Story time! I originally purchased coconut yogurt to make this recipe, but after being unable to find a brand that had the tasted the way I wanted with the correct consistency, I was left scratching my head wondering what I could possibly use. I didn’t want to go all-cashew, since it would have been too rich and heavy for a tzatziki, which should be rather light in the end. I had all of the cooked millet for the week, and it kinda looked at me sideways when I opened the fridge door, saying: “how about me?” It seemed totally insane, but there I was the next day with a handful of soaked cashews, ready to rock out a vegan, unprocessed yogurt replacement for tzatziki. It couldn’t believe how good it was! The perfect consistency, the prefect flavour, without any grainy-ness to speak of!
Out of all the recipes in this collection, I’m most proud of this one. It seemed like such a zany idea, but it worked and I love it! I hope you do too!
I used a high-speed blender for this recipe and haven’t tested it in a regular blender or food processor, but I feel that they would still make delicious versions. You just may need to blend for a few minutes to achieve the smoothness you’re looking for.
Cashew Millet Tzatziki
Ingredients
- ½ cup / 70g raw cashews
- ⅔ cup / 100g cooked millet salted
- ⅓ cup / 80ml unsweetened plant-based milk of choice
- 2-3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
- ¼ tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 fat clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp. cold-pressed olive oil
- 7 oz. / 200g piece of English cucumber grated (3/4 cup after squeezing)
- ¼ cup / 10g chopped fresh dill
- flaky salt to finish
Directions
- Soak cashews with a pinch of salt in water for 4-12 hours. Drain, rinse well, and place in a high-speed blender.
- Add the cooked millet, milk, lemon juice, salt, and olive oil to the blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Pour into a large bowl and set in the fridge.
- Slice the cucumber lengthwise down the center. Scoop out the seeds and discard (or add them to your water and drink!). Grate the cucumber on the largest setting of a box grater. Grate until you have a big handful, then using your hands, squeeze as much liquid out of the pulp as possible (you can also add this liquid to your water too, very tasty and nutrient dense!). Continue to grate and squeeze the cucumber until you have about three-quarters of a cup, or 175ml, lightly packed.
- Add the cucumber to the millet and cashew blend, and fold to incorporate. Lastly, fold in the chopped dill. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Serve with a drizzle of good olive oil, and a nice pinch of flaky salt. Say thank you and enjoy! Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to seven days.
Notes
