Cheeeeeese … mmmmmmmm. That’s all I need to hear and I’m there. I like to say it’s my Swiss heritage since my grandfather was entirely Swiss, but it’s probably just because cheese is fantastic! I can honestly say there is only one kind of cheese I’ve ever tasted that I didn’t like, and of course, that would be … Swiss cheese. That one I’ll leave for the mice!
What do you know, there are lots of other cheese-heads out there! Enough that they’ve dedicated a whole day to it. This Sunday, January 20th, is the next National Cheese Lover’s Day. The only problem with that is, well, it’s January. Everyone just stuffed themselves with holiday goodness, and woke up January 1st beginning to worry maybe their shorts aren’t going to fit this summer.
Perhaps you’re one of the millions of people that jumped onto the diet/exercise wagon as it rolled into the New Year. Maybe you’ve promised your significant other you’ll get serious about lowering your cholesterol and getting heart-healthy in 2019. Or maybe you’re just curious, and willing to try some dairy-free alternatives to a favorite food. If so, why not embrace Cheese Lover’s Day in a unique way this year?
I was raised essentially vegan—on a dairy farm, no less—so vegan “cheeses” are normal to me. That said, I still love real cheese, and over the years, I’ve been on an off-and-on quest to find vegan alternatives that taste as good as the real thing. I’ve tried many, many recipes in that time; some have been total failures, but others are pretty darn good knock-offs.
The first recipe I’d like to share with you is a traditional vegan cheese sauce my teenage daughter regularly begs me to make. We use it on cooked macaroni noodles, for a mac-and-cheese alternative. It comes from the cookbook Country Kitchen Collection, by Phil and Eileen Brewer of the Silver Hills Lifestyle Centre in British Columbia.
Pimento Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 tsp. salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp. ground dill seed (I omit this, as I don’t care for the flavor)
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes (found at health food stores)
- ½ cup pimento (4 oz. jar)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (I halve this and use only 1/8 cup)
Directions:
Throw all of the ingredients into a blender.
Blend until smooth. Mix it with hot, cooked macaroni noodles and serve. If it’s not quite as thick and creamy as you like, you can pour it in a sauce pan and stir over medium heat for a few minutes and it will thicken right up. Just make sure you stir it constantly! Sprinkle with a bit of black pepper if wanted.
During my vegan cheese exploration, most of the recipes I’ve found are heavy on nuts, especially cashews. While I’m not allergic, or against nuts in general, they can be expensive and everything is best in moderation. So I was delighted to find my now-favorite book on the subject, entitled The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, by Jo Stepaniak. In my opinion, it’s much more balanced health-wise, and uses a variety of nuts and even beans to make the “uncheese” recipes.
Two of my favorites from this book are the Nacho Cheez Sauce and Dip, and the solid block of Chedda Cheez that can be sliced.
Nacho Cheez Sauce and Dip
Ingredients:
- ½ cup flour (any kind, I use unbleached white)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. hot or sweet paprika
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- 1/8 to ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cups water or plain non-dairy milk substitute
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp. prepared mustard
- ½ tsp. light or chickpea miso (I add this to other vegan cheese alternatives, too. Gives it a nice cheesy flavor.)
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
Directions:
Mix the first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in your water or milk substitute, olive oil, and mustard. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until bubbly and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in miso. Add cilantro just before serving, if you are using it.
Sometimes it’s nice to have a solid block of cheese for slicing or shredding. My family loves the following recipe, which I make in a block.
Chedda Cheez (block-style solid cheese)
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups water
- 5 Tbsp. agar flakes, or 1½ Tbsp. agar powder
- ½ cup roasted red peppers (skin and seeds removed), 4 oz jar of pimentos, or ¼ cup dried red pepper pieces
- ½ cup chopped raw cashews or skinless Brazil nuts
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I reduce this to 2 Tbsp.)
- 2 Tbsp. sesame tahini
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. dry mustard
- 2 Tbsp. light or chickpea miso
Directions:
Spray and set aside a 3-cup plastic storage container, preferably with a lid. Combine water and agar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, stirring frequently until your agar is dissolved, 5-10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to your blender, and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Pour into your oiled storage container. Cool in the refrigerator, uncovered. Once it is cool, it will be set up in a solid block. Cover with a lid. I turn it over onto the lid and slice to use. Will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.
Bottom line, these aren’t like hard dairy cheeses, and a true cheese-head may not ever completely give up the real thing, but these are the best homemade alternatives this farm girl has found after many years of searching!
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