Vegan cheese - any good?

[PinkFluffyCloud]

Tofutti slices are good on Pizza, I hate all the others I have tried, and rarely use that one either.
Homous and Garlic are just as good!

[foxytina_69]

i like soymage cheese. toffutti is strong with a chemically taste, but good melted in vegan mac and cheese. theres some recipes to make your own cheese. heres a couple from http://www.veganchef.com

italian style hot pepper almond cheese

water
1/3 cup raw almonds
1 1/2 cups water, divided
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. safflower oil
4 t. nutritional yeast flakes
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
3/4 t. sea salt
1/4 cup Cubanelle pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and finely diced
1 T. freshly chopped basil
1 T. freshly chopped parsley
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes


Begin by blanching the almonds: In a small saucepan, place 2 inches of water, and bring to a boil. Add the almonds and cook for 1 minute to blanch them. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to cool. Remove the almonds from the water, squeeze each almond between your thumb and forefinger to remove the skin, and set them aside for 5-10 minutes to dry and cool. Place the almonds in a blender or food processor and process for 1-2 minutes to finely grind them. Scrape down the sides of the container. Add 3/4 cup water and process for 1 minute to combine. Add the remaining water, cornstarch, lemon juice, safflower oil, nutritional yeast flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and continue to process the mixture an additional 1-2 minutes or until very smooth and creamy.

Transfer the mixture back to the small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Cook the mixture, while whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture becomes very thick. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the remaining ingredients, stir well to combine, and set the mixture aside to cool for 10 minutes. Pour the cheese mixture into a 2-cup (16 oz.) plastic container, cover, and chill the cheese for several hours or until firm. Unmold the cheese and use slices on sandwiches or in place of commercially made cheese in your favorite recipes, or as a spread with crackers, breads, or fruit. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Note that this is a semi-soft style cheese, not a brick style cheese, so it can not be shredded.

Yield: One 2-cup loaf of non-dairy cheese

non-dairy swiss style cheese


1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup agar-agar flakes
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup blanched almonds
1 T. safflower oil, sunflower oil, or other vegetable oil of choice
1/3 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
3 T. lemon juice
1 T. light or mellow miso
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. onion powder
3/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. salt


In a small saucepan, place the water and agar-agar flakes, and simmer over low heat to thoroughly dissolve the agar-agar flakes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, place the cashews, almonds, and oil, and process for 1-2 minutes to form a smooth paste. Scrape down the sides of the food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and process for 1 minute. After the agar-agar mixture has simmered for 5 minutes, add the mixture to the food processor, and process an additional 2 minutes to thoroughly blend the flavors. Lightly oil a 3-cup mold, plastic container, or small loaf pan. Pour the cheese mixture into the mold, cover, and chill overnight. Unmold the cheese and used sliced or shredded in place of commercially made cheese in your favorite recipes, or enjoy with crackers, breads, or fruit. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

Yield: One 3-cup brick or loaf of non-dairy cheese

[drummer]

Hey, does anyone here know what country Tofitti soy cheese slices are made in??
I can't find any address on the packet, plus half the writing is in another language. I would like to try Galaxy Foods vegan soy cheeses, but they are not available in Australia.

[JasperKat]

Didn't find anything on thier site, but here is contact info. http://www.tofutti.com/index.php?id=2

A phone number! So much better than waiting for a return email. :)
-JK

[ohboysoy]

What vegan cheese is best for what, like melting or just eating plain? Are there vegan cheeses that are already shredded?

[Artichoke47]

I haven't seen any already-shredded cheeses. I vote "none" for eating plain and Tofutti (although it's oily) for melted.

[Tigerlily]

I have a question about soy "cheese" and "yougurt"...

Are they even good? I can't seem to find any casein free soy "cheese" any where and I was thinking of asking the grocery store if they could special order it...but now I'm thinking, what if it's nasty? Is it?

And about soy "yougurt"...Is that good too or does it have a weird taste? Here it's $1.49 (Canadian) for a little 1-serving container....with the $1.49 I could buy some yummy veggies or buy a litre of soy milk...

