Artisanal vegan cheese comes into its own

[Luminous Animal]

I've had some of Miyoko Schinner's cheeses and they are very good. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the competition. I think we're coming into the age where vegan cheeses will just get better and better.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Artisanal-vegan-cheese-comes-into-its-own-6005937.php?t=9351f0b60775835993&cmpid=twitter-premium#/0

[dhill926]

1. have not found a vegan cheese I like....

I'll have to check this out....thanks...

[Luminous Animal]

3. I gave up trying any of them years ago until the cheese vendor at the co-op convinced

me to try a smear a couple of months ago.

Here is a link to Miyoko's products. http://miyokoskitchen.com/products-miyoko/

I brought four to a party over the holidays. I wasn't trying to fool anyone and announced that they were vegan cheeses but they all went over really well and the vegans were very very happy!

[dhill926]

5. nice....thanks....

[elleng]

2. “cultured nut product”

[Luminous Animal]

4. Made from milk expressed from nuts.

[silverweb]

6. Yes!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I had the opportunity to try some of Miyoko's cheeses over the holidays. The textures are just right and they're delicious!

My remaining steps towards real veganism are cheese, Greek yogurt, and occasional eggs and sardines. Now there are some incredible egg substitutes and cheeses. Haven't had the chance to try making almond milk Greek-style yogurt yet, and I'm not quite sure what to do about the occasional treat of a can of sardines split with my cats.

Oh... and honey. I may never be a "true" vegan because I just don't get the point of giving up honey and don't like any of the alternatives. It's unique in its flavors & health benefits (raw local), and it does no harm to the bees. In fact, the process of bees making honey is beneficial, both for them and the environment, so I see no good reason to give it up.

[Luminous Animal]

7. One of the cheeses included in her recipe book but not currently available online

or wholesale is cheddar. I'm going to try to make it from the recipe. One thing I miss when I give up dairy cheese is grilled cheese and stewed tomatoes. (I prefer my grandma's broth stewed tomatoes over creamy tomato soup any day.)

[silverweb]

8. Cool that she has a recipe book!

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I didn't know about that... will have to check it out.

[Chellee]

17. Well, I tried four times to put a picture of the cover of the book on here, but I couldn't do it.

You get a link instead.

http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Vegan-Cheese-Miyoko-Schinner/dp/1570672830/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354818488&sr=8-1&keywords=artisan+vegan+cheese

[mucifer]

9. Here is a great mac and cheese recipe with cashews and spices:

The roasted broccoli adds a lot of flavor, too.

http://detoxinista.com/2011/01/move-over-kraft/

I might be crazy. But, I think it tastes better than the real thing.

[CrispyQ]

11. Do you use Dijon or yellow mustard?

Have you tried both? Which is your fave? Have you used a different type of nut? I'm thinking maybe blanched almonds. Hubby loves mac-n-cheese & even liked the Daiya version, although I didn't. Thanks for the link! I'm going to try it soon.

[mucifer]

15. I used dijon last time. I love this recipe and my non vegan

mom and brothers and niece liked it when I made it for Chanukah. I always use cashews. I wouldn't try anything else because it works.

I'm not a big fan of Daiya I'd rather have pizza with no cheese than daiya cheese.

[CrispyQ]

16. I made the queso dip from that site - posted below.

It was awesome. I added chipotle powder to spice it up.

[Luminous Animal]

13. The cashew cream and nutritional yeast are key. It looks great.

[CrispyQ]

14. Wonderful site!

I'm making this, this afternoon.

http://detoxinista.com/2013/01/healthy-queso-dip-dairy-free-soy-free/

Healthy Queso Dip

[CrispyQ]

10. The meat replacements got better. So did the milk replacements.

Oh my, I remember my first taste of soy milk back in the mid-80s. Retch.

How interesting:

Ronnen founded Kite Hill after a biochemist from Stanford introduced him to an enzyme that would curdle almond milk much as rennet does animal milk, something that no one had done before.

Ronnen and his partners set up a plant in Hayward and secured a ton of funding, as well as an agreement to distribute their cheeses exclusively to Whole Foods. In addition to their soft, fresh “artisan almond-milk products,” with a delicate tang and a fluffy texture, they’ve been able to produce a bloomy-rind cheese that resembles a pale, waifish Brie.

I love almond milk! I can drink it plain, no sweetener, no flavor. It's wonderful for cooking, too. No aftertaste & thick & creamy!

I make a pretty good vegan Parmesan & a few weeks ago & made a great tasting vegan Alfredo with almond milk, but it was too runny. Got some ideas for how to fix that next time by adding arrowroot. My husband likes the Daiya cheddar shreds, but I'm not fond of them. I would love a non-soy ricotta replacement. Looking forward to seeing these almond cheeses at my local Whole Foods. Thanks for posting!

[Luminous Animal]

12. Plain unsweetened almond milk is great.

I've thickened it arrowroot and it worked fine but my favorite way to thicken a vegan sauce is homemade cashew cream.