While James doesn’t fancy soup, he loves a nice sandwich (and will even choke down a cup of soup if it accompanies a sammie!). He’s been a complete trooper with the plant-based eating thing, but he’s gone off the Yves fake bac’n of late, and we’ve been hard pressed to find something to replace cheese on his beloved sandwiches.

Lately, I’ve been spreading his veggie sammies with hummus or the Thug farmhouse dip, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit by making him a nice vegan cream cheese to spread on his tomato-cukes-and-onion sammies.

And I love smoked cheese, so my latest cashew cheese includes liquid smoke.

Smoked Cashew Cheese

• 1 1/2 cups cashew pieces, soaked in boiling water for 20 minutes
  
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon vegetable paste
  
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 tablespoons water

Blend together until super smooth.

It tastes pretty good right out of the blender, but I think this version will be better in a few hours (once the herbs and garlic have blended more fully).

Lunch will be smoked cashew cheese topped with capers, dried cranberries, sliced onions, tomatoes and cucumbers on toasted Squirrelly Bread with a teensy cup of lentil soup.