Easy vegan scallion-crushed red pepper jack cheese

UPDATE: The last two times I made this recipe it failed to firm-up properly and I don't know why. I suggest that no one try to make it until I figure out what's going wrong and fix it! I'll remove this notice when I get it right.

In my last post I talked about a dinner party we hosted, and how I made so much food I couldn't talk about it all in one story. This is a continuation. I previously mentioned the mini-omelets we had as part of the appetizer assortment.  In addition to the omelets, I also made a nacho dip and a sliceable vegan cheese. You can read about the fabulous nacho dip (from Miyoko Schinner) and find a recipe link and how-to video, here. What I want to tell you about now is the cheese.

A wedge from the round cheese — roasted peppers and scallions.

Vegan cheese isn't one of my favorite food groups. It makes up a very small part of my diet, and I almost never buy it, unless I'm really curious about a new brand, or someone is coming for dinner who I know is a fan. One thing I can tell you, though, is when I eat vegan cheese, I don't really care if it tastes exactly like dairy cheese, as long as it tastes good. Vegan cheese has to be worth eating on its own terms, not because it tastes like something else. And it has to be made from ingredients that, in my opinion, are worth eating! Fermented nut cheeses, for example, are real food and real cheese, but I don't like the idea of eating some of the other commercial vegan cheeses — something made of fat and starch — just because it is cheese-like. That might not be the most popular opinion, judging from the tidal wave of vegan cheeses on the market, but that's how I feel. I know cheese is very hard to give up, and I appreciate that. I was there. Now that I don't need cheese to be happy (:D) I only want to eat vegan cheese that's worth eating. Or not at all. I've made cheeses that I thought were really good, but except for cream cheese-type-cheeses, they didn't make me think I was eating dairy cheese, and that's okay. I've had people say tell me that they can't understand the concept of 'vegan cheese.' If you want cheese they say, why not just eat 'real' cheese. Well, I could give you a few dozen reasons, starting with animal cruelty, global weather change, food equity, etc., but I don't really want to get into all that here. I just want to share a recipe that I've become extremely fond of. It is cheese-like, tastes really good, satisfies certain textural and taste cravings, and isn't filled with added oils.

One of the reasons I write this blog is to provide ideas for new vegans, or those just looking for a vegan-friendly dish or two, so even if a certain food category isn't a priority for me (like cheese), I still try out recipes in case someone else might enjoy it. But I never post recipes I haven't tried and really like a lot. Which brings me to today's recipe for vegan pepper jack cheese, or, in this case, vegan scallion-crushed red pepper cheese.
 

A thin slice of the scallion-pepper flake cheese.

I found the recipe for Vegan pepper jack cheese on Baked In (Sept. 2014). But after further checking before posting it here, I see that Julie from Baked In found the recipe on Nouveau Raw (Oct. 2013). The only difference in ingredients I could see between the two versions, was that on Nouveau Raw the recipe contained one and one half tablespoons of agar agar, and on Baked In it contained two tablespoons. I tried the Baked In recipe as written, and I found the cheese a bit too jelled — if you know what I mean. I served it as appetizer to a mix of vegans and omnivores, who liked it fine, and gobbled it up. It's a very good recipe as is, but the texture just wasn't my cup of tea; it reminded me too much of extra firm jello. Texture can be a personal hangup. I tried the recipe again with less agar agar and more tahini, as well as a few other changes, but the same group of people preferred the first version. Oh well.

Scallion and pepper flake cheese melted in the microwave.

I tried it a few more times, and am finally delighted with the result. It's softer and creamier than the original, but still can be thinly sliced — and it melts! I put a cracker with a slice of cheese on it into the microwave for 15 seconds, and it melted, and tasted great. (I haven't tried melting it in the oven, yet.) I gave a melted sample to my husband and he was uncharacteristically enthusiastic. He also loved the unmelted version. I made the latest version with green onions and crushed red pepper flakes because when I went to get the roasted peppers from the refrigerator, they were gone. The green onions made for a great-tasting cheese, and I think I might use green onions again next time I make the cheese.

