I’ll be honest with you, one of the hardest things for me to give up when we switched to a plant based diet was cheese.  We used to eat a lot of cheese and boy, did I crave it!   It wasn’t until after I stopped eating cheese that I realized it was causing a lot of inflammation in my body. One of the first things I noticed after I stopped eating cheese was that I wasn’t as bloated. Then, later, on the rare occasions that I ate cheese, my weight could go up 5 lbs in a day!  While consuming dairy on a daily or weekly basis, I never even realized that my body was trying to tell me something.

 So what are the options for dairy free cheese?   Well, we usually make our own.  It’s really not difficult at all!  The recipe I’ll be sharing today is a great starter recipe if you’re new to the world of cheese-making.   When I do purchase dairy free cheese, I stick with the Daiya brand because it contains no animal products, soy, casein, lactose, whey, wheat, or gluten.

Ingredients You May Not be Familiar With

What is Agar Powder?  

Agar (or Agar Agar)  is a red algae that is used as a vegetable substitute for gelatin. Gelatin, a protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments, and/or bones of cows or pigs with water, is not consumed by vegetarians and vegans.

Agar has no taste, no odor and no color, which makes it pretty convenient to use.  It sets more firmly than gelatin.

One of the most important things to know about agar is that it needs to be dissolved in liquid, then brought to a boil. It will set as the ingredients cool down.

What is Nutritional Yeast?

 Nutritional yeast is a staple in my kitchen.  You can read more about it here.

How To Use Quick & Easy Cashew Cheese: 

•  in quesadillas (we love ours with pesto, cashew cheese and spinach)

•  on sandwiches or in grilled cheese

• on crackers

• cut into wedges as a snack

• on pizza (I freeze it until firm, then shred it in my food processor.  Freeze any leftover cheese.)

Quick & Easy Cashew Cheese

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened plain cashew milk

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour  ** see recipe notes

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tbsp almond meal or almond flour

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp miso  ( I use this chickpea miso)

2 tbsp Agar Powder mixed with 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.  Soak your raw cashews in water for 1 hour, then drain off the water.

2. Mix 2 tbsp agar powder with 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water.  Set aside until thick.

3. Add all ingredients except the freshly cracked pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.

4. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan, add freshly cracked pepper and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and stir continuously for 4-5 minutes.  The cheese will be the consistency of pancake batter.

5. Pour cheese mixture into a shallow bowl or mold (no oil necessary) and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

6. Once firm, turn the bowl or mold over onto a plate.  Cut into wedges or slices.

Note from Jen:  

If using a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, you may skip soaking the nuts.

This recipe was adapted from cookingwithplants.com

Enjoy!

–Jen

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Quick & Easy Cashew Cheese

Course

appetizers

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

5 minutes

Passive Time

2 hours

Servings

block

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 tbsp almond meal or almond flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp Agar powder mixed with 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp miso paste I use chickpea miso
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Course appetizers Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Passive Time 2 hours Servings block Ingredients 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cashew milk 1/2 cup raw cashews 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 3 tbsp almond meal or almond flour 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp Agar powder mixed with 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp miso paste I use chickpea miso 1 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp sea salt freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Soak your raw cashews in water for 1 hour, then drain off the water.
2. Mix 2 tbsp agar powder with 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp boiling water. Set aside until thick.
3. Add all ingredients except the freshly cracked pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan, add freshly cracked pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and stir continuously for 4-5 minutes. The cheese will be the consistency of pancake batter.
5. Pour cheese mixture into a shallow bowl or mold (no oil necessary) and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
6. Once firm, turn the bowl or mold over onto a plate. Cut into wedges or slices.

Recipe Notes

If using a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec, you may skip soaking the nuts.

This recipe was adapted from cookingwithplants.com

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