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 Aloe Tree – Ennistymon

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

Urban Co-op – Eastway Business Park – Ballysimon

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

The Slice of Life – Castleisland

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

Kate’s Kitchen – City centre
The Habit Store – Castlebar

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

The Health Store – Briarhill, Galway City

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 )