Blueberry Lavender Cashew Cream Cheese

Lucky number three! Today’s cashew cream cheese recipe is the melting of two ingredients with the prettiest of colors—they also incorporate their color into their names: blueberries and lavender.

The appeal of blueberries is—well—doesn’t really require any explanation. I mean, they’re blueberries. They’re pure YUM. But, as far as lavender goes, I haven’t experimented a ton with it, so I wasn’t sure how this recipe would go. But, when I took my first taste, I couldn’t have been happier. There’s just a hint of lavender, and it brings a nice warmth to the overall flavor, mellowing out the sweetness of the blueberries a little.

In addition to bagels, this stuff is amazing on pancakes, topped with a drizzle of maple syrup. Why not try both!

Hope you enjoy it!
M

Blueberry Lavender Cashew Cream Cheese
Prep time: 10 min | Ready in time: 2 hours, 10 min
Yields: About 3 cups

Ingredients:
2 cups cashews
2 cups blueberries
2 teaspoons lavender
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 to 1-1/2 cups non-dairy milk (i.e. almond, hemp, coconut, etc.)

Directions:

Soak cashews in water for 1 to 2 hours, drain.
Crush blueberries in a small bowl with the back of a fork.
Use a mortar and pestle to grind lavender down a bit.
In a blender, process soaked cashews, honey, salt, and some of the non-dairy milk—start with about 2/3 of a cup, then add as needed. You’ll want to use as little liquid as possible, just enough to get the ingredients to blend well.
Pour blended cashew cream into a bowl using a rubber spatula to get it all out, then stir in the lavender and blueberries.
Refrigerate, covered for at least two hours until it thickens up.

NOTE: This recipe makes quite a bit, so you’re welcome to half it. Though, unless you have a very powerful blender, I’ve found it’s a little harder to blend just one cup of cashews at a time. You may be able to pull it off, but I just wanted to give you a heads up about that little issue.