This tofu-based cream cheese is a new favorite. It's like vegan Boursin! It's a really quick recipe too. Just wizz everything in a high speed blender or foodprocessor, dump it into a container and put it in the fridge overnight to firm up. No long fermentation or hard to find ingredients. I've already brought it to a few potlucks and family events and everybody likes it, vegans and omnis alike, so it's a real winner!

The tofu and cashews make this cream cheese quite nutritious. It's higher in protein and lower in carbs than Tofutti. It also has less sodium and lots more useful nutrients like calcium and other minerals. It tastes good on (low carb) bread or crackers, but I also really like to use it in warm dishes like pastas, soups and casseroles.

Ingredients

250 gram (9 oz) firm tofu

1/2 cup unroasted cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours

1 clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup neutral tasting coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

Cut the tofu into slices and press them between two clean towels with your hands to get rid of the nasty tasting tofu liquid. Drain the cashews and put them into the jar of your high speed blender, foodprocessor or immersion blender, together with the pressed tofu, garlic, salt, coconut oil, vinegar and water. Blend until it forms a completely smooth mixture. Depending on the power of your food processor, this may take a few minutes. If the mixture seems too dry, add a little extra water or coconut oil to make blending easier.

Taste the mixture and add some extra garlic, salt or vinegar if you want a stronger flavor. Stir in the thyme and oregano (don't do this earlier, or the herbs will be blended up along with everything else.)

Line a bowl with some plastic wrap and pour the cheese mixture into it. Smooth out the cheese and cover it with a lid or more foil. Put the cheese into the fridge to firm up for at least 8 hours (if you're in a hurry 3 hours in the freezer will also do the trick). Neatly covered, the cheese will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks, or you can freeze it for up to several months although it might get a bit crumbly in the freezer.

100 grams of this tofu cream cheese (that's a lot!) contains about 273 kcal, 24 g fat (3.4 g saturated), 4.1 g net carbs, 1,7 g fiber and 10.8 g protein.