Having been vegetarian all my life before transitioning to a vegan lifestyle 9 years ago, it’s easy for me to admit that I love vegetables. Still, two stand out particularly – crunchy broad beans and delicate zucchini flowers, honestly I could live on them!
I first discovered cashew ricotta years ago while making stuffed pasta shells, but I wanted to find a way to use it in a lighter, carb-free dish. When I came across fresh zucchini flowers, it instantly felt like the perfect pairing. And that’s how these cashew ricotta–filled zucchini flowers came to life — a light, wholesome dish with a satisfying boost of plant-based protein.
Serve them as a starter, perhaps followed by a silky zucchini soup to make the most of the whole vegetable, or enjoy them as a fresh, flavourful side to your main. 🌱
20-24 zucchini flowers (cleaned and central pistil removed) 250g Good Earth raw cashews, either soaked in cold water overnight, or for a few minutes in hot water 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar juice of 1/2 lemon (or more depending on your taste) 4 tbsp nutritional yeast (you can skip this ingredient, but adds a 'cheesy' taste) salt and pepper chopped sun-dried tomatoes fresh mint or basil leaves Good Earth Extra virgin olive oil breadcrumbs 1. Soak 250g raw cashews in hot water for a few minutes 2. Drain and place in a food chopper/blender 3. Add 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon (or more depending on your taste), 4 tbsp nutritional yeast (you can skip this ingredient, but adds a 'cheesy' taste), and add seasoning (salt and pepper). 4. Blend well until all the ingredients turn into a thick paste, and add a few tbsps of water to regulate consistency, it needs to remain thick, similar to ricotta. 5. Transfer to a bowl and fold in finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes and fresh mint or basil leaves. 6. Mixture is now ready to be piped into cleaned zucchini flowers (by removing the central pistil). I used a piping bag to make a cleaner and neater job. With 250g of cashews I stuffed around 20/24 flowers. 7. Place the stuffed zucchini flowers in a round baking tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, top with breadcrumbs and into the oven for just 15 minutes until golden brown. 8. Serve as a starter alongside a zucchini soup (perfect pairing), or as a side to a main course.
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Instructions
