UnCheeses/Nutritional Yeast
Hi there! I am currently a vegetarian, trying to make the transition to veganism... As is a common problem, I am in love with cheese. Honestly, we might be soulmates. I WANT to give it up, but before I can wean myself off of it, I need some great un-cheese substitutes. (And I know this might be a little too much to ask, but I'd LOVE for it to actually taste like cheese and have a cheese-like consistency. I don't expect it to be perfect, but even a little reminiscent of my current addiction would be appreciated.)
I love making/baking/cooking food, so I'm definitely not opposed to having to make these "cheeses" myself. From what I've tried, I could not be LESS interested in store-bought vegan cheeses. (Yuck!) I have "The UnCheese Cookbook" and "Vegan with a Vengeance." I made a delicious tofu-ricotta recipe from the latter--great on pizza!--but I can't have just one kind in my recipe library! Everything I've made from the "UnCheese" book has been disgusting--and I think it might be the nutritional yeast.
Through experience, I have tried adding even just 1/4 the amount called for, since I absolutely HATE the smell/flavor. No luck. I swear I could taste/smell a teaspoon of it... :-\ I am afraid to omit this ingredient completely, because it's called for in nearly everything... There has to be a reason. ...Right? I am not sure if my local health foods store has a rotten batch, or if it's supposed to smell like a foot. Help me! Did I buy a bad batch, or is this smell (and hatred of) N.Y. normal? It seems like all vegans love this stuff, but I can't get myself to stomach it.
Any advice--for cheese substitutes or info about nutritional yeast??? Thanks so much (in advance)!
nothing will taste just like cheese. if you really want to become vegan, you'll cut it out. if not, then maybe lacto-veg is for you
Thanks for your response! :) Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I don't really expect anything to taste JUST like cheese... It's more the cheesy consistency I'm looking for. The tofu ricotta I mentioned in my first post didn't really taste like real ricotta--but it was delicious in its own right and could be used on top of pizza. That's what I'm looking for. Delicious recipes that can be used IN PLACE OF cheese--not necessarily with an identical taste. I adore veggie burgers--but they don't taste like hamburgers. They're just good as their own food. I'd like something like this to replace cheese.
I'm actually more curious about the nutritional yeast aspect.
I'm not really a fan of nutritional yeast either, so I feel your pain. However, I've made faux cheeses by using tofu, and a really good tamari, miso, onion/garlic powder, and adjusting to taste, and blending them in a food processor. It's hard to make a melty cheese, like Mozzarella, or Cheddar, creamy cheeses tend to be easier to make with a tofu base. But, if you make a creamy "cheese" and toss it with pasta you can top it with ground cashews for a "parmesan" -like texture/taste. Or make Lasagna layered with "riccotta", spinach, mushrooms. One thing I've learned from using a creamier cheese, is just to be more versatile with my cooking, finding new ways to get a "cheese" fix without using cheese.
I definitely feel your pain about vegan cheeses, I absolutely love sharp cheddar and goat cheese, and choosing to give those up is definitely hard. Cheese is just such a unique food group that it's really hard to replace.
Best of luck on your quest for veganism!
I would recommend trying Dragonfly's Bulk Uncheese mix sans nutritional yeast. you could replace the yeast with Quick oats. just an idea
SecondBase is right that Dragonfly's Uncheese bulk mix is the best cheese replacement. And, yes, it isn't much like cheese, but man, oh man, it is good!
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7126.0
Spice it up with mustard, Dijon, chile powder, whatever -- it is good! And quick & easy. I add about 1/2 -3/4 cup more cashews to this recipe. I grind my cashews in a spice grinder for perfect consistency.
We focus so much on diet here that sometimes we forget that vegan encompasses an all products that are derived from animals. Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles. If the cheese challenge seems daunting at this time, may I suggest that you deal with cheese on your own timescale & attempt to tackle other vegan products that many forget about.
