cheese e book

© russell james | the raw chef

Raw Nut

Recipes

www.therawchef.com

© russell james | the raw chef www.therawchef.com 2

The Raw Chef’s Recipe SeriesRaw Nut Cheese Recipes

© Copyright Russell James,The Raw Chef.

No part of this book may be produced by any means, nor transmitted, nor translatedinto a machine language, without the written permission of the publisher.

The right of Russell James to be identified as the author of this work has been assertedin accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs & Patent Act 1988.

CONDITIONS OF SALE

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise,be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consentin any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without asimilar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

First Published by Russell James,The Raw Chef, in Great Britain in 2010

This (first) edition published in July 2010 by Russell James

[email protected]

www.therawchef.com

DISCLAIMER

The techniques and advice described in this book represent the opinions of the author,based on his experience.The author expressly disclaims any responsibility for any liability,loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a result of using any of thetechniques, recipes or recommendations suggested herein. If in any doubt, or if requiringmedical advice, please contact the appropriate health professional.

http://www.therawchef.com

mailto:[email protected]



What Is Raw Food? 4

Basic Nut Cheese 5

Caraway Fennel & Olive Cheese 6

Cashew & Brazil Cheese 7

Cheddar Cheese 8

Feta Cheese 9

‘Goat’ Cheese 10

LemonThyme Cheese 11

Macadamia Cottage Cheese 12

Macadamia Mozzarella 13

Macadamia Pesto Cheese 14

Olive & Sun-DriedTomato Cheese 15

Onion Garlic Cheese 16

Sweet Ricotta Cheese 17

AlmondThins 18

Garlic Bread 19

Berry Compote 20

Mango Chutney 21

Cashew Crème Fraiche 22

CoconutYoghurt 23

Further Information 24

About Russell 25

contents



what is raw food?

WHEN I first heard about people that ate only rawfood, I couldn’t get my head round it. It seemed

really extreme, like some fad diet or some totallyunnecessary extension of the idea that fruits and vegetablesare good for us.

Then, through various means, I started to hear about rawfoods more and more and realised there was a wholelifestyle based around it that isn’t so extreme at all.Contrary to what I thought, it didn’t mean I had to stopwashing, join any kind of cult, grow my hair long or becomea ‘hippy’.

It also didn’t mean I even had to give up all my cookedfood and eat completely raw; I realised I could just startbringing more and more raw foods into my diet as I feltcomfortable. I mean, everyone knows that fruits andvegetables in their natural state are good for you, so anyextra I could get in would be a bonus.

What actually happened though was that as soon as Istarted experiencing the benefits, tied with the fact that Ihad started meeting some really wonderful people in theraw food world, I really felt as if I wanted to go ‘all raw’.

You’ll sometimes hear raw food called the ‘raw food diet’,but as I’ve alluded to here, it’s not so much of a diet in thetraditional sense, as it is a lifestyle. Sure, lots of people areable to lose weight, but it’s quite unique in that manypeople come to it for all sorts of reasons, including a varietyof health concerns, because they want extra energy, or theyare simply curious about what effects they will experienceby eating food the way nature intended.

So back to the original question: what is raw food?The easiest way to describe it is to say that raw foods

are free from animal products and haven’t been heatedover the critical temperature that it’s thought most of theenzymes are lost (around 118°F).When we heat food evenhigher, we then start to denature other nutrients such asthe vitamins, minerals and other proteins.

What are enzymes?

Enzymes are made up of various proteins and are partof every one of your bodily functions, including sight,hearing and, most importantly in this case, digestion. Simplyput, without enzymes we don’t function.

We have enzymes that our own body produces and wealso get enzymes from the food we eat.And this is thecritical point: if you eat food with the enzymes still intactthen your body doesn’t have to overwork to use theenzymes it produces to digest that food.There are manydifferent types of enzymes so nature has done a wonderfuljob by placing within each type of food exactly the type ofenzymes that are needed to digest that particular food.

I’m not a nutritionist so what I’ve learnt is through myown research; there’s so much more information out thereabout why raw food is nutritionally superior and suited toour bodies, and will give you much more information andinsight than I can in this short space – I urge you to go outand read plenty of it.

So raw doesn’t necessarily mean that the food hasn’tbeen heat treated – it just hasn’t been cooked in thetraditional way. By using processes such as dehydrating,juicing, sprouting, blending and food processing it’s possibleto eat an exciting and varied raw food diet; you may evenattract some positive interest from your friends and family!

If you’re looking for a great introduction to raw food, Ireally recommend you check outThe Raw Food Coach’s‘HowTo Get StartedWith Raw Foods’. It will definitely getyou off to a flying start if you’re new to all this, but will alsoteach you a thing or two. Visit the website atwww.RawChefGetStarted.com to check it out. It’s part ofmy mission to bring recipes and food to the world thathelps present raw food in a way that seems exciting,mouth-watering and accessible.

