I make a lot of vegan cheese. It’s easier than most people think, fairly quick, and really affordable to make your own.

All you need are some basic ingredients that you can find at your local super market, plus some agar agar powder. Agar is a vegan gelatin make from seaweed and what is used to solidify the cheese. You can find agar on amazon, or your local Asian food store. It is also pretty inexpensive for the amount of cheese you will get from one bag!

Although vegan cheese options have come a long way over the years in super markets, I can still only find flavors like cheddar, mozzarella, and a few varieties of cheese slices.

If you are like me and miss more artisan style cheeses, you best bet is to start making your own! Like this vegan peach stilton!! I used to impatiently wait for Trader Joe’s to put out their seasonal stilton’s, peach being my most favorite. Traditional Stilton is a milder cheese and a little crumbly. It often is made with different fruits. I personally love the subtle sweetness of the peaches mixed with the tanginess of the cheese. Its perfect for snacking with crackers or adding to a salad.

Recently my friends Brad and Mike ( you will be learning more about them very soon as we have a super fun project in the works for the site) gave us a a jar or homemade spiced peaches. I think there was some kind of booze in the jar along with some delicious fall spices. I was told not to open them for several more weeks, so they found their way to the back of my pantry and were forgotten about. So when I finally found them again recently, I knew exactly what I was going to make with them!!

You can use any canned or jarred peaches you can find. You just need two halves. They are normally canned that way. You could also substitute the peaches with pears very easily if you are not a fan of peaches.

Listen, don’t let a new or unfamiliar ingredient intimate you! This cheese is so quick and easy to make and pretty fool proof! You will be so amazed at how easy it was to make and how delicious home made vegan cheese is! And if you are on the fence about making a fruity cheese, don’t be. It is soooooo good!! Hooray for Stilton and thanks Trader Joe’s for your never ending inspiration!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of full fat coconut milk or cream
2 tablespoons agar agar powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons miso paste
1 teaspoons of salt
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1/4 cup sauerkraut (no juice, just cabbage)
1/4 melted cup refined coconut oil
2 halves of jarred or canned peaches ( we used homemade canned spiced peaches)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a food processor or high speed blender, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the milk, agar, and peaches.
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 consistency of a thin pudding.
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.
Use a paper towel to pat off as much liquid from the peaches as you can. Finely dice the peaches and fold them into the cheese mixture with a rubber spatula. Don’t blend them! It will mince them up too much.
Transfer to the mixture to a few ramekins or small bowls. You should be able to fill 2 or 3 small bowls.
Place bowls uncovered in the fridge for a few hours, or until the cheese has fully hardened and is a sliceable consistency.

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