Cheese.
Yeah, cheese.
I've heard it time and time again. I even used to say it.
"I could never go vegan. I LOVE cheese too much."
Trust me.. I've not only said it.. I truly believed it. I loved all things cheese. At least 2 out of 3 meals of each day had some form of cheese.
Nachos. Mozzarella sticks. Cheese slices on a sandwich. Salad with shredded cheese. Mac & cheese. Bagel with cream cheese. Grilled cheese. Cheeseballs and crackers. Fondue. Pizza with extra cheese.
Seriously. I loved cheese.
But here's the truth. Since the day I gave it up, I haven't missed it.. at all. Truly. Not once. A fact that has surprised me the most.
Now, many a vegan will try to lure you in with 'fake' cheeses. Claiming they taste, look, and melt just like the real thing.
Well, they don't.
Okay. Okay. I haven't tried a bunch of vegan cheeses. I've tried a mexican shredded blend, some rice cheese slices, and some vegan cream cheese.
The cream cheese was the closest in taste to its dairy counterpart.. but it was a little sweeter, had a little bit of 'grit' to it, and left an oily feel on tongue. In other words, I can stomach it.. but it ain't like cream cheese.
The mexican shredded cheese, on the other hand, was horrible. You may recall an earlier blog where my husband used it in a recipe, and I asked him to never use the cheese again. The oddest thing is that my husband seemed to think it was fine. My cheese-loving taste buds completely disagreed.
So, I'm not going to try to pitch you any cheese replacements. So far, I've found none.
But the real kicker is, I don't even want them. I don't miss the cheese. I don't sit down to a meal and think, "I wish I had some cheese to put on this."
Actually, the other night, I went out to dinner with a friend.. who knew my love for cheese.. and she asked me, "Don't you miss it? Like, cheese?"
I didn't even have to ponder before answering, "No. I don't miss it at all. Cheese actually grosses me out to some degree now. It looks heavy and greasy. It would be like you watching someone eat a stick of butter. It's just unappetizing at this point."
And that's the best way to describe it. After you get used to not having it, it looks heavy and unhealthy.
I've also noticed that I actually like my usual 'cheesy' meals better without it. For example, I discovered that cheeseless pizza is far more flavorful when you're not coating everything with heavy, greasy, curdled bovine breast milk.
You can actually taste the sauce, and the vegetables.
Not only does my food look, and taste, lighter and fresher.. but it makes me feel that way too.
So, I get it. You love cheese. But give it a week. You might even love your food more without it.
I certainly do.
During my 30 day vegan challenge, I attempted to "invent" my own vegan cheese spread using avocado. It was disastrous. I know there must be a way to replicate the flavour and texture of cheese using plant-based ingredients, but as of yet I haven't found one.
ReplyDeleteOne easy thing for me in terms of giving up dairy has been the development of lactose intolerance (or a mild allergy - not sure which one) in my mid-30s. I still find the vegetarian cheeses to be...kind of rubbery and gross. The only one I like is a soy-based cheese slice product that has a small amount of casien in it (Galaxy International Foods Veggie Slices), and it doesn't affect me like, say, a glass of milk would.
They also make a "hard cheese" product, though I find the flavour and texture to be repugnant. Though it's not vegan, it's the closest I've found on the market that's indistinguishable from full-dairy cheese slices. It's not an ideal compromise, but it's the only thing I've found that allows me to enjoy a cheeseburger or vegan-sausage breakfast sandwich with less guilt.