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Seasoned with a crisp, lightly floral vegan wine (try a Sauvignon Blanc!), this Swiss cheese made with leftover wheat starch water from washing flour to make seitan is nutty and robust, slices perfectly for sandwiches, and should complement just about anything on your next charcuterie board.

Ingredients

 ¾ cup room-temperature starch water, as much water drained off as possible and stirred
  cup cashews, soaked for 8-12 hours or using the fast soak method (below)I like this brand because they are fair trade and the cost to buy in bulk works out to the same as the non-organic store brand at my local market.
 ¾ cup water
 1 ½ tbsp kappa carageenan
 2 tbsp vegan white wineI used a floral, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The wine you choose is important so most of all, make sure you like it!
 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste
 1 tbsp dijon mustard
 1 tsp salt
 ¼ tsp onion powder
  cup refined* coconut oil, melted*It is important to use refined coconut oil which has been de-flavored so your cheese does not taste like coconut.

Directions

1

Soak the cashews overnight or for 8-12 hours to soften them. If you're pressed for time you can boil a cup or two of water, then add the cashews and remove from the heat. Let them sit for 30 minutes in the boiled water, then give a quick rinse in cool water.

2

In a high-speed blender or food processor (I used the single blender cup from my Ninja) process the cashews and starting with about a 1/2 cup of water, process until smooth, adding the additional 1/4 cup as you go.

3

Drain as much excess water off your starch as possible and stir. I let mine sit in the fridge for a day or two to try to get it to really separate before using for this. Make sure your starch water is at room temperature before beginning, or it can make your coconut oil solidify when mixing.* I microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring each time until it's ready. Be careful not to heat it too much or the starch will clump.

*You can also leave the starch on your counter for several hours or overnight so it begins to ferment. The sourness and slight acidity will add more depth of flavor to your cheese.

4

Prepare a steamer and have a container ready for your cheese. I use these silicone molds which easily release. You may want to oil a glass container if using. Whatever you choose, make sure it can easily hold up at least 2 1/2-3 cups of liquid, because the mixture will rise by about 1/3 during cooking.

5

Add the blended cashews and all the ingredients through the onion powder to your blender or food processor and blitz. Slowly add in the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until it is fully emulsified.

Making Vegan Swiss Cheese

6

Finally add in the lactic acid and pulse the blender a bit more to incorporate.* You can use chopsticks, dowels, or something like the heat safe silicone tubing I used to create holes in the final product, but it's not necessary. Pour the mixture into the prepared vessel and steam for 45 minutes. Allow to come to room temperature before covering and storing in the fridge. The cheese will be hardened after about 6-8 hours of resting in the fridge and will continue to harden a little more as it rests.


*SIDE NOTE: The reason I add the lactic acid last is because it can affect the kappa carageenan's ability to harden the cheese. I'm honestly not sure if it makes that much of a difference since I'm blending everything together before cooking, anyway, but it's a habit I picked up from The Non-Dairy Evolution by Skye Michael Conroy. If you're just learning about vegan cheese making or want to explore some new ideas, I highly recommend the book.

 

More Starch Water & Deli-Style Recipes

Vegan hard boiled EGGBy bigassveganNo one would ever know. How would they know? Try out these vegan hard-boiled eggs, yourself, and on your friends, and see them in disbelief. Can even tell them it's the 2022 Met Gala (for real, vegan boiled eggs were served!), and get fancy with it! Get jiggy with it! Use them for your deviled egg needs, add in seitan sandwiches, on maze plates... endless possibilities.
Prosciutto deli slicesBy bigassveganSo happy with this Italian Prosciutto Crudo! It’s perfectly chewy, salty, with just a hint of sweetness, savory, very meaty... and perfectly captures that unsmoked, uncooked, dry-cured prosciutto taste we all know and love. The two different reds up it visually, and the washed flour “fatty” parts perfectly capture the chewier texture and elasticity of fat, giving it a different feel when eaten. It’s freakishly realistic and it may freak/gross out some people (It completely did me! 🙈). This recipe incorporates VWG and a little WTF. Both are very novice-friendly, and good ways to get into these two ways of seitan making, while also creating something amazing along the way. I highly recommend it!
Vegan Barbecue ColeslawBy JenThere's a lot of coleslaw recipes out there, but what makes this one a little different is that it's mixed with barbecue sauce (and it's vegan, of course) making it the perfect side or topper for all your barbecue-style seitan sandwiches!
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Ingredients

 ¾ cup room-temperature starch water, as much water drained off as possible and stirred
  cup cashews, soaked for 8-12 hours or using the fast soak method (below)I like this brand because they are fair trade and the cost to buy in bulk works out to the same as the non-organic store brand at my local market.
 ¾ cup water
 1 ½ tbsp kappa carageenan
 2 tbsp vegan white wineI used a floral, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. The wine you choose is important so most of all, make sure you like it!
 1 tbsp mellow white miso paste
 1 tbsp dijon mustard
 1 tsp salt
 ¼ tsp onion powder
  cup refined* coconut oil, melted*It is important to use refined coconut oil which has been de-flavored so your cheese does not taste like coconut.

Directions

1

Soak the cashews overnight or for 8-12 hours to soften them. If you're pressed for time you can boil a cup or two of water, then add the cashews and remove from the heat. Let them sit for 30 minutes in the boiled water, then give a quick rinse in cool water.

2

In a high-speed blender or food processor (I used the single blender cup from my Ninja) process the cashews and starting with about a 1/2 cup of water, process until smooth, adding the additional 1/4 cup as you go.

3

Drain as much excess water off your starch as possible and stir. I let mine sit in the fridge for a day or two to try to get it to really separate before using for this. Make sure your starch water is at room temperature before beginning, or it can make your coconut oil solidify when mixing.* I microwave it in 30-second increments, stirring each time until it's ready. Be careful not to heat it too much or the starch will clump.

*You can also leave the starch on your counter for several hours or overnight so it begins to ferment. The sourness and slight acidity will add more depth of flavor to your cheese.

4

Prepare a steamer and have a container ready for your cheese. I use these silicone molds which easily release. You may want to oil a glass container if using. Whatever you choose, make sure it can easily hold up at least 2 1/2-3 cups of liquid, because the mixture will rise by about 1/3 during cooking.

5

Add the blended cashews and all the ingredients through the onion powder to your blender or food processor and blitz. Slowly add in the melted coconut oil and continue to blend until it is fully emulsified.

Making Vegan Swiss Cheese

6

Finally add in the lactic acid and pulse the blender a bit more to incorporate.* You can use chopsticks, dowels, or something like the heat safe silicone tubing I used to create holes in the final product, but it's not necessary. Pour the mixture into the prepared vessel and steam for 45 minutes. Allow to come to room temperature before covering and storing in the fridge. The cheese will be hardened after about 6-8 hours of resting in the fridge and will continue to harden a little more as it rests.

Vegan Swiss Cheese | Wheat Starch Water