:confused:

[feline01]

It's really a personal choice for yourself. If you liked yogurt and/or cheese pre-vegan, then you might enjoy the vegan varieties at least of the yogurt. Most brands are pretty good though I find them a bit too sweet. I usually buy the unsweetened variety and add my own fruit. Soy yogurt is expensive, I usually only buy it on sale. Vegan cheese is another story, most brands are absolutely vile. If you can find Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, then I would recommend trying that. It melts and is great on pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches. Veganrella is not bad either but doesn't melt as well as Vegan Gourmet. Or you can make your own vegan cheese, there are many recipes floating around online or in awonderful cookbook called The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

[Tigerlily]

Thanks a lot! :o

[ConsciousCuisine]

Feline, I agree with your post. Vegan Gourmet works well on home-made pizza and vegan mac'n cheese.

[Roxy]

I don't care much for soy yoghurt - I prefer to have soy milk instead. I agree with Feline, the Follow Your Heart vegan cheese is probably the best one I have tried so far. It's quite expensive but works well for nachos (I enjoy vegan nachos from time to time) :D

[Mystic]

In Australia, I have found all brands of vegan cheese and yoghurt to be repulsive - but I hate soy altogether

[Tigerlily]

Alright. :) Thanks!

[foxytina_69]

mmm i love soy yogurt. the so nice brand is good. i love peach and strawberry. i also like soymage cheese for sandwiches.

[MzNatural]

I still have not ventured into trying the Vegan cheeses after my first bite of one that was very nasty. The rest are still in the freezer. I have heard Follow Your Heart was good. I might buy some to have around for omni friends/relatives. I was not too much of a dairy eater before becoming vegetarian/vegan.

I have tried the soy ice cream. I never liked the dairy ice cream but I love the soy version. I am going to start making it myself.

[feline01]

I still have not ventured into trying the Vegan cheeses after my first bite of one that was very nasty. The rest are still in the freezer. I have heard Follow Your Heart was good. I might buy some to have around for omni friends/relatives. I was not too much of a dairy eater before becoming vegetarian/vegan.

I have tried the soy ice cream. I never liked the dairy ice cream but I love the soy version. I am going to start making it myself.

Have you seen that cookbook, Vice Cream by Jeff Rogers? I attended a demonstation at Taste of Health in NYC last summer and he did a demo. The vice cream looked fantastic (didn't get any though because the babies were 2 months old at the time and I was breastfeeding them, outside at Lincoln Center :) )

[Gorilla]

i personally used to like cheese and yogurt before i went vegan, but haven't found many good substitutes so i don't really eat them much now. they're very expensive and i don't think they're worth the money. i sometimes eat Alpro soy yogurt which is probably the best yog in the UK IMO, but most vegan cheese is icky if you ask me.

if you really miss cheese and yogurt maybe they're worth trying, but i don't miss them any more myself. :)

[Tigerlily]

Well, it's been a month since I became vegan (strict vegetarian if you want to get technical since I do have some animal products like my shampoo and my make up). At first, I really did miss the cheese and the convience of yougurt in school lunches...I might try the soy "yougurt"...the cheese is expensive and it's all with casien over here. :(

[Tigerlily]

UPDATE: I tried the So Nice strawberry yougurt today. Umm, it was nasty in my opinion. Tasted like Metamucil powder.

[feline01]

UPDATE: I tried the So Nice strawberry yougurt today. Umm, it was nasty in my opinion. Tasted like Metamucil powder.

I guess it wasn't So Nice ;) ? :)

[Tigerlily]

Haha, no. My dad liked it though. I gave it to him and he was like "mmmm"...*rolls eyes*

[foxytina_69]

thats so wierd that some people dont like it. i loooove it. even my boyfriend sneaks bites while im eating it lol. (and hes not vegan)

[lvhatkent]

I thought they were gross. It's been awhile, but if I remember correctly they were kind of greasy or oily or something. Of course, everyone has different tastes, so you may like them.

[negavert]

Regarding Tofutti Cream Cheese;
I have made cheesecake with Tofutti and carrot cake with an improvised cream cheese frosting (whipped Tofutti together with agave nectar and vanilla extract), and have fooled non-vegans into thinking both were the real thing.

[Artichoke47]

Look for the nonhydrogenated Tofutti cream cheese, called "Better Than Cream Cheese," and don't forget that the Tofutti slices ARE hydrogenated.