Dragonfly's Bulk, Dry Uncheese Mix
3 cups raw, organic cashew pieces
2 cups nutritional yeast (I like Red Star or Vegetarian Support)
3 tablespoons seasoning salt
3 tablespoons garlic powder (not garlic salt)
3 tablespoons onion powder (not onion salt)
8 tablespoons arrowroot powder (can use cornstarch, but it is not stringy like arrowroot)
1. Using a very dry blender, blend the nuts until they are very fine.
2. Add all ingredients, and blend in batches of about 1 cup.
3. Mix in a dry container.
4. To make sauce, add heaping 1/2 cup mix to 1 cup water, and stir over heat until thickened.
Use less water and add salsa for queso dip. Pour over hot veggies and/or pasta. Spread on vegan bread and toast for grilled uncheeses, or look up my enchilada recipe and use it that way.
You can keep this tightly covered in the fridge for about 6 weeks.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I wonder if anyone has thought of amaranth flour to replace arrowroot or cashews. It may work where nuts are a problem but i am unsure how the missing gelling attributes of arrowroot may affect this excellent recipe?
Ticked off at the new vegweb layout, but here I am again! Dragonflys Bluck Cheese Powder forerever....
I think I've already been on here and left a message about how much I LOVE this mix. I also have discovered the microwave trick, and, yes, it is dangerous that it's so easy to whip up a ramekin of cheese dip!!!! I always use Tony's instead of the season salt, just because that's what I keep in my pantry. Have impressed lots of anti-vegan-anything's with this uncheeze dip!!! Thanks again!! (You should totally package and sell this stuff!!!)
I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this but, lately, I've been substituting besan (chick pea flour) for the arrowroot powder. In my opinion, it's just as good and it's a bit more nutritious.
First - thanks, this was awesome (as you already know)
One thing I will say is WAY too salty. I will use half the salt next time.
Also, I used the starchy water from boiling noodles to help thicken it for things like mac and uncheese. Works great!
Thanks again for an awesome recipe!
Friggin brilliant! ;)b Could do with a wee bit more cornstarch though maybe?
What a brilliant idea! I'm wanting to try this, but reducing the cashew content as some commenters have.
However i can't tolerate oats (i'm gluten intolerant, and one of the gf people who also can't do oats :)). Any ideas for what else i could use? Quinoa flakes perhaps?
I made this according to the recipe and made sure the arrowroot was fresh. My eyes rolled back in my head when I tasted this. THANK YOU!!!!! I cooked some bow tie pasta and stirred in the uncheese. It also reheated beautifully:>
I looked through 10 pages of comments and am sad to discover that I am the only one incapable of grinding nuts into powder. Either it's not fine enough, or it's nut butter. :-(
My blender's a POS (anyone wanna donate a vitamix to a good cause, haha?!), so I definitely feel your pain! What I do is just grind a small amount at a time, 1-2 handfuls, pausing frequently to stir 'em around down by the blades with a thick knife blade or long spoon handle, until they're fine; then dump 'em in a big mixing bowl, and go again with another couple'a handfulls, etc etc etc until you've ground all the cashews. Takes forever, but worth it-- especially since when you're done, this recipe makes so much it lasts (well, usually!) a good while... Also, if I'm making any kind of sauce, I combine wet ingredients & (finished) uncheese mix in the blender until very smooth, before heating-- for queso, for example, I blend 1 cup uncheese + 1 cup water on 'liquefy' for a minute or so, then pour it into the saucepan & add rotel/ cumin/ cilantro/ whatever, to heat & finish... this gets it really creamy & smooth, without cashew chunks, even if your blender sucks. To me, it's totally worth the trouble!
Hope that's helpful! :)
I looked through 10 pages of comments and am sad to discover that I am the only one incapable of grinding nuts into powder. Either it's not fine enough, or it's nut butter. :-(
Try it with a coffee grinder, (sans coffee), that worked for me before I had a vitamix.
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