! I always use collards or swiss chard as wraps (since gluten-free wraps usually taste like cardboard), and I appreciate your wrapping techniques 🙂 And hooray for SOY-FREE “cheese”!!
Happy Friday!!
Laura says
April 24, 2009 at 7:34 amThanks for the tutorial and pate recipes! I’ve been wanting to try collard wraps for a while now, just haven’t worked up the nerve. 🙂 I’ve been afraid of them tasting too bitter, which is kind of silly because I tend to like dark greens.
Gena says
April 24, 2009 at 11:39 amThey’re very palatable, Laura, trust me! Glad you liked the post.
ashley (sweet & natural) says
April 24, 2009 at 8:47 amThanks for these recipes! The pizza cheese sounds absolutely amazing. I recently made almond butter for the first time, so I am confident I could apply those skills to this! 😛
Gena says
April 24, 2009 at 11:39 amI have faith in you, Ash 🙂
Bianca- Vegan Crunk says
April 24, 2009 at 9:07 amNut cheezes are my favorite raw food dish! In fact, on my raw days, I probably overdo the nuts a little bit, but in real life, I also overdo proteins and carbs, so it’s fitting that I would do the equivalent of that with raw foods. Your pizza cheeze looks super creamy. I’ll remember this recipe for later use. Thanks!
Gena says
April 24, 2009 at 11:40 amHey B! Yeah, they’re amazing. I’m happier with avocado based dishes 90% of the time (ha! in case you hadn’t noticed), but nothing beats some great nut cheese once in a while.
And good point: it’s important to remember that excesses eating raw aren’t always flaws of the diet: ANY diet can lend itself to excess.
Shelby says
April 24, 2009 at 10:28 amMmm, that cheese sounds great! I’ve never tried nut cheese but this looks so easy and quick to make. Thanks for the recipe!
Jenna says
April 24, 2009 at 10:47 amAll your recipes look great! I can’t wait to try some!! 🙂 This weekend sounds like a good time to try some wraps 🙂 Thank you they look so good!
Gena says
April 24, 2009 at 11:41 amGive it a shot, Jenna!
Stacie says
April 24, 2009 at 1:24 pmI have a standard ‘nut cheese’ that I use a lot, but I never realized that the pate was basically the same thing.
I’m going to have to get more creative……….
Thanks,
Nicole says
April 24, 2009 at 6:27 pmThese look awesome…I’ve never had nut cheese/pate before and can’t wait to try…do they have a shelf life or do you make a new batch for each meal?
Gena says
April 24, 2009 at 8:03 pmThey are! And the cheese will keep a week or so in the fridge 🙂
earthmother says
April 24, 2009 at 8:23 pmYou had me at “pizza on a spoon!” 😀
I’ve tried Nomi’s and Ani’s before and really enjoy them both.
Another great tip is when you make fresh nut milks, save the pulp after you squeeeeeeze your nut milk bag out, and make some yummy cheese with it.
Melomeals: Vegan For $3.33 a Day says
April 25, 2009 at 4:58 amI just adore collard wraps…. they are the most satisfying food to me..
I think people are amazed at how delicious they are once they get over the fear of trying one!
Tara says
April 25, 2009 at 6:01 amThanks for the recipes!
I have to admit… a part of me is afraid to eat that many nuts because I’ve been told forever that they are “fattening.” I know it’s not true, but it’s just such a hard thing to get over!
Gena says
April 25, 2009 at 8:40 amTara,
I urge you not to think this way!! Nuts are tremendously healthy, and they’re NATURAL fats, which means that your body can and will assimilate them efficiently. The fats which stick to us and clog up our digestion are animal fats; the fats that pass through us are coconuts, nuts, and avocados.
If you’re looking to be moderate, I’d say stick with no more than 3 oz daily, but a little more won’t hurt you.
Gena
Janessa says
April 25, 2009 at 9:18 amThese wraps look so good. I’ve definitely been experimenting more with limiting the tortillas and using the greens. Thanks for being such a great inspiration.
Gena says
April 25, 2009 at 11:10 amThanks, Janessa! I love your blog 🙂
Heather McD (Heather Eats Almond Butter) says
April 25, 2009 at 10:28 amGena,
Oh my gosh, I am so excited about all of these recipes. I love using raw nuts for cheezes and dips. I still haven’t tried the collard wraps, but I’m going to take your word for it and give them a whirl. 🙂
Totally loving your blog and all your raw food creations. Thanks for sharing.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Gena says
April 25, 2009 at 11:11 amSo happy they look good, Heather! I can’t wait to hear how your experiments go 🙂
Kim says
April 25, 2009 at 11:05 amGena, thanks for the tutorial! It helped me finally man up enough to enjoy my first-ever (albeit messily-assembled) collard wrap. Do you happen to know how long organic collard leaves keep fresh in the refrigerator? I bought a pack of 5 yesterday, and want to make sure I use them up in time. Thanks!
Gena says
April 25, 2009 at 11:12 amCongrats, Kim, on your first collard wrap! They get prettier, I promise 🙂
I find that they last about 5-6 days in my fridge, in a plastic bag with a hole or two to breathe. I always put a damp paper towel in the bag (you should do this for all greens); it helps preserve freshness.
Kathleen says
April 25, 2009 at 11:42 amI love collard wraps. I can’t do the gluten thing so sprouted wheat products are not an option. I was so relieved to find that I could still enjoy the sensation of sandwiches when I craved them. Now I just have to give nut pates and cheeses a whirl!
lauren says
April 25, 2009 at 1:07 pmYummmmy! I love pate and nut cheeses! Oh and I am in love with lettuce/collards/cabbage wraps!! Crunch crunch crunch!!
Hannah says
January 8, 2012 at 7:54 amMmm have you tried this “pizza” cheese as a sort of Alfredo? Bet it’s great with spaghetti!
Sarah W. says
May 9, 2012 at 8:05 amIs there a good alternative for miso? I can’t get it in my area. Thanks.
Lisa @wheezy99 says
July 9, 2012 at 7:52 amGena i was wondering how long will the cashew pizza chz keepn the fridge? Or does it need to be used right away?
Erin says
July 3, 2014 at 2:56 pmWhere do you buy miso? I have seen it mentioned so much, but have no idea where to buy. Is all miso raw? Thanks!
Marie Dolce says
January 12, 2019 at 6:49 pmThe recipe header states “soy free” and yet it contains “Miso” which is made from soy beans…. Maybe you are not aware that miso is soy?
Gena says
January 13, 2019 at 7:04 amAn error on my part! This is a much older post, and I hadn’t figured that out yet. Thanks for the reminder to edit 🙂