Cashew Cheddar

This cheese is a variation off of the super sharp cheddar recipe I used to use a lot, except it's quicker and easier because it doesn't involve blanching and peeling almonds! I make it to be used immediately in it's warm and stretchy form, but you also can make it to be a form cheese that will set in the fridge into a wedge of hard cheese you can use and slice later. This one is primarily cashew based and only has a handful of ingredients. Quick and easy if you're looking for a stretchy and filling plant-based cheese right now!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews (for a smoother cheese soak overnight and drain before using)
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon himalayan salt (or more to taste)
1/4 cup tapioca starch/flour
1/4 cup refined coconut oil

optional:

if you want a bright orange cheese, you'll need 2 gel caps of beta-carotene squeezed out. alternatively, I usually just use a bit of turmeric for added color

if you want to set your cheese into a wedge, you'll need to add 1 1/2 teaspoon agar-agar powder which can be bought online or in health food stores

for an extra bit of "sharpness" in that cheddar, add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Add as much as you'd like to taste.

Directions:

Blend everything together in a high speed blender until smooth. Pour into a saucepan on medium-high heat and stir with a spoon or spatula. Keep mixing and moving the liquid around, and you'll start to feel it thicken. Continue to mix it so it won't burn in the pan. Eventually it'll thicken into a big blob. Once it's a solid blob, you can divide and serve portions of it right away, either on bread for a sandwich, in some pasta, on top of a meal, or added into another recipe.

If you'd like to set it, first let the mixture cool to room temperature. Lightly grease a small spring-form pan with coconut oil. Fill with the cheese batter and put in the refrigerator until firm. Once it's firm you can remove from the form pan and slice as you would any other cheese!

Recipe taken from my favorite book, "This Cheese is Nuts" by Julie Piatt.