Vegan Sharp Cheddar Cheese Food

VEGAN " SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE"

Steps:

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

VEGAN SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE

Steps:

• Oil, spray or grease a small rectangular container or loaf pan.
• In a small saucepan, mix the agar powder and 1 1/2 cups water and let sit for a few minutes. Bring to a boil on medium heat, adding the coconut oil. Let boil, stirring occassionally, for abotu 3-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of your food processor, blend the almonds. At first they will turn into almond meal and then will begin to turn into almond paste. Add the miso and nutritional yeast and process until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl and turns a bit doughy. Add the tomato paste, lemon, onion powder and salt and blend until thoroughly combined.
• At this point, the agar and coconut oil should be melted and bubbling like thick syrup or hot gelatin. Quickly pour into the food processor. Process the whole thing until smooth. This should be about the consistency of cake batter or smooth cheese sauce. Add a little water if necessary, up to 1 1/2 cups, if you find your mixture is too thick, and blend again.
• Scrape into the prepared container and let cool uncovered, at least 3 hours or overnight, in the fridge. You may cover it after 3 hours. This will continue to flavor-meld and is better if left overnight. May be shredded or used anywhere cheddar is called for.