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Butternut Vegan Cheddar Cheese with Chives

Impress the guests at your next soirée with these delectable butternut vegan cheddar slices that look beautiful on a plant-based charcuterie board. Squash puree gives this vegan cheese an authentic color and creamy texture, which is enhanced by the addition of curry powder, tahini, nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. This clever flavor combination gets as close to a real cheese taste as you can get, and stirring in chopped chives before the cheese sets adds a tasty herbal note that also looks incredibly fancy when sliced. Serve alongside whole wheat crackers, nuts, fruit, and any other party appetizers of your choice!

For more vegan party appetizers, check out these tasty ideas:

By Mary Margaret Chappell ,

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Ingredients

  • 1½ cups unsweetened, unflavored hemp, cashew, or almond milk
  • ¾ cup butternut squash puree
  • 4 teaspoons agar flakes
  • 1 tablespoon tahini
  • ½ teaspoon mild curry powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup finely chopped chives

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan whisk together the first six ingredients (through salt) over medium. Bring to boiling, whisking constantly; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes more, whisking constantly.
  2. Remove from heat. Whisk in nutritional yeast and lemon juice. Blend with an immersion blender 30 seconds or until very smooth and creamy. Stir in chives. Pour mixture into a 6-inch loaf pan. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
  3. Unmold cheese onto a plate; slice and serve.
tags: gluten-free, potluck

Comments (7)

(2.6 from 5 votes)

7 comments

  1. This is good after sitting overnight to fully develop the flavors and fully gel. I ate a couple of slices the next morning for breakfast mushed up with some avocado on homemade whole wheat toast. Mushed up, it has about the same texture as avocado. Maybe some version of it would also be a good add-in in guacamole.

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  3. Nope. Hoped the bad reviews had been generated by people who hadn’t followed instructions, but I followed them to a “t,” adjusting to 1 t agar powder since I don’t have flakes, and this turned out like curry jello. Sorry…disgusting.

    Reply

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About the Author

Mary Margaret Chappell

About the Author

Mary Margaret Chappell

When Mary Margaret Chappell first started out in the plant-based food world as a writer, editor, and recipe developer, she was a bacon-loving former pastry chef who didn’t think she could ever cook without butter. Fourteen years, four cookbooks, dozens of cooking classes, and hundreds of recipes later, her favorite thing in the world is sharing the tips, techniques, and recipes that show just how easy and delicious whole-food, plant-based cooking can be. The former food editor of Vegetarian Times magazine has done away with her dependency on butter and is honing her skills at baking with natural sweeteners. Chappell lives in France, where plant-based eating can often be a challenge, but the fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes available are simply amazing. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
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