MAKE IT YOURSELF VEGAN CHEESE
Vegan cheese – really? Don’t worry, we’ve thought that many times, too. We’re big fans of the real deal and have always assumed a dairy-free replacement would be a bit of a fiddle to make. We were wrong. This is a simple, firm-textured, coconut milk-based cheese that is to be eaten cooked (melted in burgers, empanadas etc – see our ideas below). It gets a bit stretchy when melted and has a subtle, savoury flavour.
VEGAN CHEESE
MAKES 1 MEDIUM-SIZED BLOCK / PREPARATION 10 MINUTES / COOKING 5 MINUTES
2 tablespoons tapioca starch 1 x 400ml can coconut milk 4 teaspoons agar agar 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix tapioca starch with ¼ cup cold water and set aside. Place all the other ingredients plus ¼ cup water into a medium-sized pot and heat over a medium heat until it begins to boil, stirring frequently with a whisk. Once boiling, turn down the heat so it is just bubbling and continue stirring for 5 minutes. Add the tapioca mixture and stir for a minute while still on the heat. Remove from the heat and pour into a glass, metal or ceramic vessel to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
CHEESE, CHILLI & ONION EMPANADAS SERVES 4 AS A SNACK / PREPARATION 20 MINUTES / COOKING 20 MINUTES
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 white onions; 3 sliced, 1 diced 1 carrot, grated
½ tablespoon Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 red chilli, finely diced 3 tablespoons white vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar
4 sheets savoury shortcrust pastry ½ block vegan cheese
3 cups neutral vegetable oil for frying
Heat a saucepan on a high heat and add olive oil. Add the 3 sliced onions, carrot, mustard, cumin seeds and chilli and fry, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Add ½ cup water and continue to cook for 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Cover the diced onion with ½ cup water, add the vinegar and sugar and set aside. Cut 4 circles from each sheet of pastry, place a spoonful of filling in the middle and top with a generous slice of cheese and a spoonful of drained, pickled onions. Brush the edges with water and fold into a half moon. Crimp the sides to seal before shallow frying in oil at 180°C until golden.
TRY THESE 1 CAULIFLOWER CHEESE WITH HIDDEN JEWELS
Soak ½ cup sliced jalapeños, ½ cup sultanas and a sliced white onion in vinegar and set aside. Cook cauliflower florets in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. In another pot, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat to medium before stirring in 2 tablespoons flour. Bit by bit, pour in 1½ cups water, stirring with a whisk. Remove from heat and add 1 block grated or diced vegan cheese and stir until melted. Add 1 teaspoon each cayenne pepper and paprika. In a baking dish, stir cauliflower and sauce with the drained jalapeños, sultanas and white onion. Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes.
2 POTATO, HERB & CAYENNE GRATIN
Finely slice 4-5 medium potatoes into a bowl. Add 1½ cups coconut milk, 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, ½ cup each chopped fresh oregano, sage and rosemary, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to coat the potatoes. Put into a baking dish, the potatoes roughly layered. Top with a generous amount of cheese and cook at 190°C for 30-40 minutes.