Blendtec is a fun place to work! For example, I and the other members of the IT department decided to make some snacks using the Total Blender to share with fellow employees. Since one of the guys in our department is lactose intolerant, we wanted to make a recipe that he could eat. Being the computer geeks that we all are, it was no trouble to google a few dairy-free recipes. On www.rawmazing.com, we found an excellent base recipe and variations for making faux cheese spreads with cashews. Bingo.

We adapted the recipes for the Total Blender and refrigerated them overnight. It was awesome to be able to make four flavors from one base recipe—it looked like our department spent hours in the kitchen. But in truth, it was actually fast and easy, especially because we used a high-powered blender. We served the spreads with whole wheat pita chips and water crackers. All of the flavors were a big hit with our coworkers, but the crowd favorite was definitely the Cranberry Walnut Spread. Here are our adaptations of the recipes we found at www.rawmazing.com:

Base Spread

4 c cashews, soaked in water for 2–3 hours 1 lemon, juiced 1 c water

Add cashews, lemon juice and water to Twister jar, and place lid on jar. Press "Speed Up" to Speed 3, and turn Twister lid counterclockwise during blending. Chill or use for one of the recipe variations below.

Note: You can also make this and the following recipes in a WildSide+ or FourSide jar; just pause the blending a few times to scrape the ingredients from the sides of the jar to the blade.

Garlic and Rosemary Spread

1 c Base Spread 2 cloves garlic 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp rosemary ½ tsp salt

Add ingredients to Twister jar in order listed, and place lid on jar. Blend on Speed 1 until well mixed. Chill.

Chipotle and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Spread

1 c Base Spread 1 tbsp nutritional yeast 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp ground chipotle pepper ½ tsp salt ⅓ c sun-dried tomatoes, softened

Add ingredients to Twister jar in order listed, and place lid on jar. Press "Pulse" 3–5 times or until sun-dried tomatoes are chopped to desired size. Chill.

Cranberry Walnut Spread

1 c Base Spread 1 tbsp agave nectar ½ c dried cranberries ½ c walnuts

Add ingredients to Twister jar in order listed, and place lid on jar. Press "Pulse" 3–5 times or until cranberries and walnuts are chopped to desired size. Chill.

What are your favorite dairy-free spreads?