Onion Dill & Horseradish Cheese
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
I am speechless as to what to say about this “cheese”! I learned about it when Sunny Raw blog sent out her posting featuring a woman who made this cheese from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak. I have to laugh…” from a friend of a friend who is friends with another friend of her friend, read this book!” Well, you see what I’m getting at.
Anyway, after seeing the video in the making of this type of cheese, I knew I had to give it a try. I am always on the lookout for recipes and ways that I can cut down the consumption of nuts in my diet.
I love nuts, and they are very good for you but I do try to limit them in my diet. I will admit that Agar sort of made me nervous, not because of what it is, I guess just because it was so unknown to me.
So this being my first time playing with it since raw culinary school, I was elated with the results. No more fears to hold me back. Agar is not considered raw but it is a seaweed and it is still good for you. I can’t get over the consistency of this cheese. Already, my mind is going wild with all sorts of ideas. The texture reminds me a bit of “squeaky cheese”.
You can use just about any container to mold the cheese in. I had to laugh when I tilted the container over and the cheese popped right out. Every indention on the container embossed itself right onto the cheese. This brought a huge smile to my lips and a giggle to me. The container I used was a Glad Tupperware container. You can’t see it in the picture but right there on top the word Glad is embossed right on the cheese. Not to mention the recycle symbol! I couldn’t be more Glad to be eating this amazing cheese and you better believe that it will be recycled. Now there is a knee slapper. (old photo replaced, but still wanted to share the story)
Ingredients:
yields 2 cups
Cheese base:
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked 2 hours
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp tahini
- 2 Tbsp white horseradish powder
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried onion flakes
- 2 tsp dried dill weed
Agar slurry:
- 3/4 cup water
- 5 Tbsp agar flakes or 1 1/2 Tbsp agar powder
Preparation:
Cheese base:
-
- Soak the cashews in 1 cup of water to soften them. Once done soaking, drain and discard the soak water.
- Set aside a 2 cup container. You can use just about anything to mold the cheese in. Be creative. I find that I don’t need to grease or line the mold, the cheese just pops out.
- In a blender add the water, cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, horseradish powder, salt, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, onion flakes, dill, and blend until smooth. Check for grit, if you feel any, keep blending. A food processor won’t work for this cheese.
Agar slurry:
-
- Place 3/4 cup of water and agar in a small saucepan. Whisk together until the slurry just starts to get a small boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, whisking often, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until completely dissolved.
- Once the slurry is ready, start the blender and get a vortex going. Quickly but carefully pour the agar slurry into the blender, add the dried minced onion and dill. Blend for about 10 seconds. As the agar slurry starts to cool it starts to thicken, so don’t dilly-dally here.
- Pour into container(s) and cool uncovered in the refrigerator.
- When completely cool, cover and chill several hours. To serve, turn out of the container and slice.
- Store covered in the refrigerator. Will keep 5 to 7 days.
Tip: I couldn’t find white horseradish powder today at the 2 grocery stores we went to so I used some wasabi powder that I had in the drawer. The ingredients in this particular brand of wasabi are; horseradish, spirulina, and turmeric. I ended up with more bang for my buck when it came to added nutrients.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
My son and I have many food intolerances including cows milk and I am keen to try some of these recipes as I quite miss cheese but my son cannot have cashews, can I substitute another nut and which would be best?
Hello Claire,
I would maybe recommend either macadamia nuts or hemp seeds as a replacement. Cashews offer more of a texture than flavor, and perhaps a bit of sweetness. If you give either one a try, please keep me posted. In other “cheese” recipes you can also use almonds (I would remove the skins on them) and brazil nuts. Have a great weekend. amie sue
Thank you. I shall try one of those
This cheese is unreal!
It slices so nicely due to the agar agar and the flavors and just enough. I didn’t have dried dill, so I picked about a tablespoon of fresh from our garden. Also, I substituted the horseradish powder for ground horseradish that is mixed with vinegar (the kind you find in the refrigerated section).
I’m assuming in step 2 that the ingredients should be blended after adding them to the blender, that’s what I did (I wasn’t sure if you wanted them to sit and soak or be blended right away, because I know how quickly you have to work with agar agar when it starts to cool down).
Oh, and my cheese says Ziploc with the recycling symbol as well…but they get covered up nicely with fresh sprigs of dill when serving.
I will DEFINITELY be trying out more of your cheese recipes!
Good evening Desiree,
I LOVE this cheese. You can grate it too! Yes, you are right about the blending process. I updated to avoid confusion. Thank you! Don’t you just giggle when you see Ziplock imprinted on it lol. Thank you for sharing your experience. Have a great evening, amie sue
Can anyone tell me if freezing this cheese affects the texture or flavour. I would try myself but the kids keep eating it before I get a chance hehe.
Hello Skye, we sort of have that same issue here… but I did purposely freeze a small chunk to see and I will say that it does change it some. I personally don’t recommend freezing it. Blessings, amie sue
Just a question about the amount of agar. Is it 5 tablespoons or 1.5 tablespoons? You have Tbsp for both amounts.
Good afternoon Julie Anne,
I am sorry that it took me a bit to respond to you. I have been on a “walk about” for the past 6 weeks (see blog posting). I am not fully integrating back into things but I wanted to start tackling some of the questions that have been collecting. :) All that to say, I appreciate your patience with me. :)
Yes, I am aware both read tablespoons… it really depends on whether you are use flakes or powder “5 Tbsp agar flakes or 1 1/2 Tbsp agar powder”. Have a great day, amie sue
Just how many hours before we can slice this cheese? It tasted so good before going into the mold!!
Good morning… no need to wait hours. It sets up quick in the fridge (in under 1 hour, if not sooner) When it’s firm to the touch it is ready. So happy that you enjoyed the flavor before it hit the mold. hehe Blessings, amie sue
A M A ZZZZZ I N G cheese!!! Omgoodness, I kept licking the spoon, dipping, licking… sooo YUM!
haha I love it Lisa. I so appreciate the feedback and I am so happy that you are enjoying it, one spoonful after another. Be safe and healthy, amie sue
What am I missing? I don’t see where the recipe says to add the onion flakes and the dill weed.
Sorry about that. Add it in with the rest of the ingredients (I adjusted it). If you want the specs of dried onion or dill in the cheese, then add them right after adding the agar slurry to the blender. blessings, amie sue