It’s all really about moving towards what you want, notaway from what you don’t want.

http://www.rawchefgetstarted.com



basic nut cheese

2 cups cashews or macadamias

1 cup water

1 teaspoon probiotics

� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been linedwith cheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to culture for at least 24 but no longer than48 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir or process in thefollowing ingredients:

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast

�Transfer the cheese to a ring mould.� If you used macadamias:At this point you can removethe ring mould and place in the refrigerator or removethe ring mould and place in a dehydrator at 105 degreesfor 24 hours to get a rind.� If you used cashews: At this point you can either placein the refrigerator, still in the ring mould as it’s not as firmas macadamia cheese, for 24 hours and then remove thering mould. Or you can place in the freezer to setharder for 1 to 2 hours and then remove the ring mouldto place the whole thing in the dehydrator at 105ºF for24 hours to get a rind.



caraway, fennel & olive cheese

2 cups macadamias, soaked 4 hours

1 cup water

1 teaspoon probiotics powder

� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weight shouldnot be so heavy that it pushes the cheese through thecloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press the liquidout.� Leave to culture for 48 hours at room temperature.� Once culturing is complete stir in or use a foodprocessor to mix in the following ingredients:

½ teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon lemon juice

� Then stir in the following by hand:

¼ cup kalamata olives

2 teaspoons ground caraway seed

½ teaspoon ground fennel seed

� Use a metal ring to spoon the cheese into.�When full gently remove the metal ring and repeatuntil all the cheese has been used.� Place in the refrigerator to firm up a little.This is bestdone overnight.



cashew & brazil cheese

1 cups cashews, soaked for 20 minutes

1 cup brazil nuts, soaked 20 minutes

1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weight shouldnot be so heavy that it pushes the cheese through thecloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press the liquidout.� Leave to culture for 24 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir in the followingingredients:

½ teaspoon salt


� Transfer the cheese to a ring mould.� Place in the refrigerator, still in the ring mould.� Allow 24 to 48 hours to firm up in the refrigeratorand then remove the ring mould.



cheddar cheese


1 cup yellow bell pepper juice (2 good sized bellpeppers)


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top. The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to culture for 48 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir in the followingingredients:

¾ teaspoon salt


� Transfer the cheese to a ring mould, remove the ringmould and then transfer to a dehydrator for 12 hours at105ºF. The dehydrator is an optional step to give thecheese a rind quicker. You can also just put the cheese inthe refrigerator straight away, without the dehydrationstep.� Remove from the dehydrator (if you did this step) andplace in the refrigerator.� Will continue to firm up and develop a rind in therefrigerator.

Note: Cashew cheese tends not to be as firm after theculturing step as macadamia cheese. If you find thecheese doesn’t hold it’s shape when you remove the ringmould, you can simply leave in the ring mould in therefrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. By that time the cheesewill have got firmer and will hold its shape.



feta cheese

Great on top of a Greek salad2 cups macadamias, soaked 4 hours

1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weight shouldnot be so heavy that it pushes the cheese through thecloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press the liquidout.� Leave to culture for 24 hours at room temperature.� Once culturing is complete stir in or use a foodprocessor to mi in the following ingredients:

¾ teaspoon salt


� Spread out on to a piece of parchment around ½ aninch thick.� Optional: grind black pepper on top of the cheese.� Cover and place in the refrigerator to firm up.�When ready to serve score the cheese into ½" cubes.



‘goat’ cheese


1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.�Transfer to a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Put aweight such as a glass jar filled with water on top to allowthe juices to drip down into a catchment bowlunderneath.� Leave at room temperature to culture for 24 hours.�Transfer the cheese to a large bowl or food processorand mix in the remaining ingredients:

1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon salt


� If the cheese is firm enough, roll into a cylinder andthen roll in crushed black pepper or minced chives. If it’stoo soft to roll then place in the freezer for 30 mins toallow you to do this step.� Once rolled and with the chives and/or pepper onplace in the refrigerator to firm up.�When ready to serve cut into individual slices.



lemon & thyme cheese


1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to culture at room temperature for at least 24but no longer than 48 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir in the followingingredients:

¾ teaspoon salt


2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced thyme

�Transfer the cheese to a ring mould.� Place in the refrigerator, still in the ring mould.� Allow 24 to 48 hours to firm up in the refrigerator andthen remove the ring mould.



macadamia cottage cheese

2 cups macadamias, soaked for 4 hours

1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to culture for 24 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir in the followingingredients:

¾ teaspoon salt


�You should find the cheese ‘fluffs up’ really nicely witha fork.� Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.



