Crave, Eat, Heal by Ann Oliverio: Cream Cheez recipe + GIVEAWAY

Today I am delighted to share an excerpt and recipe from my friend Ann Oliverio’s new book Crave, Eat, Heal. I’m sure you know Annie from her beautiful blog An Unrefined Vegan. Her blog offers food and health inspiration and so does her new book!

About the book:

Whether you need something salty, sweet, spicy, comforting, crunchy, or chocolate – indulge all your cravings and give your body the nutrition it needs. With these tantalizing whole food, vegan recipes, like Creamy Thai Carrot Coconut Soup, “Parmesan” Pita Chips, and Chocolate-coated Key Lime Coconut Cream Pie, Crave Eat Heal gives you healthy options while nourishing your body and satisfying your most demanding cravings.

Enjoy this recipe, courtesy of the publisher. And be sure to enter the giveaway for a print copy of the book (U.S.) and an e-book (anywhere in the world) below! 

ROASTED GARLIC & FRESH HERB CREAM CHEEZ (a.k.a. Vegan Boursin)

Diana, blogger at Veggie Next Door, and one of my recipe testers, warns that this might not be the best snack for a party setting since one is guaranteed to have garlic-breath, but I couldn’t resist trying to make a favorite “pregan” appetizer of mine – Boursin cheese.

Gluten-free, High Raw, Quick, Easy

Makes 2 small rounds

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small head garlic
• 4 Tbsp. fresh chopped herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, chives, and/or oregano
• 1 cup raw cashew pieces, soaked in water 8-10 hours, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup coconut butter or 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, soaked in water for about 15 minutes, drained
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 450-degrees. Cut off the top 1/3 or so of the garlic and wrap the head in foil. Place the garlic in the oven and roast for 30-45 minutes, or until fragrant and very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before unwrapping.
2. Line two 3/4 cup ramekins with cheesecloth. Sprinkle the bottoms of the ramekins with one tablespoon each of the herbs, reserving the remaining herbs.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the cashew pieces, coconut butter or coconut flakes, and salt until fairly smooth. (It will not get completely smooth.) Squeeze the cloves from the roasted garlic and drop into the bowl of the food processor. Add the garlic powder and the lemon juice and process until thoroughly combined.
4. Divide the mixture between the prepared ramekins, pressing the cheese down into the herbs and cheesecloth. Tap the ramekins on the counter a few times and level the top. Divide the remaining herbs between the two ramekins, gently press them into the cheese and cover with the ends of the cheesecloth. Put one ramekin on top of the other and fill a third ramekin with water and place it on top of both ramekins (you’ll have a “tower” of 3 ramekins). Place them in the refrigerator and let set overnight.
5. The next day, remove the water-filled ramekin. Gently tug the cheesecloth to remove the cream cheese from the other ramekins and serve with bread or crackers – or place them in an air-tight container for up to one week.

Total time: 48 hours, including soaking, roasting, and setting time

Suggestions:

If you use the Coconut Butter rather than the coconut flakes, you may need to add just a touch of water when processing.

I give a range of garlic powder here because it’s pretty powerful stuff. As the cheese sets, the flavor develops, so err on the side of less garlic powder (or none) if you’re not a big fan.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Ann Oliverio and Front Table Books.

Would you like to win a copy of Crave, Eat, Heal? Enter here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: cookbook giveawaycrave eat healgiveaway

• Next Dave’s Homemade Sofritas recipe
• Previous Eco-friendly entertaining with RestaurantWare.com