Cheeses

Say goodbye to cheese made from animal milk and say hello to the wonderful world of nut and seed cheeses. This recipe makes a creamy, mild cheese that goes well with so many things. Use you imagination! Try it on crackers, with crudités or inside our REAL Collard Rolls.

1 cup hulled sunflower seeds
2 cups water
1/4 onion
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill plus one sprig for garnish
optional: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper, salt, pepper

1. Pour the seeds into a jar or bowl and cover with water. Place in refrigerator and let soak for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Rinse and drain seeds.
3. Place seeds in a food processor with onion and dill. Pulse and then process until well blended. Mixture should be somewhat dry.
4. Scoop seed mixture into a bowl and chill for 2 hours or more.
5. When ready to serve, glide a knife around the sides. Turn bowl upside down and carefully remove seed cheese onto a plate. Garnish with fresh dill and serve.

Cashew Jack — A variation on the Cashew Cheddar recipe already on our site. I find that this is a much creamier cheese and is perfect for pizza because of the olive oil. You can also experiment with herbs and spices such as adding a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give it a kick. If you don’t want to add the garlic or onion powder, you don’t have to. You can also cut down the salt by eliminating it from the recipe. Also, this cheese can be grated or sliced. It freezes extremely well and melts brilliantly — especially in the microwave. Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups raw cashews
4 cups cold water for soaking cashews
1/2 cup of water for blending
3 1/2 cups boiling water to dissolve agar
1 cup agar flakes (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white miso
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1. Soak cashews in 4 cups of cold water in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse well.
2. Place soaked cashews in a blender.
3. Add oil, 1/2 cup of water, miso, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and spices and blend the cashew mixture until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender.
4. Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in agar flakes. Turn the heat down to allow mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally until all of the agar is dissolved — about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. With the lid on the blender and the pouring cap removed, turn the blender on low and slowly pour the water and agar mixture into the running blender.
6. Blend thoroughly.
7. Pour in to 2 well-oiled loaf pans, or 2 oblong Pyrex pans or – be creative and use any shape pan you like. Cover with waxed or parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.
8. Cheese can be used once it is firm. It will last several days in the refrigerator. We recommend cutting the cheese into blocks of your desired size, wrapping them and putting them in the freezer to use when you want.