Cheese (Vegan)
Topic: Vegetarian/Vegan

Ah, Cheese.  Or rather, a (reasonable?) facsimile thereof.  I have oft been told by other vegans (online) that cheese is that holy grail of mock foods.  Hard to replicate, and whenever there's a rumor that there's a better vegan cheese out there, all the veganites come out a-salivatin', and raring to try it (ESPECIALLY if they say it actually melts...)  Honestly, I was never a *huge* cheese-o-holic, but I like my occasional pizza slice, grilled cheese or mac n' cheese as much as the next gal.  So...I'm curious as to how the various vegan cheesse size up.  Here's a list of the top contenders, most yet untried.  But hey, give me time...

PS: Newbie or aspiring vegans should really note - not ALL soy cheese is vegan!  For some (*&(*&)( reason, alot of companies make their faux-cheese with casein (milk) and/or rennet (calf stomach lining.)  If you're making your cheese non-animal based why the heck add such things?  (Okay, maybe it's a health thing.)  But still...

Cheezley - Pending

Chreeze - Pending.  Nutritional yeast based - haven't heard much about it, but it is in Wikipedia...so that must make it worthwhile.  Right?  Um, right?  Okay, well, I'll try it when I have the opportunity, anyway.  Besides...they actually make Mac n' cheese!  Um mac and chreeze...  Aw, never mind...I'll just report back once it's been taste tested....

Dr. Cow Cheese - Not only raw, but raw (made from nut cultures.)  Practially brand-new (as of this writing), I actually found a sample of it at Westerly Natural Market (alot of the other places listed were out of stock.)  Don't know how or it it melts, but you know what?  This stuff actually tastes good, and alot like real aged cheese, with a slightly tangy, fermented flavor (I tried the cashew cheese variety...there are a few.)  Given the price ($6.00 for a medium sample), I'll probably never have this ever again.  But it's still a winner, at least in taste!

Follow Your Heart (FYH) Gourmet Cheese - Considered one of the best (and most meltable) vegan cheeses out there, FYH comes in cheddar, monterey jack, nacho and mozzerella.  Admittedly, the stuff is not *perfect* - I've tried the mozerella variety, and found it had a semi-weird texture, and liquifies to a thin goo when nuked directly in a microwave.  But I've been told that it works extremely well on pizza.  AND, I've personally found a quick n' easy pizza replacement using FYH.  IE: stuff a whole wheat pita with some FYH, and eat plain, dipped into a side bowl of spaghetti sauce.  Okay, I TOLD you I wasn't a chef.  But dag blammit, it works.  And really satisfies the occasional pizza craving.  And on top of that?  It's even low carb!  Yay, FYH...!

Galaxy Nutritional Foods - Rubbery slices with a somewhat weird texture and flavor.  Not horrible, though...(how's that for a recommendation?)  (Their parmesan cheese is way better - see below)  As for melting?  Well, at least during the one experiment I tried, it doesn't.  Not at all.

Sheese - Pending

Teese - Pending (only in Chicago, as of this writing!)

Tofutti -    So far, one of the best sliced cheeses I've tried.  Tastes pretty much like cheese (the sliced, American variety), with a decent texture (unlike, say, Galaxt Nutritional.  Like FYH, it doesn't seem to really melt as much as liquify.  But I didn't perform extensive  tests on it, so maybe I was just heating it too far.  But so far, Tofutti would be my choice, if I was in the mood for a cheese and crackers sort of meal.

Vegan Rella - WOW, this stuff is nasty.  A hint of grainy, and a WHOLE full mouthful of plastic texture and flavor.  When microwaved, it congealed into a hard crust, and three--count 'em, three--people in the office commented on the funky smell.  I actually threw this stuff out rather than finish the block.  (And coming from me, the queen of cheap, that's really amazing.)  Blech.

Vegi-Kaas - Pending

Other cheese *stuffs*:

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese - This stuff really, seriously works.  If you're a cream cheese afficiando, go for it...on a bagel, or in decadent recipes.  BTW...it's an essential ingredient in a particular recipe of vegan truffles (Found in the Compassion Over Killing's website) that have won praise absolutely ever time I made it...even with omnis.  And I can't even cook...!

Vegan Grated Topping (Galaxy Nutritional Foods) - A really good substitute for parmesan cheese.  Tasty, and really fits the bill.