Raw Caprese Cheese Salad with Dried Tomtoes and Spinach

Raw Macadamia Cheese rolled in herbs with oven dried grape tomatoes, spinach salad, and 10 year old Balsamic Vinegar

Ok, friends trying to lose weight or cut cholesterol or become more vegan....

Take 2 cups of raw macadamias, I noticed Publix has a bulk section in some stores now which is very convenient since raw macadamias are not always easy to find...

Soak the macadamias in filtered water for 12 hours in the fridge or if your house is cold like mine that's fine too. After 12 hours put them in your blender. I added a little water to try to make it smoother, this is a good time to invest in a Vita-Mix blender. They are expensive but blend ice likes it is nothing and makes pastes and purees your Oster can only dream of achieving. Add 1 teaspoon of probiotics, available at all health food stores, I get loose powdered ones so I am not throwing away all of those capsules every time... Wrap this in a cheesecloth, put in a mesh container and put a jug of water on top for 16 hours. This ferments the cheese and makes it nice and tangy. After 16 hours, add 2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (full of b12) 1 tsp onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Stir and then take wax paper and roll it into a log. Meanwhile, have your sous chef (haha) cut up fresh tarragon and fresh chives with some fresh ground pepper. Roll the log in the herbs and set aside.

The grape tomatoes are my favorite because they are always full of taste. I usually get them at the Farmer's Market but Publix has organic ones there usually. cut them in thirds long wise and bake at 100-200 depending on your time. Also sprinkle cajun seasoning and a little salt on them before they go in. It usually takes about 20 minutes for them to get nice and crispy but soft in the middle.

I then cut up about a cup of fresh organic baby spinach, cutting it up in small pieces so you can eat triple the amount because they aren't whole leaves that are difficult to eat. I then sprinkled Portugese Extra Virgin Olive oil on top and tossed.

Cut three circles of cheese per serving, top with the tomatoes, a little Maldon salt, smoked if you have it, and then place a few drops of 10 year old Balsamic Vinegar around the plate.

It is a little time consuming but not as much as you think, more waiting and thinking ahead. No cholesterol, no unhealthy fats... And excellent on the palate:)