Raw Cranberry Pecan Chevre Log
When I was a kid, I loved anything cheese. I remember being super excited when my Mom made a cheese ball for a family gathering. It was the best thing ever in my 8 year old mind. I still love cheese as an adult...but now it is vegan cheese. I am not a big fan of most of the mass produced store bought vegan cheeses, so I make my own and I love it! My Grandma always had some sort of cheese out as part of the snacks she served on Christmas, so now I think it is kind of tradition to still have cheese, or a cheese log. My cheese of choice now is chevre.
But a log of chevre on its own isn't very pretty or interesting albeit delicious, so I added some cranberries for flare and pecans for crunch on the outside. It is really pretty simple to make, so long as you have time to let it set overnight. I use a mixture of coconut and cashews in mine because it is more affordable that way, and I like the slightly sweet flavor the coconut adds. It is really a delicious combination! I also use probiotics and lemon juice in mine to give it that goat cheese tang. It was so delicious this time! I hadn't made it in a while so I had sort of missed it.
When I told Eric I was making some, he was all like "Hell yeah! Love that stuff"! It was one of the first things I served him when we first started dating, a salad with chevre and fruit on it. He gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow. He loved raw chevre ever since then. And, trust me, you will too once you try it! This is the perfect thing to serve around the Holidays! You don't even have to tell people it is vegan, because they probably wont believe you since it tastes just as delicious as the dairy version.
Raw Cranberry Pecan Chevre Log
Serves 6-8
1/2 cup young coconut meat, packed
1/2 cup raw cashew butter or macadamia nut butter
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp probiotic powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped pecans
In a food processor or high speed blender, combine the coconut meat, cashew butter, sea salt, lemon juice, and probiotic powder, and blend until smooth. Scoop into a bowl, and cover. Let sit out overnight, until it is tangy (give the probiotics a chance to work). Once it is tangy, mix in the cranberries, and place in the refrigerator until chilled. Once chilled, scoop onto a sheet of plastic wrap, and use it to shape into a log (kind of rolling it on the inside of the plastic). Spread out pecans on a plate, and then roll the cheese log in it using the plastic to assist you so it does not stick to your hands. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up before serving. Keeps for about 1 week in the refrigerator.
