Dairy-Free "Cheese"

I found it surprisingly fun to make homemade cheese.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cashews*

1 cup dairy-free milk*

1/2 cup mashed white sweet potato*

4 tbsp tapioca starch

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp white vinegar*

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

Tools/other items needed for the recipe:

small pot

blender

For firm cheese

4-5 tbsp unflavored beef gelatin (there are vegan alternatives such as agar powder)

Instructions

1. Boil the cashews and potato together. The potato should be soft and mashable.

2. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

3. Add sauce to a pot and heat until it boils. (You can use the cheese immediately or store it for later)

4. Add to a greased bowl or pan. (I used a mini loaf pan)

5. Chill for a couple of hours

6. Store in the fridge or freeze.

Note: This cheese is sliceable and can be shreddable as well. If you use 5 tbsp of gelatin, it will shred. If you use less gelatin, you can freeze the cheese and then shred it.

* You can substitute other types of nuts for the cashews.

* Any dairy-free milk will work. I have had success with coconut, cashew, and ripple milk.

* You can substitute regular white potatoes or garbanzo beans for the sweet potato.

* You can use other kinds of vinegar. I used coconut vinegar, but I suspect rice or apple cider vinegar would also be fine.

Please keep in mind that the flavors will be different as you use substitutes. You may find you like certain combinations better than others. This is a recipe that lends itself to experimentation to find the right combo for you. I thought cashews with cashew milk tasted more like alfredo and cashews with coconut milk had a more neutral flavor.

Note: You could add additional flavor to your cheese with herbs. I haven't personally tried this, but it could be fun to play with the flavors even more.