Regular and "Blue" Quick Cashew Hard Cheeses- raw (ish), vegan

This tangy "blue cheese" is delicious with crackers!

The plainer version makes good sandwiches too.

It was Christmas morning, and way too late to start making a cultured nut cheese- what to do? Make an instant version, of course. It proved quite a talking (and tasting) point at our family buffet supper for vegans and lacto-vegetarians alike. The "blue" version, I must admit, came from me having been sorely tempted by some Stilton the kids bought for the occasion- I felt that unless I swiftly made a vegan alternative, I might just fall off the wagon! I think the "blue" cheese is a real winner; it looks and tastes quite unique.
Before we go any further, a word about these cheeses' rawness; cashews are actually heat treated as part of processing, so unless it says raw on the packet, they are not strictly raw. I guess the term "uncooked" would be more accurate for the finished product. the plain cheese was just a combo of ground cashews, yeast flakes, salt and lemon juice mixed to a dough-like texture and then shaped and rolled in paprika. It hardens up to a sliceable consistency after a short time in the fridge. For the "blue" version, I added fermented black beans (available in tubs from Chinese groceries), and wrote down the recipe:

200g cashews
2 tabs black beans (see above)
2 tabs yeast flakes( aka nutritional yeast)
5 tabs lemon juice
sweet red paprika for coating

• First, grind the cashews finely and set aside.
• Grind the black beans and mix to a smooth "dough" using 1 tab water.
• Make a dough-like ball with the ground cashews, yeast flakes and lemon juice.
• Carefully knead in the black beans to the cashew mixture so that it's marbled.
• Shape and coat with paprika. Leave covered in the fridge to harden up.