Vegan Cheese
Why vegan cheese?
When I became vegan, the food I missed the most was cheese. And this is the case with most people going vegan. Why?
As it happens, dairy cheeses are very addictive. The casein protein in milk, concentrated in cheese is very hard to give up. In fact, it has similar addictive properties as some drugs … but without the high, of course. And the more you eat, the more you crave it.
For a long time, I did without cheese. Then several years ago there were ‘alternatives to cheese’ coming onto the market. I tried them. Some were edible, others not so much.
The Start
With all my dabbling in cooking, veganizing all type of recipes and realizing that vegan food without dairy was actually very good and so healthy, why not vegan cheese. After planting the seed in my culinary mind, I started looking into it.
I wanted to re-create that tangy taste natural cheesy taste. After a little research I came to understand that the process of turning dairy milk into cheese was through fermentation. Could this be done with plant food? It can and it was, several people were already making it and some with quite a bit of success.
I tasted vegan cheeses from Blue Heron Creamery in Vancouver Canada, some from Omage ‘aux Fromage’ in Belgium and an interested one in Ireland, from Flying Squirrel …all interested, all cultured and fermented.
I decided to try my hand at this vegan cheese making.
My aim was to make a hard cheese, like cheddar or Manchego. To test the cultures, I first made cream cheese. Then spent many months making dryer, harder and aged cheeses.
Somehow I kept coming back to the cream cheese. My dear wise wife one day looked at me and said,
” If the cream cheese works so well, why are you trying other things? make the cream cheese!”
Cultured & Fermented
It makes all the difference.
The fermentation’s the thing. When cultures are added to a medium, with a little time and controlled temperature, the nature of the carbohydrates / sugars change. The result is a unique and desirable tangy taste.
It also helps preserve the food.
Vegan Cream Cheese
We want choice in our food. Why? Perhaps because we are all individuals and each of us have our own tastes, likes and dislikes.
My mother said, “you should have three types” … so I took her advice, highly recommended.
My initial flavour was garlic & chives, to me, irresistible. Someone said, you should have a plain one so it can be eaten savoury or with sweet things, so I did. And to make up the third choice, I thought of smoked paprika & onion. A friend really liked it, so that was settled.
Au Natural
( some call it Plain or Original … all the same to me )
– Organic cashew nuts
– Filtered water ( to make the cream )
– Cultures
– Sea salt
Garlic & Chives
– Organic cashew nuts
– Filtered water ( to make the cream )
– Cultures
– Sea salt
– Organic garlic & chives to give the flavour
Smoked Paprika & Onion
– Organic cashew nuts
– Filtered water ( to make the cream )
– Cultures
– Sea salt
– Organic smoked paprika & onion to give the flavour
Stockists of Hungry Soul Vegan Cheese
The Cheese Press – Ennistymon
Meanwell – Ennis
Happy Food at Home – Ennis Market, Roslevan SC
Carmel’s Health Store – Ennis
The Cheese Press – Doolin
The Grainey – Scarriff
An Seopa Beag – Killaloe
Happy Food at Home Deli – Crossagalla Enterprise Centre
Eats of Eden – City centre
Dargan Health Foods – Castletroy SC
Nature’s Hand – Dooradoyle – Crescent SC
Happy Food at Home – Limerick Milk Market
Wickham Way Market – City centre – First Saturday of the month
Sonas Health Foods – Newcastle West – Co. Limerick
Halo Health – Listowel
Horan’s Health Store – Listowel
Kingdom Food and Wine Store – Tralee
The Little Cheese Shop – Tralee
Horan’s Health Store, The Square – Tralee
Horan’s Health Store, Manor West SC
The Organic Store – Milltown
Wild Rocket – Ballina
The Store Next Door – Westport
The Creel Deli – Westport Quay
Olive’s Seoul Food – Claremorris
New Leaf – Charleville
Horan’s Health Store – Fermoy
Horan’s Health Store – Mitchelstown
Capabu – Millstreet
New Leaf – Kanturk
Evergreen Healthfoods – Moycullen
Evergreen Healthfoods – Barna
Evergreen Healthfoods – Knocknacarra
Evergreen Healthfoods – Westside Shopping Centre
Evergreen Healthfoods – Galway Shopping Centre
Evergreen Healthfoods – Eyre Square Shopping Centre
Evergreen Healthfoods – Mainguard Street
Evergreen – Oranmore
Healing Harvest – Kinvara
Open Sesame – Gort
What people are saying about our cheese.
” … Wow ! This is sooooo good”.
Michelle, after her first taste of Garlic & Chives
“… I ate them all myself and did not even share 😉 … I NEED MORE, please,”. Julie, Wickham Way
” … Mmmmmn,” followed by a long silent pause , “I would not know this was vegan, it tastes just like other cream cheese.”. Cesar, Chef of Republic of Grill
” … this is the best vegan cheese I have ever tasted.”. Pablo ( from Chile visiting Ireland )