What do vegans eat? Part III

Cheese addition!

Avoiding meat?  No problem.

Switching to non dairy milk?  I got this.

No more eggs?  Ok.

Saying no to cheese?  Now that’s what you get me.

I have to admit, I was a wine and cheese gal back in my 20’s.  I loved a good smoked gouda on a cracker.  Giving up cheese was/is the hardest part about transitioning to a vegan diet if you ask me.  I’ve experimented with a lot of cheese alternatives and there have been some hits and misses for sure.  Today I’m going to share with you three of my favorites.

Cheese for pizza:  Pizza is my all time favorite food.  If I had to go without it I don’t know what I would do.  When we’re out, my husband and I will usually order a cheese-less pizza loaded up with veggies, but when we’re home we make our own.  Friday night is our standard pizza night.  I usually make 2-3 pizzas (yes we have leftovers) so I’m pretty much a pro.  For our pizzas we use Daiya mozzarella cheese shreds.  I often find that cheese alternatives tend to not melt as well as their dairy peers, but I do not run into that problem with this brand.  Daiya also offers cheddar and pepperjack shreds as well as blocks of cheese.  Here’s a pizza I made a few weeks ago.  Isn’t it almost too pretty to eat?

Cheese of bagels (and beyond):  I love a good bagel and cream cheese.  Load that baby up with some scallions…yum.  I’ve tried several brands of vegan cream cheese and Tofuffi is by far the best.  I honestly think it tastes just like the real thing.  We always have a container for it in our fridge.  I use this cream cheese not only for bagels but for Mexican dips, cream cheese frostings, and as an add on to make creamy tomato sauces.  Next time you’re at the grocery store check out Tofuffi’s ice cream bars too.  They’re pretty amazing.

Well not really a cheese but:  Nutritional yeast is pretty amazing.  It has a nutty taste to it and packs tons of vitamins as well.  I use it as an alternative to parmesan cheese for my pasta dishes and popcorn.  There are also recipes on line that use nutritional yeast to create a nacho cheese sauce as well.  Basically you can put nutritional yeast on anything!

I hope I’ve broadened your horizons as to non dairy alternatives to cheese!