Pimento Cheeze (mayo and dairy free)

I don't know about you, but I love girly food :) Eating at tea rooms, lunching with my girlfriends at a local cafe where you can get something like this little salad plate is a true pleasure.(from one of my favorite Nashville girly places, The Puffy Muffin)

However, the pimento cheese you see on that little roll there is not, shall we say, super healthy:) Pimento Cheese is considered a Southern "comfort food". The main ingredients are usually a combination of cheddar cheese, mayo, and pimentos (cherry peppers). Two of those ingredients are never in my home, but the other day I was craving some comfort. So I made up this recipe which is mayo free and dairy free. This can also be made with a red bell pepper if you can't find a jar of cherry peppers in the store.

This cheeze would be great on crackers, toasted bread, made into a sandwich, or if you have a brunch you can plate some right between some chicken salad and cranberry salad :)

Pimento “Cheeze”

Yields: about 2 cups

Ingredients

- 2 cups unsalted cashews- preferably raw (about 10 oz)

- 1/4 cup of filtered water (2 oz)

- 2 Tbsp lemon juice (1 oz)

- 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp of nutritional yeast ** (3/8 oz)

- 1 red bell pepper, chopped and seeded or 1 4 oz jar of cherry peppers like these , drained (these can usually be found near the canned tomatoes and artichokes at your grocery store)- make sure to save a couple Tablespoons worth of the peppers to add in whole at the end

- 1 medium to large clove garlic

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 tsp sea salt

- Optional- 1 Tbsp finely diced red onion

Method

- Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours, then rinse and drain

- Place all ingredients (except save out 1/3 of the chopped pepper or pimentos to stir in at the end) into a food processor or high powered blender

- Blend until smooth.

- Stir in, using a spoon or spatula, the remaining peppers/ pimentos and chopped red onion, if using, and serve

**Nutritional yeast is not like what you might think of when you thing of normal yeast- it also is different form brewers yeast (even though "brewers yeast" may come up on a search for "nutritional yeast"- they are not the same thing). You can generally find nutritional yeast at Whole Foods, but if not- here is a link to buy it on Amazon. This is what gives it the cheddar-like taste.

This post has been linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free (check out the link for more healthy recipes!)