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vintagenarcissa
Dec 13th, 2009, 06:25 PM
Can you all help me weigh in on vegan cheeses?

I tried a vegan cheese a few years ago when I wasn't vegan - I believe it was FYH cheddar, the package said vegan gourmet. I remember breaking off a crumble, tasting it and immediately throwing it in the garbage. I dunno - does it taste better melted or in a dish?

I also just discovered Daiya vegan cheese - which apparently is used in vegan restaurants - which I will definitely be investigating when I go back home to NYC for Christmas. From the website it looks fairly yummy.

I've been using garlic hummus as a replacement for cheese lately. I eat it with toast and it kind of tastes like cheese spread to me. And I put a dollop of it on my chik'n parmesan, which was very delicious.

And I've been researching cashew cheese recipes, which I plan on trying as soon as I can invest in a food processor and a cheese cloth.

But in the mean while, it's discuss cheese shall we? :satisfied:

beanstew
Dec 13th, 2009, 06:37 PM
Strong Cheddar Sheese (http://www.buteisland.com/) is my favourite. It is super yum grated in sandwiches with lots of tomato and pepper.

harpy
Dec 13th, 2009, 09:13 PM
Frankly, all the vegan cheeses I've had taste better with something else! Some of them are good for cooking, not sure which of the US ones are though.

I agree that hummus is often a fine alternative to cheese if you want something to have with bread etc

Buddha Belly
Dec 13th, 2009, 09:21 PM
I actually ate normal Cheesly by itself yesterday. I always thought it tasted rank, but it was quite nice.
I prefer the Blue style scheese which I adore on crackers.
Vegan cheese's are definitely an acquired taste. I was a total cheese head BV (before vegan) and never thought I would like it, but tatses change I suppose.

Is it possible to get scheese in US shops?
Online is....

http://www.buteisland.com/a_suppliers.htm

Wayfare
Dec 19th, 2009, 02:26 AM
It is my great vegan pleasure to mention a NEW vegan cheese. It's called "We Can't Say It's Cheese" and it comes in little tubs. On the internet, you can find it at Vegan Essentials in Food > Cheese Alternatives and I believe it is on page 2. It should be in Pangea in the next few weeks.

It's great because, regardless of taste, the ingredients are really healthy. It doesn't have anything bad in it, not even a tiny bit. It is really delicious. The most popular flavor is the Hickory Smoked and after that the Mexi Cheddar.

karmachick
Apr 26th, 2011, 04:34 AM
Hi, I'm a new vegan (vegetarian for 10 yrs until this month). Is there any decent vegan cheese out there (without artificial ingredients or preservatives) that I can use as a cheese substitute sliced in my sandwiches? I tried Vegan Gourmet on the suggestion of a vegan I inquired with at my local natural foods market. It was ok melted on my Gardenburger, but I really need something with the "bite" and texture of dairy cheese in my cold sandwiches. I also tried Galaxy's vegan cheese (the sliced, individually wrapped versions that look like orange Kraft "cheesefood") and it was so god-awful, I spit it out in the sink and threw the whole package away. I get that there are protein alternatives (like hummus spread) but I am so used to having the texture and biting into the cheese of my sandwiches.
Help!

Firestorm
Apr 27th, 2011, 04:04 PM
I tend to find flavored Vegan cheese tastier that plain (Redwoods Cheezly with Bacon Style Pieces or Redwoods Nacho). You could try Tofutti Cheddar or Mozzarella Slices (they also do a block of cheddar) I find this quite nice (but is a bit on the unhealthy side). It may be hard however to find a Vegan cheese without artificial ingredients or preservatives (it may be better to try a nut cheese instead - you could try making your own even).

If I feel that I want something cheesey and Soya cheese does quite curb the craving I mix some nutritional yeast with some Soya yogurt and grate cheese into that.

harpy
Apr 27th, 2011, 04:48 PM
Hello karmachick - another idea might be to put something else with "bite" into your sandwiches, such as sliced celery or carrot, along with hummus, nut butter or another protein-y filling that you like. That might give you more of the texture you want.

There are some quite good vegan cheeses coming on to the market now (different ones in the UK from the US so I won't name brands - try searching the forum for "cheese" and you'll find more threads). However I think if you are a recent cheese-eater you may not find them 100% satisfactory. Adding mustard and chutney (=relish?) can give them a bit more flavour though (or mask the one they have :p ).

Grilled tofu sandwiches are also good - have you tried those?

Andy_T
Apr 28th, 2011, 12:26 PM
Hi y'all, I think that the Daiya varieties are quite nice (unfortunately not available in Europe :-(
So if you have not tried them out, give them a try. At a recent trip to the US I also tried out the 'vegan gourmet' and a few others and they were godawful. The Daiya was very nice, however.

Best regards,
Andy

namaste
Jul 14th, 2011, 08:28 PM
I like to make my own nut cheese. I blend 1 cup of cashews with 1/4 red bell pepper, 2 tablespoon tamari, 2 tablespoons yeast flakes and enough filtered water to allow the blender to turn. Unless you've got a vitamix don't try to make without water, just be happy with a soft cheese and not a burned out blender!

