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Roasted zucchini flowers stuffed with cashew cheese

January 19, 2014 15 Comments

Stuffed and roasted zucchini flowers filled with a creamy vegan cashew cheese filling

So our garden has really taken off. Our zucchini has started to take over (as have our tomato plant – who knew you had supposed to prune tomato plants! Mental note for next year) and with the growing zucchini are an amazing amount of brilliantly yellow zucchini flowers. I have watched daily as the first started to appear, waiting with an eager anticipation and excitement for the day they would be ready to cook with. Zucchini flowers not only look beautiful, but they have a beautifully subtle flavour and are incredibly adaptable to cook with.

Stuffed and roasted zucchini flowers filled with a creamy vegan cashew cheese filling Stuffed and roasted zucchini flowers filled with a creamy vegan cashew cheese filling

Having only ever cooked with them once before (the most amazing zucchini pasta, which I hope to share here soon once we have a few more flowers), I was determined to come up with a new recipe. I did a quick web search and came up with some amazing inspiration – zucchini flower tacos and pizzas. Sliced zucchini quickly fried and added to salads.

Stuffed and roasted zucchini flowers filled with a creamy vegan cashew cheese filling

But the dish I kept coming back to was one I have eaten out a few times, particularly when in Europe – zucchini flowers stuffed with a ricotta cheese filling, and fried. You bite through the crispy exterior to get through the the delicate zucchini flower and the soft cheese filling. Taking inspiration from Lindsey over at Dolly and Oatmeal I decided to use a non-dairy filling and bake the flowers instead. The result was perfect –  a slightly richer filling that the traditional ricotta version encased in a slightly browned and crispy shell. We ate the first batch fresh out of the oven – delicious! – and then made a second lot the following night which we served over a green salad. Either way these are best served fairly soon after making them – once they cool down the filling starts to harden and the flowers loose their crispiness quite quickly, although the taste was still perfect when they were a bit cooler.Stuffed and roasted zucchini flowers filled with a creamy vegan cashew cheese filling Stuffed and roasted zucchini flowers filled with a creamy vegan cashew cheese filling

Roasted zucchini flowers with cashew cheese
Adapted from Dolly and Oatmeal

8 – 10 zucchini flowers

Cashew cheese (adapted from the Whole Pantry)
100g cashews
Salt

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 – 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, oregano and thyme)
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the cashew cheese, place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water and a sprinkle of salt. Allow to soak for around 4-8 hours.
Drain the nuts, and add to a blender or food processor with the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 210C (405 F).
Carefully wash the flowers and place them on a tea towel to dry out. Cut down one side of the flower to remove the inner stem, and then use a teaspoon to fill eat flower with the cashew cheese filling. The amount will depend on the size of each flower – you want them full, but not that full that you then cant close them, which you will need to do by lightly twisting the end of each flower.
After they have been filled and closed, place the flowers on a lined tray lightly brushed with oil and bake for around 10 – 15 minutes, checking after around 8 to ensure they arent burning.

Best served hot out of the oven

 

Filed Under: Mains, Recipe, Snacks Tagged With: baked, cashew, cashew cheese, dairy free, mustard, vegan, zucchini flowers

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Comments

  1. Angie Bond says

    January 19, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    They sound divine, now all I have to do is acquire some zucchini flowers. You are lucky you have such a beautiful crop in your garden!! And yes..if nonno was here he would have told you how to ‘prune’ tomato plants. It was a job myself and my brother had to do.

    Reply
    • Rebecca says

      June 28, 2015 at 12:55 am

      I didn’t have time to soak the cashews for 4 hours, so I soaked them in steaming hot water for 45 mins and it worked fine. I also did not have fresh herbs, so I used herbs de Provence.

      Reply
      • tohercore says

        June 28, 2015 at 7:05 pm

        Good to know Rebecca – thanks for sharing :)

        Reply
  2. Vicky and Ruth / May I Have That Recipe? says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:35 am

    Can’t wait to try this recipe

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 20, 2014 at 9:23 am

      Thank you – hope you like it :)

      Reply
  3. Monica says

    January 20, 2014 at 8:43 am

    Wow! These look incredible! I did not know you could eat the flowers! You have inspired me!

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 20, 2014 at 9:24 am

      Thanks lovely x

      Reply
  4. Josefine {The Smoothie Lover} says

    January 21, 2014 at 1:27 am

    Looks absolutely delicious! I didn’t know you could eat the flowers. Nice. They look good ;)
    I really want to have a vegetable garden this year. Zucchinis (and the flowers) are definitely on the list of stuff I want to have there :)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 22, 2014 at 9:19 am

      I love having a veggie garden – and its surprisingly less work than I thought. We’ve gone with the “chuck everything in and see what grows” approach and its working pretty well so far :) Good luck with yours! x

      Reply
  5. Lindsey (dolly and oatmeal) says

    January 22, 2014 at 2:00 am

    What a fantastic salad! So happy you enjoyed them :)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 22, 2014 at 9:18 am

      Thank you Lindsey – and thank you for the idea in the first place :)

      Reply
  6. Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says

    January 22, 2014 at 4:50 am

    This is such an original idea Dearna! The flowers look lovely, and I bet the filling is delicious! Love that they’re baked instead of fried, yet they look still so so crispy!
    I cannot wait for it to be summer here so I can make these. Thanks for the inspiration! : )

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 22, 2014 at 9:19 am

      No worries Consuelo, thank you! x

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Smoked salmon, zucchini and horseradish pasta | to her core says:
    February 28, 2014 at 9:10 am

    […] Roasted zucchini flowers stuffed with cashew cheese […]

    Reply
  2. Easy lacto-fermented mustard | to her core says:
    December 9, 2014 at 8:29 pm

    […] dressing, or slathered on some crusty sourdough with some sharp cheddar. Or – add it to some creamy cashew cheese for an extra kick. If you have any other great ideas for mustard use, please feel free to share in […]

    Reply

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