Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

I have shared with you before that Sandy is a lover of cheese. Her commitment to loving cheese was so solid that when I decided to try going vegan I was sure it would be a solo attempt. Much to my delight and surprise, Sandy tried the vegan thing as well and we have been loving it ever since.

Needless to say, finding a delicious  vegan cheese is the emotional equivalent for Sandy of getting a phone call from a family that found the dog you lost a year ago or meeting your twin for the first time……almost mind blowing. To that end I asked Sandy to review the Medium Cheddar and Smoked Cheddar Cheeses from Sheese.   Cheese transcends edible for her.

One of the great sense memories from childhood for me is sitting down to a grilled cheese sandwich.  It was the smell, it was warm crunchy toasted bread, it was melted cheese in my mouth, it was greasy residue on my fingers, it was all of these things that I can experience with my sense memory so clearly as if it was yesterday.

This is one of those things that is a comfort food for me as an adult, that I enjoyed while being vegetarian but have only managed to marginally replicate as vegan.  There are some decent soy based cheeses on the market today, and one of them that is getting a lot of attention is Daiya cheese, whose cheddar Sherry wrote about in an Exploits blog post on 5/21.  Their cheddar is still a winner, but we have found another one from our friends at Sheese that is simply over the top.

I’m a gouda girl from way back and a Sheese gouda was featured in a post on 12/12.  Now, we tasted their smoked cheddary cheese and medium cheddar and they blew me away. There are a couple of purist cheese experiences to me that include testing their resolve in my childhood favorite sandwich.  So, out came the griddle pan and thus  began one of the ultimate tests, a grilled cheese sandwich.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Ahhhh, I closed my eyes and was transported back to our kitchen table when I was a child, there was my sandwich, my beloved grilled cheese.   Wow, hello old friend with a new twist and welcome to my refrigerator.

The other true test of a cheese for me is cutting it directly from the block and serving it with crackers or a crunchy apple.  The smokey cheddar and the medium cheddar both passed with flying colors.

Photo BY: S. Duquet

Sheese is a lesser known brand, but it offers a serious alternative for vegans missing their cheese fix everywhere.  You can find where to buy them here,  vegan cheese.

Quick tip:   The truth is that  vegan cheese is not as melty as its dairy equivalent, but the taste does not have to be compromised.  To get the best melting action out of Sheese, shred it onto your sandwich instead of placing it there sliced.

And The Winner Is….

On the ninth day of Vegan Joy, Exploits gave to me a cool magnet and a DVD. Congratulations Gail, you are the day nine winner of the Twelve Days of Vegan Joy Giveaway. You have scored a Peace, Love, Tofu magnet and an exclusive DVD from PETA titled, Speaking Up For Animals. Congrats Gail and thank you for your comments.

I would also like to thank our friends from PETA ,  and our friends from the Etsy store The Dog Coat Lady for the cool swag to share.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, dairy free cheese, Daiya, Daiya cheese, going veg, Sheese, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan, vegan cheddar cheese, vegan cheese, vegan experience, vegan grilled cheese, vegan smoked cheddar cheese, vegan wannabe