If you are in the U.S., you would do well to rid yourself of Proctor-Gamble products. In fact, you would be wise to try to get rid of almost all grocery store brands of cleaning & health & beauty products, & that includes Colgate-Palmolive. Good luck finding much left in the cleaning isle that isn't P&G or CP, but getting these companies out of your life is a worthy goal, every bit as much as giving up cheese.
Good luck.
I somewhat understand your issue with nutritional yeast because I didn't like using it for cooking either. And the reason was the taste. For me, it tasted like <i> kinako </i>, Japanese soybean powder, which we use for desserts, adding a lot of sugar and a little salt.
My favorite way to use nutritional yeast is to add 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast to 4 servings of tomato based soup while cooking. It tastes like parmesan cheese for me, but you may dislike it. I don't know... Just a suggestion.
Welcome! And best of luck on your transition into a brand-new and infinitely rewarding lifestyle!! (: I hope it won't be too difficult. You'll be happy you did it when the day comes, honest---and hopefully you'll never look back.
Luckily, my "lactose-intolerance" made it easy for me to give up cheese---the hardest part was visiting my parents after I'd made the switch to a vegan diet. I thought nutritional yeast was disgusting at first, but it has grown on me over the past few months. Someone actually mentioned in an earlier post that this is often the case with new nutritional yeast users. It's been over a year since I made the switch, but I never really discovered the stuff until about 6 months ago. I actually sprinkle it on things like steamed broccoli now, which is a huge development for me---having thought it was sickening just a few months before!
Cheese RULES!
I have the same problem... cheese was the last thing I cut out and the first thing I fall off the wagon over.
I think Nutritional Yeast straight out of the jar is GROSS smelling... after buying it for the first time I smelled the jar and closed it right away and didn't use it for awhile... I stared it down everytime I opened my pantry door. (FYI now I know I'm supposed to keep it in the fridge!) In the beginning I only kept trying it becuz I knew it was good for me.
Now, I still even hold my nose when mixing it into things... because of that icky first impression I have never (yet...) tried it "straight" but I do like cooking it in a tofu scramble and I adore Lady Dragonfly's UNcheese bulk mix!! (I use blanched almonds becuz I can't get raw cashews)
I think it's been said that to get a cheesy consistency you should use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. (?)
Also I just realized, once I make the uncheese from the bulk mix I never use it 'plain' it is always mixed into something else for a recipe or with beans tofu and spices for a bean and cheese burrito etc etc
My weirdo husband has liked nutrional yeast from his first bite.
Have you read the front section of the Uncheese Cookbook? Maybe it's only in the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, but Jo Stepaniak talks about consistency a bit.
I love (and I mean LOVE!!!!!) brie cheese and have not had it in FOREVER... and one day i will make the uncheese version from the Ultimate Uncheese cookbook... but I have a feeling I will be disappointed. So I won't let myself make the recipe until I have a bit more of an open-mind about uhcheese brie... it'll happen eventually... :)
I was also a huge fan of cheese, and thought it would be impossible to give up. It has been four months since I've had it, and the thought of it is now unappetizing. My taste buds have definitely changed. It just seems so fatty and rich now, and actually thinking about what is in it.... yucky to me. I am not particularly fond of cheese subs either. If you can deal with going without for a while, your tastes may just change.
One good sub I did discover though is for one of my old favorites: tomato, basil, and fresh mozarella salad with balsamic. Now I cut up tofu in place of the cheese, and I swear it is better than the original!
Good luck!
is it weird that i dont even remember what cheese tastes like?...haha...i start to think about it and im like no...noo...i have no idea exactly what cheese tastes like anymore,but i like nutritional yeast flakes on brocolli and popcorn,when people ask me if it really tastes cheesy im just like ??? i have no idea...maybe?...i like it anyways though...anyways hahahah i think thats really weird that i cant remember.
ok uh..what im trying to get at...maybe just give it some time and your taste buds will learn to love it ! i've also noticed diffrent brands of nutritional yeast flakes taste diffrent than some other brands.
on a side note to anyone who may read this: has anyone ever seen a vegan cheese stick?has it even been invented yet :P