Vegan Cheese: Not All Created Equal

We have had some really fantastic culinary experiences during this journey so far, and I can say with certainty that I have thoroughly enjoyed nearly every substitute we have tried. The reason for not enjoying "every single" substitute is that not all vegan cheese is worth adding to your grocery list.

Here are some of the products we have tried so far:

Nutritional Yeast (the brand we use is Bragg's) is delicious in sauce for Vegan Mac'N'Cheese. I also enjoy it sprinkled on freshly popped popcorn with a little salt. Xavier doesn't care for it, but it's a nice little treat for me.

Tofutti makes a fantastic vegan cream cheese that has the flavor and texture of regular cream cheese. We enjoy it with pepper jam on toast or crackers every so often.

Tofutti also makes cheese slices that are pretty decent! I struggle a bit with the texture, but they are probably the best vegan cheese slices we've tried so far. The texture is a bit like Velveeta cheese (very creamy).

Teese makes a vegan mozzarella, which is tolerable in small amounts, but it is VERY coconut-y, which  was unexpected and overwhelming. I don't know if we'll buy it again, but it was interesting to try!

Daiya makes "cheese" shreds that are....awesome! We made a pizza on New Year's Eve and it was fantastic! This is my favorite so far! Now that we've found a vegan cheese that goes so well on homemade pizza, I think we're set.

I purchased some GoVeggie cheese slices, mistaking them for the brand Xavier purchased (Tofutti). BIG MISTAKE. Maybe some of their other products are tasty, but this was literally the first time I have spit something out during this whole experience. I'm not even sure how to describe these cheese slices. They are dry, almost brittle, flaky, flavorless, and just downright awful. Like I said, perhaps their other products are worth trying, but if you're looking for a slice of cheese to put on a veggie sandwich, try something else.

Now, before we started this vegan adventure, I wondered how I would ever live without cheese? We loved pizza, cheese on crackers, cream cheese, salads with cheese, cheese with cheese, you get the point. However, it only took about a week or two until we realized, "Hey, I'm not craving cheese!" I think back to when we used to order pizza because we were too lazy to cook anything, and I always felt like total garbage after eating. I feel so much better these days that it doesn't make sense to go back to our old habits (at this time in our lives).

So, for all you cheese-lovers out there...if you're considering veganism but not sure if you can give it up, I challenge you to try it for a week or two and then decide what you like best. A vegan diet is not for everyone, and I understand that, but it is fun to challenge yourself. We've also found that it is helpful if we reframe our options...it isn't that we "can't" have a certain food item...we just choose not to. Instead of focusing on "all of the food I can't have," focus on all the food that IS fair game!