I make a lot of vegan cheese. Its cheaper than buying it in the store and so easy once you know the basics.
This particular recipe is really a combo of a basic white vegan cheese swirled with a vegan cheddar.
Coconut milk makes a great and inexpensive base for this vegan cheese. It is also less of an allergen risk if you are sending a sandwich to school with your kids, or you are serving cheese at a party and are unsure of allergies.
Agar is the ingredient that solidifies the cheese. It is a vegan plant derived gelatin that can be found at asian markets or online at places like amazon.
This cheese is also pretty hard to mess up, so if you haven’t tried making your own non dairy, vegan cheese, go ahead and give it a try. My guess is once you do, there will be no turning back.
INGREDIENTS:
1 can of full fat coconut milk or cream
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoons of salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 melted cup triple refined coconut oil
2 tablespoons agar powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon smoke paprika
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, agar, turmeric, and smoked paprika..
Pulse a few times to mix it all up.
Now add the milk and agar to a medium sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens to the constancy of a thin pudding. This just takes a few minutes.
Add the milk mixture to the ingredients in the food processor, and mix for about a minute. The mixture will quickly begin to thicken as agar begins to solidify at room temperature.
Remove half of the mixture from the food processor and put it in a bowl, set aside. Add the turmeric and smoked paprika to the remaining cheese mixture still in the food processor and blend until it is well combined. You will need to work quickly as the cheese will begin to solidify at room temperature.
Begin adding the 2 cheese mixtures to a few ramekins or small bowls in layers, by spooning a few scoops of each color of cheese in at time. You can also use a skewer or tooth pick to swirl the two cheeses a bit in the bowl. Just be carful not to over mix them as it will muddle the colors. Again remember that you have to work fairly quickly as the cheese will begin to set. So don’t fuss over this technique too much. It will still be pretty when you slice it. You should be able to fill 2 or 3 small bowls. Once the bowls are full, give them a little tap on the counter top to help fill in air bubbles between the layers.
Allow the cheese to harden in the refrigerator uncovered for several hours.
Once the cheese is set, store in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week.
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