Savory Toast with Vegan Ricotta

On my last trip to Seattle to see my sister she insisted we try this local spot and for a “bougie” brunch. I ordered the savory toast, which was basically grilled toast, topped with ricotta, dripping with olive oil and sea salt. The toast and I obviously had a deep connection and now it’s all I want to eat. I have been wanting to veganize it for a while, so here it is, Savory Toast with Vegan Ricotta. Fair warning, I ate two loaves of bread in two days because of this recipe. So, just be careful.

Ingredients

For the Toast

• 1 loaf of good bread

• ¼ cup of a good olive oil

• Maldon salt for sprinkling

For the Ricotta

• 1 cup of raw cashews

• 1 cup of raw macadamia nuts (you can use all cashews if you have a hard time finding macadamia nuts)

• ½ cup of water

• Juice from ½ lemon

• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Make the Ricotta

1. Skip this step if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix. Soak the cashews and macadamia nuts overnight in a bowl of water with a pinch of salt.

2. Drain the nuts and add them to a food processor or blender with ½ cup of water, the juice from ½ lemon, 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast and 1 tsp of salt. Pulse until not-quite creamy, it should have the texture and look of ricotta. 

Make the toast

1. Slice the bread, 2 slices per person. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil. 

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread to the skillet and toast each side until golden brown with a little bit of char-action happening on the crust. 

Assemble

1. Slice the toast in half on the bias to create fancy wedges. 

2. Generously spread the ricotta on top. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the maldon salt. Taste and add more if you like. This is not the time to be stingy. Optional upgrade: top with peaches, cherries, tomato slices, or anything really.