Man is it hard to find true vegan cheese. It's kind of an oxymoron, right? Vegans and cheese, even fake cheese, just don't mix. You see, one thing I have learned over the past couple of yearss is that "vegetarian" and "vegan" don't mean the same thing on food labels. Please do not roll your eyes, I think this is a common misconception! I also thought anything labeled "soy" when it came to fake meat was OK too. I was WAY wrong. As a side note, I recently came across another blog that had some in depth research on soy. I plan to share their perspective in a future blog entry, stay tuned.
Milk protein and eggs are commonly found in many vegetarian foods. I was surprised to find both of these ingredients in some of the popular soy meat substitutes. When I read a food label I always glance first at the bottom section where the common food allergies are listed and then I scan the actual ingredients. Casein is a milk protein that shows up in foods, sometimes even when they say dairy free.
Lactose free is another term that simply helps people who are lactose intolerant continue to enjoy some of their favorite, more popular foods, like ice cream and...cheese.
I think of all the foods that I have eliminated from my diet, I miss cheese the most. I love almost all kinds of cheese except for bleu. And I don't like the dressing either. Cheese just pairs well as a snack, with sparkling water, as a grilled sandwich, on crackers, with wine. I'm having the Pavlov response just thinking about it.
So in my adventure to find a substitute to curb my cravings, I've tried several vegan cheeses. Anything that comes in block form has not at all been close to slicing a slab of real cheese. In most cases, the taste is horrifying and I've spit it out. Dramatic, yes. Shock to the taste buds in not a good way, absolutely yes.
Sometimes the pre-cut slices of cheese that look like the packaged Kraft & Borden slices have been satisfying but they don't melt right. In the toaster oven the edges curl upward and the cheese gets crispy rather than melting down and then there is also no taste left. So I've asked myself, what's the point? If I can't taste it, I don't need it.
I stumbled upon Diaya shredded cheeses, vegan. Insert happy happy happy dance! For the most part, they taste great, melt and mimic real cheese. My favorite is the pepper jack. Next would be the mozzarella, and finally the cheddar version. The mozzarella is perfect because I can still make my 2nd favorite missed food...pizza. It has a stronger taste so just a little bit of sprinkled over veggies is all I need. I've also made vegan versions of baked ziti and lasagna with it that has also gotten family approval. Bonus. The cheddar is so-so and I don't buy it often. When you love real cheddar and sharp cheddar cheeses as much as I do, it's really, really hard to replace. No fault to Diaya, I hope they continue to refine the taste. So, Diaya gets a big shout out from me. They are awesome, and I really enjoy their shredded cheeses.
It's just nice to have an option. A good option. Fall is just around the corner and I am soooo looking forward to a grilled "cheese" sandwich and soup on those chilly days!
