MAKES 2 CUPS
Whenever Victoria took Savannah to New York, they’d eat warm fresh bagels with whipped cream cheese, topped off by a cup of hot chocolate. It became a mother-daughter tradition, but they knew it wasn’t healthy. So when they adopted a fully plant-based lifestyle, they ditched the white-flour bagels and the dairy cream cheese for good. Our Simple Cream Cheese tastes just like the New York whipped cream cheese, only this nondairy version is incredibly healthy. It is cultured, which means it is loaded with probiotics, as well as good fats and protein. Try it the way we do, on a bagel. You can also spread this on toast, use it to fill your favorite lasagna, or make icing with it for an amazing frosted cake. This cheese can go head-to-head with any dairy product, any day!
1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk
1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
1 tsp. garlic powder
¾ tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ cup water
½ tsp. agar powder
1 Blend all of the ingredients except the water and the agar powder in a high-powered blender for 45 seconds, or until smooth.
2 In a small pot, boil ½ cup water with ½ tsp. agar powder, then turn off heat and let the mixture thicken for about 5 minutes.
3 Add the water and agar powder mixture to the smooth cashew cream in the blender and blend for another 30 seconds.
4 Pour into small cheesecake pans and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
If you don’t have small cheesecake pans, any container will work to chill the cream cheese.