Vegan " Sharp Cheddar Cheese"

Roosie's Note:

I got this recipe from hillbillyhousewife.com, but a reviewer has informed me that this is originally from Joanne Stepaniak's "Uncheese Cookbook." (Thanks!) I think it tastes best after mellowing in the fridge overnight. This "cheese" may be sliced thinly and used on sandwiches. It is magnificent with sliced tomatoes or fried tofu. It makes a decent grilled "cheese" sandwich, especially with some fake bacon. This recipe does not taste exactly like real dairy cheese. I think it tastes better than soy cheese though, and when you have been without dairy cheese for a while, this cheeze is remarkable satisfying. Agar works just like gelatin. Gelatin is made from animal bones and hooves. Agar is made from sea vegetables. Powdered agar can replace gelatin measure for measure. One tablespoon agar flakes is equal to 1 teaspoon powdered agar.

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 5 teaspoons powdered agar-agar or 5 tablespoons agar-agar flakes
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup pimiento
• 3 -4 tablespoons lemon juice, depending on how sharp you want it
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard

Directions:

1. Begin by combining the agar and tap water in a small sauce pan.
2. Heat over a medium flame, stirring often.
3. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat a bit.
4. Allow the agar to boil gently for 5 minutes.
5. Stir often to prevent burning and to make sure that all of the agar dissolves.
6. Meanwhile, measure all of the other ingredients into a blender container.
7. When the agar is finished boiling, carefully pour it into the blender container.
8. Place the lid on the blender and whizz it on high for about a minute.
9. Stop, scrape down the sides, replace the lid and whizz again, for about another minute.
10. The mixture should be very smooth and the same orange color as dairy cheddar.
11. Pour the mixture into a small, lightly oiled loaf pan.
12. The pan I use is about 3 by 7 inches.
13. Place the pan in the refrigerator and allow it to chill until firm.

Reviews

[free-free]

Pree-ti good :)...for me it needed a leee-tal bit more flavor so I ended up playing with the recipe...divided it into 4 portions and added hot spices to one, nuts and dried cranberries to 2 others and extra garlic, herbs and seeds to the last...poured them into little flower molds that had chopped nuts on the bottom to make them sort of like the "cheese log" typey thangs when they came out topped w/ them ='ed neat :)...served at a Christmas brunch and were a super hit...thanks

[Wineaux]

Not bad at all and very easy, too! I didn't use the pimento, but after reading the other reviews, I did ad in some cayenne pepper and about 1/4 tsp. dry ground mustard. They gave it a little "umph." I've eaten it on organic corn rounds and it does taste good, although not like the real thing. It does, however, smell almost identical to extra sharp cheese! I will continue to make and encourage others to give it a shot!

[snickels]

fabulous. i'm going vegan for lent and have only tried those horrible store bought "cheeses." i put more lemon, salt and 1 serrano pepper in mine for a kick. i only recently started using agar and i love it. also i put them in six heart chaped molds for a little extra cuteness.