Vegan Cheese

Having been lactose intolerant since I was a baby, I have learned to live without most dairy products pretty easily. It was never an adjustment like going gluten free, where you have lived with gluten in your life for so long, that you almost feel lost when you have to cut it out. For me, there was no adjustment period being lactose intolerant. It was basically all I had ever known. While I was never drinking milk or eating ice cream, I did occasionally indulge in some cheese as it seemed to be the only dairy product that didn’t cause me to feel completely sick. Sometimes I would have it on pizza, and sometimes I would eat it plain with a platter of pairings and a glass of wine, but as I became more health conscious and educated on food in general, I realized that the small amount of cheese I occasionally indulged in really wasn’t worth it, and decided to cut it out of my diet completely. Sure enough, within one week of cutting it out and being completely dairy free, my skin started to clear up, my bloating went away and my digestion started to improve.

While I am okay with not having cheese for the most part, there are times I really miss it. My occasional indulgence of pizza, lasagna and quesadillas just aren’t quite the same without it. I have tried a few varieties of vegan cheese, and so far, I haven’t been terribly impressed with the flavor or ingredient list from any of them. I knew that there had to be a basic, lactose-free cheese recipe that would harden, slice, shred and melt, but I was having trouble finding one that was simple enough to make, when lo and behold, I stumbled upon Ann Gentry’s Vegan Cashew Cheese recipe.

This cheese is easy to make, customizable and the flavor is pretty decent considering you can do with it whatever you’d like. As you can see from the photo above, I took the basic recipe and divided it into separate ramekins to make different flavors. Beyond the basic plain, I chose to go with a pepperjack, a truffle oil & chive blend and a garlic & herb blend (all recipes for each are listed below cheese base recipe). I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by all of them. While the cheese is definitely a softer cheese, it can be sliced, shredded and melted into a sauce, making it extremely versatile no matter what you are cooking. You really can experiment with just about whatever you would like with this cheese, as the base of it is very mild. Below I posted Ann Gentry’s recipe for the cheese base and from there you can customize it to make it your own. This recipe makes a lot, so I would suggest halving it if you are just planning to use a small amount. Otherwise, go for the gold and make the whole thing. Then invite all of your lactose intolerent, vegan eating friends over for a cheese and wine party.

• Pepperjack – chop 1/4 jalapeno, 1/4 red pepper, 1/4 sweet yellow pepper, 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes and 1/8 tsp. Italian seasoning. Add into bottom of ramekin and pour cheese mix over top. Stir to mix thoroughly.
• Truffle oil & Chive – Add 1 tsp. truffle oil and 1 tsp. chives to bottom of ramekin. Pour cheese mix over top. Stir to mix thoroughly.
• Garlic & Herb -1 large clove minced garlic and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Add into bottom of ramekin and pour cheese mix over top. Stir to mix thoroughly.