macadamia mozzarella

¾ cup macadamias, soaked 4 hours

½ cup young coconut meat

2 tablespoons irish moss paste

½ cup water

½ teaspoon probiotics powder

� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to culture for 24 hours at room temperature.� Once culturing is complete stir or process in thefollowing ingredients:

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutritional yeast

¼ teaspoon lemon juice

� Layout a piece of baking paper or parchment on aplate or tray.�Take a metal ring or cookie cutter the size that youwant the mozzarella to be. Place the ring on theparchment and use a small spoon to put a small amountof the cheese inside the ring and smooth it out on top.� Remove the metal ring and repeat the last step until allthe cheese mixture has been used.� Cover and place in the refrigerator until firm.This isbest done over a 24 hour period.�You should now find that your mozzarella is ready topeel off the parchment or baking paper and use.� If it hasn’t set properly you can simply move it to thefreezer to a while , not so it freezes, but so it is in therelong enough to firm and serve.



macadamia pesto cheese


1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weight shouldnot be so heavy that it pushes the cheese through thecloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press the liquidout.� Leave to culture at room temperature for 48 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir or process in thefollowing ingredients by hand or with a food processor:


½ teaspoon salt


� Use a ring mould to build a layer of cheese inside it.On top of that layer place a layer of pesto. Top it off withanother layer of the cheese.� Remove the ring mould and place in the refrigeratorto firm up.

Pesto¾ cup tightly-packed basil leaves

¼ cup pine nuts

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ clove garlic

Pinch of freshly ground pepper


½ teaspoon lemon juice

� Grind all ingredients in a food processor, leaving somechunkiness.



olive & sundried tomato cheese


1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to ferment for 48 hours at room temperature.� Once fermentation is complete stir or process in thefollowing ingredients:

¼ teaspoon salt


½ teaspoon lemon juice

�Then stir in the following:

¼ cup Kalamata olives

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked 2 hours and drained

� Use a metal ring to spoon the cheese into.�When full gently remove the metal ring and repeatuntil all the cheese has been used.� Place in the refrigerator to firm up a little.This is bestdone overnight.



onion & garlic cheese


1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to culture at room temperature for at least24 hours but no longer than 48 hours.� Once culturing is complete stir in the followingingredients:

¾ teaspoon salt


1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon minced shallot

2 tablespoons minced white onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

2 tablespoons green onion

�Transfer the cheese to a ring mould.� Place in the refrigerator, still in the ring mould.� Allow 24 to 48 hours to firm up in the refrigerator andthen remove the ring mould.�Will continue to firm up and develop a rind in therefrigerator.



sweet ricotta cheese

Great for use in layered desserts,with fresh fruit.2 cups macadamias, soaked for 4 hours

1 cup water


� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.� Place the mixture in a strainer that has been lined withcheesecloth and place a weight on top.The weightshould not be so heavy that it pushes the cheese throughthe cloth, but heavy enough to gently start to press theliquid out.� Leave to ferment for at least 24 hours.� Once fermentation is complete stir in the followingingredients:

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons honey or equivalent favourite sweetener

� Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.



almond thins

1 cup almond flour*

½ cup pecans

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup flax meal

1 medium zucchini, peeled & roughly chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon salt

*Almond pulp is the pulp left over from making almondmilk. Alternatively you can just grind up some almonds ina food processor.

� Grind all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.� Spread batter approximately ¼ in think on a non-stickdehydrator sheet.� Dehydrate for 2 hours, remove from non-stick sheetand score into individual crackers.� Return to dehydrator on a mesh tray until crispy.



garlic bread

2 cups almond pulp*

½ cup Irish moss paste**

¼ cup flax meal***

¼ cup oat flour****

3 teaspoons lemon juice

3 cloves crushed garlic

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 soft dates

1 teaspoon salt

� Grind all ingredients in a food processor untilthoroughly combined and broken down.� Form into a loaf approximately 1" high and 3" wide.� Dehydrate for 20 hours at 105ºF.� Remove from the dehydrator and slice into pieces ½"thick.� Return slices to the dehydrator for 1 to 2 hours oruntil they are dry but still spongy.

* Almond pulp is the pulp left over from making almondmilk.Alternatively you can just grind up some almonds ina food processor.

** Irish moss paste is made by blending 1 cup soakedIrish moss with 2 cups of water. Irish moss is availablefrom Caribbean markets or some Asian markets, or canbe bought online at www.PureJoyPlanet.com

*** Flax meal is flax seed that has been ground in a high-speed blender or coffee grinder.

**** Oat flour is oat groats that have been ground in ahigh-speed blender or coffee grinder.

http://www.purejoyplanet.com



berry compote

You can of course use fresh berries for thisbut I find frozen berries give a darker, richercompote.1 cup frozen berries, thawed

Optional sweetener, depending on how sweet the fruit is.

