Vegan Coconut Milk Cheddar Cheese

Do you ever crave something cheesy but don't care for the processed alternatives that often take up space on store shelves?   If you are looking for a low cost and healthier alternative to processed cheese alternatives, I have got a treat for you.  Coconut Milk Cheddar!  It is quite easy to make at home and looks appetizing as well.

This recipe makes a great replacement for cheese.  The recipe below makes a good amount and can easily be halved.  It is a lot cheaper than using Daiya cheese, and makes an excellent topping for vegan burgers (such as beet burgers) or a nice topping for quesadillas or a taco salad.  Really, the possibilities are endless.   This cheese topping melts easily and is quite delicious  Enjoy!

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Coconut Milk Cheddar

Ingredients:

2 cans coconut milk (thick coconut milk works best)

3 tablespoons agar powder*

1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons tapioca starch*

1 teaspoon smoked paprika*

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (this gives it more of a cheese taste)

Pinch of turmeric (gives it the color of cheese)

Process:

1. Boil the coconut milk until no longer separated.

2.  Add the white balsamic vinegar, agar flakes, and salt.

3.  If using agar flakes: Boil gently for 15. (see a, below)

4.  Add the remaining ingredients, one at a time while whisking. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

5.  Remove from the pan and put in greased, flat-bottomed glass dish or on a parchment paper lined loaf pan.

6.  Let cool two hours. You can also stick in the fridge when cool and use later.  Slice and enjoy! (If it's refrigerated, you can actually grate it. It is somewhat slippery though).

(*)Substitutions:

a.  If using agar flakes, you will need to boil the mixture for an extra 15 minutes.

b.  Tapioca starch can be replaced with corn starch.  I recommend mixing the corn starch with a small amount of coconut milk in a small bowl before adding it to the boiling mixture.

c.  regular paprika works fine.