This seems to be the one thing that is simply irreplaceable. Nothing, nothing is going to taste like dairy cheese. Nothing can replicate a block of sharp cheddar - in texture, taste, or satisfaction.
But dear, sweet vegans, they sure do try.
I do still need to write about soy and why I am trying to avoid it for the most part - basically though it is a mucus forming agent and causes slow digestion as well. All of that is to say that I have not tried any soy-based cheeses.
Though I have written about cheese before, are my findings:
Cheese no. 1: Rice Vegan by Galaxy Nutritional Foods
Basic Ingredients: rice (in many different forms)
Rice Vegan comes in slices. Easier to put on bread for sandwiches, right? I picked up the cheddar flavor - my favorite cheese. Well, the cheese still tastes like rice. Actually, it tastes like really funky rice. Unless you are looking to eat a smooth textured rice sandwich - I would not recommend.
Cheese no. 1: Vegan Rella
Basic Ingredients: water, tapioca starch, brown rice flower, canola oil
Vegan Rella comes in a block and is not as hard as cheddar but isn't mushy. Again, I chose the cheddar "style" but I am not sure if they had other options. This cheese is pungent, repulsive really. And as for taste - I would compare it to the squeeze nacho-cheese that you would get at a sporting event. That doesn't quite describe the taste though.
Before I get to cheese number 3, let me explain the excitement behind this. I read quite a bit of vegan blogs to find recipes, learn about my diet, etc. Well, everyone in the vegan blogging world has been raving about Daiya Cheese. This cheese, until 2 weeks ago could not be found at your grocery store. Daiya just went retail last week and prior to that they were only selling to commercial restaurants (pizza parlors mostly.) Any vegan that had tried the cheese at a pizza joint seemed to want to get their hands on this stuff - pronto!
Vegan cheese has a tendency to not melt or stretch well. Also, it doesn't seem to taste like real cheese - but clearly that is not the top issue.
Well, I got on the ball and magically, just as I was finding out about Daiya it was making its retail debut. Put in the request at Greenlife and viola - 4 days later it is on the shelf!
I immediately picked up two packages of the shredded wonder cheese, cheddar & mozzarella.
Cheese no. 3: Daiya Mozzarella
Basic Ingredients: Here is the WOW factor folks - this is the "healthiest" vegan cheese I have found yet! It has the fewest calories, folks. A blurb from their website:
Daiya contains no casein, the protein found in dairy products, no soy, and no common allergens, animal products or cholesterol.
Water, tapioca (which is from the cassava plant) and arrowroot flours, canola and safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, inactive yeast
I used the mozzarella version for my favorite quesadilla recipe which contains the following: fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and various other items. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos. It did indeed melt and stretch. It didn't taste bad. It gave the quesadilla the good, creamy texture and flavor - which is what I suppose I was looking for. In this recipe, the cheese does not have a dominant flavor so I found it to be a great substitute.
Cheese no. 4: Daiya Cheddar
Basic Ingredients: The same as the mozzarella.
I used the cheddar version to make a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread. Because grilled cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods, I was anxious to give this one a try.
This is the cheese - yeah, it doesn't look too appetizing up close and personal.
Used Earth Balance for the 'butter'
The cheddar melted and streched as well. It looked great! But taste is where the dissapointment set in. The cheese just doesn't taste good. I am not really expecting it to taste exactly like cheddar, and I could live with a cheese like that. But this cheese just doesn't taste good. It was creamy and satisfying texturally, but I found that I couldn't eat the center of the sandwich. I only ate the edges because in those areas the bread had enough balance with the cheese so that it wasn't too dominant of a flavor.
I have decided that vegan cheese just will not satisfy. It will substitute in a pinch (only if it is not meant to be the dominant flavor of the dish). I think that all the vegans who were excited about this cheese had certainly not had real cheese in quite some time. Folks, it has almost been 2 months since I have gone vegan and the day before I did - I had a celebration of cheese! Yes, I did and it was glorious.
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