Beanie Babe
Jul 16th, 2011, 12:58 PM
I recently experimented with making a cheese spread and am quite pleased with it. I blended raw cashews into a butter, added rice vinegar and olive oil (to taste and texture...like a tablespoon at a time), a little lemon juice, dill weed, chives, garlic salt/powder.....oh, and of course nutritional yeast (I add that to the butter before anything else). If the mix is too thick to mix, just drizzle in water or almond milk to thin it out. I probably tossed in a little mustard too now that I think about it. The taste seems to get even better overnight. I purposely need to avoid soy and am determined to find good alternatives to cheeses.

DiaShel
Jul 16th, 2011, 05:00 PM
I just had nachos with daiya cheese (pepperjack) and a few weeks ago had pizza with the... you know, the white italian one they put on pizza (can't even close to spell it). Both are knock you on your ass awesome. Now for the cheddar!

ElleV108
Jul 17th, 2011, 04:35 AM
I live in the US too and I have found Galaxy's veggie cheese good- especially the mozzarella, I'm pretty obsessed with it. I know they sell it throughout Michigan - I would assume you could find it elsewhere in the US!

Andy_T
Jul 18th, 2011, 11:55 AM
I really like CSD's Teese (Mozzarella taste) for Pizza.
I was quite sceptical at first, and it really sucked in sandwiches, but on Pizza it was great (applying it on the crust, then tomatos, and then some more on top of the tomatos).

Best regards,
Andy

loobeylou
Feb 1st, 2012, 11:37 PM
you probably know by now but daiya cheese is soy and gluten free and super yummy :) wish they did it in the uk! whenever anyone i know goes over to the US on holiday, i get them to bring me some daiya back in a chilled bag :P

thegreenjudy
Feb 21st, 2012, 02:56 PM
hiya, sorry to wheel this thread out again...I find all cheese substitutes gross...(at least what's available in the UK) I tried to do the cashew cheese and decided that chashews taste better on their own :-)

Actually I need something that melts and tastes nice...doesn't even need to be an official cheese substitute...I think avocado melts under heat, doesn't it?? Hummus doesn't really melt ... maybe I just use vegan cheese sauce..

Risker
Feb 21st, 2012, 08:02 PM
No, avocado doesn't melt. In fact, I think it hardens when heated.

What do you need it for? That might help with suggestions.

fondducoeur
Feb 21st, 2012, 08:47 PM
Yeah...I like mashed avocado on sandwiches. I don't think of it as a cheese substitute, but I guess it serves a similar purpose (adds a little fat and creaminess). But I wouldn't use it in things that are heated.

You said that you don't care for cheese subs, but were thinking about cheese sauce. Have you ever tried a nutritional yeast based sauce? The ones I have made involve a bit of oil, veg broth, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and a few other flavorings (bit of soy sauce, paprika, etc). It tastes quite a bit different than the firm cheese substitutes and are lower in fat (unless you use a recipe with a ton of oil). I'm not sure I would use it on something like pizza, but it's good in things like mac & cheese, tofu scrambles, nachos, enchiladas, etc.

thegreenjudy
Feb 21st, 2012, 10:00 PM
Well at least it melts in the pan :-) I was thinking about stuff like Pizza or anything you would usually melt cheese over it...

I read that you can make cheese sauce yourself by melting nutritional yeast in some vegan margarine..if I don't put too much marg in I might be able to put it on a pizza and it might melt a little bit!?!

Risker
Feb 21st, 2012, 10:33 PM
For pizza, try sliced tinned artichoke. It won't melt of course but I've found it works well instead of cheese on both pizzas and in pasta sauces etc.

thegreenjudy
Feb 21st, 2012, 10:49 PM
For pizza, try sliced tinned artichoke. It won't melt of course but I've found it works well instead of cheese on both pizzas and in pasta sauces etc.

Oh Thanks I'll try that one

cedarblue37
Feb 22nd, 2012, 11:09 AM
i keep trying cheeze alternatives and have come to the conclusion that they are a waste of money for me really.

i'm the only one who would eat them and i can't eat a whole block myself.

plus i'm not really keen on the taste, i'd rather do without and use nutritional flakes etc as a pizza alternative.

bleugh! :undecided:

veganosie
Feb 22nd, 2012, 05:13 PM
cedarblue, i'm pretty sure you can freeze cheezly. also in my local H&B they sell bags of ready-grated vegan "mozzarella" which would probably do two or maybe three pizzas (full size). expensive though, around £2.50 but then i am a cheapskate (who doesn't even like vegan cheese - why on earth was i looking at it then?!)

Firestorm
Mar 1st, 2012, 06:28 PM
VeganStore (http://www.veganstore.co.uk/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=055&Category_Code=002) are selling Teese now.

Kat_90
Mar 1st, 2012, 06:59 PM
tried my first cheese substitute yesterday - sheese. It was nice! If you imagine it is smoked cheddar before you take a bite it isn't too different! I'm not sure how it will melt though...