“I’d go vegan but I could never give up CHEESE!“

Not only have I heard this a million times, I’ve said it myself when I was a vegetarian. I couldn’t imagine giving up cheese. I mean, how would I eat pizza? Or nachos?  Or grilled cheese sandwiches? Going vegan and giving up cheese just seemed like such deprivation. And here I am just a few months later and I don’t crave cheese AT ALL. Here’s why:

• Daiya Cheese is an amazing non-dairy cheese that is creamy and smooth, and melts perfectly. Unlike the soy cheeses that contain casein, a milk protein, Daiya is 100% vegan.

• Dr. Cow cashew nut cheese is another dairy-free cheese that is excellent on crackers and bread. Both Daiya and Dr. Cow can be purchased through Pangea Vegan Store.

• Nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast that has a nutty, cheesy flavor. I use nutritional yeast as a flavoring in scrambled tofu, a topping for popcorn, the based for “cheese” sauces, and a creamy, cheesey filling for a vegan grilled “cheese” sandwich. Not all nutritional yeasts taste the same – my current favorite brand is Red Star, which as an added benefit is also a good source of vitamin b12.

• Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese is an AMAZING cream cheese replacement. I’ve used Tofutti cream cheese in several baking recipes, including a “Fruit Pizza” that was a huge hit at a party I recently attended. You can find Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese at Whole Foods and I recently saw it at Giant too!

• Parma! Vegan Parmesan completely satisfies any craving I have to sprinkle something on pasta. It’s made from walnuts, Red Star, and sea salt. It’s more of a seasoning than a cheese (i.e. it doesn’t melt), but I think even non-vegans would really like it.

• Tofu can be a great substitute for recipes that include cottage or ricotta cheese. You cannot even tell that my vegan lasagna uses tofu and not ricotta.

• Finally, many foods don’t even need cheese! I’ve discovered that many of my previously favorite cheese conduits are perfectly fine on their own. Cheese-free pizzas, made with a really good tomato sauce and lots of veggies is delicious (and of course I can use Daiya if I really want “cheese”). I don’t miss cheese on my salads – I instead toss in some walnuts and / or avocado instead. And other foods like burritos, soups, and pastas are fine without it – I’ve just gotten used to not including cheese on them.

I hope this is helpful if you are like me and just can’t imagine a cheese-less life. It’s easier than you think!

What is your favorite recipe for replacing or omitting cheese?