Vegan cheese

[Irezumi_Muzan]

I never really liked cheese before I was vegan but sometimes I get the urge to make food a little more interesting...

For hard cheese, I use the cashew one from Real Food Daily. I make up a batch once a month, grate it, and freeze it. It is always available to throw in sauces or on pizzas. My local supermarket has also started stocking a dairy-free parmesan-type grated cheese that I now put on pasta. It doesn't taste like what I remember it to taste like... it's just kind of savoury...

I have spent the last few years trying to perfect a cream cheese recipe, though. I worked my way through numerous tofu-based ones and I just couldn't stand them (not a fan of tofu at the best of times...). I then switched to cashew-based recipes. I, again, tried various ones but they were always much too strong for me. This morning, I finally found my perfect recipe - and I made it all up myself...

2 cups of soaked cashew nuts (water discarded)
1 cup of filtered water
1 medium size tomato
10 Kalamata olives
20 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw the lot in a blender, whizz to the desired consistency. Done.

I had it with Ryvita and a sliced olive. Then I had it with fresh baked bread... Later I will have it mixed in with hot pasta...

Does anyone have any other recipes, though? I am always open to try new things.

[nettiesaur]

(05-26-2010 03:34 AM)Irezumi_Muzan Wrote:  I never really liked cheese before I was vegan but sometimes I get the urge to make food a little more interesting...

For hard cheese, I use the cashew one from Real Food Daily. I make up a batch once a month, grate it, and freeze it. It is always available to throw in sauces or on pizzas. My local supermarket has also started stocking a dairy-free parmesan-type grated cheese that I now put on pasta. It doesn't taste like what I remember it to taste like... it's just kind of savoury...

I have spent the last few years trying to perfect a cream cheese recipe, though. I worked my way through numerous tofu-based ones and I just couldn't stand them (not a fan of tofu at the best of times...). I then switched to cashew-based recipes. I, again, tried various ones but they were always much too strong for me. This morning, I finally found my perfect recipe - and I made it all up myself...

2 cups of soaked cashew nuts (water discarded)
1 cup of filtered water
1 medium size tomato
10 Kalamata olives
20 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw the lot in a blender, whizz to the desired consistency. Done.

I had it with Ryvita and a sliced olive. Then I had it with fresh baked bread... Later I will have it mixed in with hot pasta...

Does anyone have any other recipes, though? I am always open to try new things.

It's interesting that you were able to make your own cheese. I haven't been able to find a non dairy version that I like, and I'm allergic to nuts, so this won't work for me... but it's great that you can make a cheese substitute that you like!

[Irezumi_Muzan]

I find most mass-produced fake cheeses absolutely disgusting so I had to get to work... Have you thought of making a tofu-based one? There are quite a few on the Recipezaar website. Admittedly, I don't like them but then I am a bit funny...

This is an easy one -

1 pack firm tofu
1 teaspoon tamari
2 teaspoons brown rice wine vinegar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed

It ends up kind of like cottage cheese. I have to adapt things too much (I am allergic to rice, I can't have sugar, I currently can't even look at garlic...) so it never worked for me but my mom loved it.

[East New York]

I'm vegan, and I use Daiya--IMHO, it's delicious, and its meltability and mouthfeel are great. I think it is only available in the US, though!

[Bageleth]

I'm going to have to try some as we've been looking for a decent substitute for cheese. I went to their website and found two stores in my town that carry it.

[East New York]

(07-17-2012 12:50 PM)Bageleth Wrote:  I'm going to have to try some as we've been looking for a decent substitute for cheese. I went to their website and found two stores in my town that carry it.

I hope you like it---please let me know what you think.

[Bageleth]

We have tried the Daiya cheese. The "mozzarella shreds" are great on pizza, however I wasn't too crazy about the flavor when I topped my veggies with it. The "Cheddar" is really tasty though. My husby likened it to the cheese spread that comes in the Cheese & Crackers snacks. Have you tried the Monterey Jack version? We were told that it really wasn't that good.

[N'awlins]

"My husby likened it to the cheese spread that comes in the Cheese & Crackers snacks." After being gone all night, chased by cops, shot at with a rocket launcher, Elwood still remembered!...one of my favorite lines:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXwvL7n7NCQ

Sorry Bagel, I never liked the stuff either!