I'm providing a recipe for my latest version of the cheese, and the one that I like best of all the ones I've tried. I've made it in so many variations, that giving it a name seems kind of hard. I've made it with olives, peppers, green onions, sun dried tomatoes, and various combinations of these. They were all good, and, if I didn't plan ahead, the add-ins I used depended on what I had on hand. The cheese takes about 20 minutes (or less) to mix up, and an hour in the refrigerator. If you have a high powered blender, you don't have to soak the cashews or seeds, but if not, soak them for two to four hours, drain well, and be sure the blended mixture is super creamy with no trace of grit. You may want to use a food processor instead, to make blending and cleanup easier. The first few times I made the recipe, I formed it in a 7"x2" round pan because I thought the round cheese looked cool, and I liked slicing it into wedges. But for the most recent version I used a 4"x8" loaf pan, and I think I like the rectangular slices better. I think you'll like this as much as I do. It's so easy to make you can whip it up spur of the moment, or it makes a great make-ahead snack for a party. You may want to try the original version instead of mine, but either way, try it. Do you have a favorite vegan cheese? Is having vegan cheese in the pantry important to you? Do you care if it tastes like dairy cheese?

Vegan scallion-crushed red pepper cheese

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder (I used toasted onion powder from Penzey's)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy yogurt (I used coconut milk yogurt)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon agar agar powder (not flakes)
• 1 cup finely minced green onions (or jarred roasted peppers, or calamata olives, raw red or yellow peppers, roasted red peppers, jalapenos — whatever)
• 1 tablespoon dried pepper flakes (optional)

pan suggestions: 7" x 2" round or 8" x 4" x 3" loaf pan

1. If you don't have a high speed blender, soak the cashews and seeds for two to four hours and drain. If your blender isn't very powerful, use a food processor.
2. Prepare the pan. For a round pan, cut a round piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. For a loaf pan, cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and extend up the two long sides. It's not necessary to oil the pan.
3. Place the almond milk, sunflower seeds, cashews, tahini, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked Spanish paprika, yogurt and lemon juice into the blender jar. Blend until very smooth and creamy with no trace of grit. The mixture will be extremely thick and you may have to give it a little stir at the top to get the vortex going.
4. Put the arrowroot powder into a small pot. Add the water and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle the agar agar into the pot and let it sit a minute to soften. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once bubbling, turn the heat to simmer and cook, continuing to stir, about four minutes until the agar agar is completely dissolved and the mixture is translucent and thick.
5. Scrape the agar agar mixture into the blender and blend on high until thoroughly mixed. Turn the blender off and quickly add the pepper flakes and about 2/3 of the veggies. Turn the blender to low and blend for about two seconds (in a high speed blender) or until the veggies are as fine as you want them to be. You don't want them to disappear. Turn the blender off and quickly stir in the rest of the veggies. By leaving some of the veggies larger, you add color and interest to the cheese. You can, if you wish, stir all the veggies in by hand.
6. Immediately use a silicone scraper to scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Allow to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least one hour. 
7. Unmold onto a plate and sprinkle with paprika, chopped scallions, or decorate as you wish.

FYI: As soon as the agar agar mix is blending, soak the pot right away in hot water, not cold. Cold water will cause the mixture to immediately jell and adhere to the pot. You can still get it off, but it will be harder. Agar agar jell will solidify even at room temperature, so the faster you get hot water into the pot, the better.

Here's a link to a blog post about arrowroot and kudzu on Real Food for Life that you might find interesting. I haven't checked out the claims recently, but I remember hearing the same information years ago when I was macrobiotic.

P.S. 

As long as I'm talking about cheesey foods, I want to repeat my recommendation to try Miyoko Schinner's nacho (queso) dip made from butternut squash. None of my dinner guests could guess what the main ingredient was. One person said, "It tastes just like cheese." It's now one of my three favorite hot dips. And you don't have to use it just for a dip. You could make mac 'n cheese with it, or you could spread the leftovers (if there are any) over roasted brussels sprouts. :D