Vegan Buttery Arepas With Cheese

One of the best things about Dayton, Ohio is the big World A'Fair held every May. For three days inside of the downtown Dayton Convention Center, people were set up in compartmentalized booths celebrating different parts of the globe. A Latin was infamous for frying up street fare favorite arepas (little golden corn cakes with thick melted cheese sandwiched between).
However, even if I still lived in Dayton, I couldn't come to eat at the fair. Maybe buy jewelry, books, and clothes. Most of the food is not plant based friendly (or things might have changed since my last visit nearly one hundred years ago). Still, in an old trip to Toronto, I had hot and spectacular vegan arepas for the first time. I will always be grateful to my friend. She always knows the best places in the T!
In a craving mood, having bought a package of corn meal last week, I found a recipe on Latin PETA (I know, I know) and decided to test it out today. They turned out fairly good-- light, fluffy, and sweet. The Daiya Cheddar cheese (Jalapeno Garlic might be best) melted just way I wanted.
I vow to continue further explorations (pureed sweet corn for the batter and different vegan cheese blends for the interior).

Vegan Buttery Arepas With Cheese Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup cornmeal
5 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 hot water
1/2 cup almond milk (or any other dairy free alternative)
Mikoyo's Kitchen Butter (or any other dairy free butter or oil)
Daiya Cheddar Cheese Slices

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add in water and milk. Whisk well.
Heat up a pan with butter and pour a bit of batter. Press cheese atop and cover the cheese with additional batter. Cook each side for about 3-5 minutes, until they reach desired brownness. Repeat steps.

The recipe does say this makes ten. Mine are thicker due to the added cheese and only created three. Plus, I skipped kneading altogether because the batter was super liquidy-- pancake liquidy. 

A delicious snack or lunchtime meal that is like a sweet grilled cheese. 

I'm looking forward to making more.