Cashew-Tofu "Ricotta"

As promised, here is a stand-alone post with my version of cashew-tofu "ricotta," which is as close to a classic vegan staple as you can get on these here danged modern internets.

• 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked for a couple of hours
• 12-14 oz firm tofu
• Juice of 1-2 lemons (enough to keep the blades in the bowl moving)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

This whole mess gets processed up in the food processor, and, if you are making something Italian-y, you can also add

• 1-2 tsp dried basil, or maybe
• a splash of apple cider vinegar

To give it some zing.



Important notes:

You have to use firm (or at least firm-ish) tofu to get the texture right, if you use silken tofu you end up with a delicious sauce, but not a fluffy ricotta replacement.

Mince the garlic before you add it to the workbowl, otherwise there's too much "stuff" for the blades to get through and you can end up with big chunks of garlic.