Vegan Caprese Sandwiches with Garlic Cashew Cheese

I’m not 100% vegan, but I find that the more plant-based my diet is, the better I feel. I also get a geeky kick out of veganizing recipes, so I’ve opted to go in that direction with my blogging. Having said all that, today I’d like to share a veganized version of the classic Italian Caprese sandwich.

Ingredients

For the garlic cashew cheese:

• 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water for 4–8 hours, then rinsed and drained
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp unflavored soy or almond milk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp Black Pepper

For the sandwiches:

• ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 baguette cut into 4 sections, or 4 long sandwich rolls, sliced open
• ½ cup clover or alfalfa sprouts
• 2 medium tomatoes thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions

For the garlic cashew cheese:

• Place cashews and garlic into blender or food processor. Blend to a paste, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. This can take up to a few minutes, depending on what type of device you’re using.
• Add lemon juice, milk, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend again until everything is completely mixed and smooth.

To assemble the sandwiches:

• Heat the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vinegar is syrupy and reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from heat. (Note that you can also use un-reduced balsamic vinegar—use 2 tablespoons.)
• Spread a layer of cheese on each side of each baguette section. Distribute a layer of sprouts over the cheese.
• On the bottom half of each of your sandwiches, top the sprouts with tomato slices, and then drizzle your tomato slices with balsamic vinegar. Arrange the basil leaves over tomato slices, then place the top half of your baguette section over your tomato-basil layer and serve.

Nutrition