Nut Cheddar Cheese
Cheese is something I’ve never really missed since I’ve been vegan. Let’s face it, vegan cheeses are seriously pricey and rather sad as far as taste goes. Anything that needed a bit of cheesy-ness was easily fixed with a generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast!
But some grated cheese in a wrap or sandwich would be pretty cool…so I set myself the challenge of making my very own vegan cheese. And you bet I did it!
I’ve made cashew cheeses in the past, but they always turned out more like a spread, cream cheese type thing. They taste great but it’s not really the same. But THIS one is different.
It’s super firm, sliceable, grateable, quick and easy to make and, it tastes fantastic!
I highly recommend you give it a try, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can see your cheesy-ness too!
Ingredients:
60g raw cashews
2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp miso or a good pinch of salt (to taste!)
1 tbsp agar agar powder
1/4 cup water
Method:
Soak cashews for at least a few hours, then drain.
Combine cashews, lemon, yeast, onion and garlic powders, miso/salt and 1/2 cup water in a blender and blend until super smooth. Adjust salt to suit your taste!
In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup water and agar agar, and simmer stirring for about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in cashew mixture and mix well, then keep stirring on low heat for about 2 minutes.
Pour into a ramekin and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm.
Remove from ramekin and slice or grate!
Notes:
Keeps well in the fridge for at least 5 days.
Instead of cashews, you could also use sunflower seeds or macadamia nuts instead.
To give it a more yellow colour, add a pinch of turmeric!
Agar agar powder can be found in the baking section of most grocery stores, or otherwise in Asian grocers.
