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Fresh Cashew Mozzarella Balls

Fresh Cashew Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh mozzarella balls or warm, gooey melted mozzarella? Fresh cashew mozzarella cheese is a versatile recipe. While it is ideal for vegans or dairy-free eaters, even regular cheese eaters should give this a try for a healthy twist on your favorite dishes. I love fresh cashew mozzarella. Unlike many vegan brands you can buy, fresh cashew mozzarella is made with ingredients you can pronounce.

Why Fresh Cashew Mozzarella?

An important criteria for me is to eat whole foods not overly processed. This is a a core principle of the Mediterranean Diet. Cashews, dairy-free yogurt, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, apple cider, salt are all items readily in my kitchen. The only Item I had to buy specifically is arrowroot, a natural thickener that is gluten-free, grain-free, vegan and paleo-friendly. Regular dairy mozzarella is compliant on the Mediterranean Diet. Dairy is to be eaten less frequently on the Mediterranean Diet food pyramid. Nuts are a primary food on the Mediterranean Diet. You can enjoy cashew cheese more frequently!

My Journey

I have developed a severe cow-dairy allergy in the past couple of years. I can enjoy goat or sheep milk products and those sparingly. Cow dairy inflames my joints, my lips swell, and my throat closes up. At first this new eating restriction felt quite burdensome. Adopting the Mediterranean Diet way of eating has made it very easy. The Mediterranean Diet includes dairy, but does not emphasize it.

Cashew Mozzarella Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

My Sweetheart and I started taking online Italian cooking classes six months ago. For Mark, I would usually make two dishes, one with mozzarella and one without. Sometimes I would add a dash of a more pungent cheese on mine, like pecorino or feta. We were both happy. Then one week the recipe called for fresh mozzarella balls. The recipe was stuffed zucchini blossoms. I had to find a suitable replacement and fresh cashew mozzarella was born.

The zucchini blossoms turned out amazingly. I described them as a grown-up mozzarella stick. So good. We added cooked shrimp to our blossoms. The Italians had ham, but we opt for fish and seafood more frequently on the Mediterranean Diet. The ooey-gooey deliciousness of the cheesiness with the crunch of the pan-seared zucchini blossoms is exquisite.

Uses for Fresh Cashew Mozzarella

I have used the fresh cashew mozzarella for quesadillas, artichoke dip, and nachos. It is an amazing builder for so many recipes. Check out other builders from Olive Sunshine. While I could not try Mark’s dairy version of stuffed zucchini blossom, he tried my cashew stuffed blossoms. He declared them equally as good. He was so inspired, he took a left over cashew mozzarella ball sliced it up and ate it all. That is when I knew, I had achieved the perfect recipe for fresh cashew mozzarella.

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Fresh Cashew Mozzarella Balls

Ingredients

1/2 cup of raw cashews
1/2 cup of dairy free yogurt (I used almond)
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes
1.5 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1.5 teaspoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of arrowroot powder, divided

Instructions

1
Soak the cashews in water overnight. If short on time, soak the cashews for 30 minutes and then microwave for 10 minutes.
2
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.
3
Add the first six ingredients into a high-speed blender. Cashews, yogurt, nutritional flakes, apple-cider vinegar, maple syrup, and salt. Blend until a soft cream if formed.
4
If making “mozzarella” balls. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Set aside.
5
Pour the 1/2 cup of water in a medium sized sauce pan. Add half of the arrowroot powder and stir until the arrowroot is dissolved. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
6
Add the cashew cream to the water, arrowroot mixture. Cook, stirring constantly with a rubber whisk. Add the remaining two tablespoons of arrowroot gradually while stirring until the cheese is thickened and stretchy. This process will take approximately 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
7
If using the “mozzarella” cheese as a dip or nachos, or in a recipe, use immediately while warm. If making fresh “mozzarella” balls continue with the remaining steps.
8
Spray a melon ball scoop with olive oil. Scoop out the cashew mozzarella balls into the ice water bath. Let sit for 30 minutes.
9
Serve immediately, or store in salted water (fully covering the balls) in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

The number of balls this recipe yields will depend on the size scoop used.  I used a medium scoop (1.97 inches) for five balls.

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