Pinch salt


� Pulse all ingredients in a food processor, leaving somechunkiness.� Chill until ready to serve.



mango chutney

1 medium ripe mango

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon lemon Juice

1 teaspoon minced ginger

Pinch cayenne

� Finely dice the mango and set half aside.� Blend the other half mango with the remainingingredients in a high-speed blender.� Add diced mango to the blender and blend on theslowest setting for a few seconds until the diced mango iscombined but still chunky.



cashew crème fraiche

2 cups cashews, soaked 20 minutes

1 cup water


½ teaspoon probiotic powder

½ teaspoon salt

� Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender untilsmooth.�Transfer to a small bowl, cover and leave to stand for12 hours at room temperature.� Stir and place in the fridge for another 24 hours andthen it’s ready to use.



coconut yoghurt

2 cups young coconut meat


Water if needed

� Blend all ingredients until smooth.� Place in a covered bowl in a dehydrator at 105º F for8 to 10 hours.� Add a pinch of salt and a dash of lemon juice, chill untilready to use.�You can also add fruit juice or fruit puree to the yogurt,and then additionally process in an ice cream maker tomake frozen yoghurt.



further information

For more information, free recipes and to see what other services I offervisit www.therawchef.com

Whilst there you can sign-up for my eZine ‘News FromThe Kitchen’, it’spublished every otherThursday – delivered straight to your inbox – andcontains a free raw recipe with full detailed instructions and a photo. Manypeople have commented that they can’t believe I give this stuff away for free,so I advise you get yourself on the list and see what you think.

For more regular updates about what’s going on in my world, somesimpler recipes that don’t make it to the eZine and general updates aboutwhat’s going on atThe Raw Chef HQ, you can visit my blog atwww.therawchefblog.com.You can just drop by there whenever you feel likeit, or you can sign-up to receive updates from that via email or RSS feed.

Live Raw Food & ChefTraining Classes

If you’re interested in hosting a raw food dinner party for your friends you may be interested inattending my class ‘The Raw Chef ’s Dinner PartyTraining Experience’, where I’ll take you and therest of the group through every stage of running a raw food dinner party. Best of all, you’ll get tohave a raw food dinner party at the end of the day with your new friends.This is a great course fornew and more experienced people alike.

The second class I do is a 2-day class on how to become your own raw food chef. It’s called‘How to BeYour Own Raw Food Chef and Still HaveTime to Eat’. Run at the weekend, this classhas proved to be very popular with people wanting to further their knowledge and skill level,enabling them to bring in a lager percentage of raw foods into their diet.Again, it’s great whetheryou’ve been into raw foods for a while, or if you’re just getting started, and it includes being verywell fed all weekend.

Further details on both courses can be found at www.therawchef.com by clicking on ‘Classes’.


http://www.therawchefblog.com



Russell James has been hailed as 'the UK's leading raw chef' byTheTimes. He has honed his natural ability to create incredibleraw cuisine by training with the top raw chefs in the world.

This includes regular visits to the US to raw food 'hot-spots'such as California and, most recently, NewYork where he workedwith the author of upcoming books Everyday Raw andEntertaining inThe Raw, co-author of Raw Food RealWorld andco-creator of the restaurant Pure Food &Wine, MatthewKenney...

“Russell James joined our team at The Plant for an extended visitlast fall – on every level, he is a true professional; talented andcreative, and a pleasure to work with. I particularly admire his

dedication to raw food cuisine, and his unwavering interest in its forward movement.We continue tomiss him (and his kale salad!) – Matthew Kenney 2007.

Russell recently catered DavidWolfe's UK retreat in Dorset...

"I was very impressed with Russell James' raw and living foods cuisine. He's a pleasure to work withand a rising culinary star." – DavidWolfe, www.sunfood.com and www.thebestdayever.com

Russell has also worked with the UK's raw and living food organisationThe Fresh Network in theexecution of monthly raw dinner parties in Cambridgeshire and London during 2006. He alsoregularly appears in their quarterly publication, Get Fresh.

Russell is a personal raw chef, provides raw catering for small and large scale events, and runsraw food classes. His blog continues to inspire people with recipes, pictures and advice on living asexy raw life.

His mission is to show you that far from feeling restricted on a raw food diet, you have anabundance of options; whether that's being able to eat raw sandwiches all week or to put on ashow-stopping dinner party for friends.

You can also connect wit.h Russell here:

www.facebook.com/therawchef twitter.com/russelljames

about Russell

http://twitter.com/russelljames

http://www.facebook.com/therawchef

http://www.thebestdayever.com

http://www.sunfood.com


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