How to make dairy free cheese (vegan)
So, as you may already know, I have given up all animal products for the most part! I guess you can say that I am a vegetarian. I thought that meat would be the most difficult. But there are suitable replacements for meat. What I miss the most is cheese!!! I have tried a lot of dairy free variations but I was not totally satisfied. But thanks to some friends who are vegan, they turned me on to cashew based cheese. I mean, who would have thought you can make cheese out of nuts!??
A student of mine Sasha, brought me a bit of some cashew cheese that his girlfriend made and I loved it! It had a creamy, nacho cheese flavor that I really liked. I finished the container he brought me in like a day! I though to myself, “there is hope!”
So, I became a bit obsessed with making cheese. I researched it and found a ton of different recipes. I then came up with my own variation that combined several different methods. So here it is. Sensei’s dairy free cheese!
Ingredients:
1. Raw cashews
2. Nutritional yeast
3. Miso paste
4. Lime or lemon juice
5. Apple cider vinegar
6. Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
7. Siracha
8. Agar agar powder
9. Whatever seasoning you like
There you go. Only 8 ingredients. You actually do not need the siracha or miso. Those were my additions to this recipe.
Instructions:
1. Soak the cashews in water for a few hours or overnight.
2. Add cashews to a food processor and blend until you get almost a peanut butter like texture.
3. Add nutritional yeast to taste
4. Add other ingredients to taste as well
5. Add 2 table spoons of agar agar flakes to a cup or so of water and boil. Continuously stir the liquid for about five minutes. It will start to tighten up into a gel type consistency.
6. Add agar mixture to the cheese in the processor and blend. Do this quickly because the agar will start to tighten up quickly.
7. Pour cheese mixture into molds or a bowl and let sit in the fridge for a few hours.
Presto! You have vegan cheese! Great to spread on bread and crackers. I love adding it to my bean and chees burritos and as a dip for veggies. Enjoy!