I’ve vegan for 20+ years and find weird the obsession people have with meat that without even talking about milk. Literally there are hundreds of alternatives better for health, for the environment and for the animals yet we keep looking for justifications to consume them.
Yeah. I used to be vegetarian (I eat some meat again), and I love cheese, but I'm well aware that it's almost as bad as beef. Quitting cheese feels like a bigger sacrifice to me than quitting meat. But I've been reducing my cheese consumption lately. That's something at least.
I'm not arguing for ditching cheese either (I love cheese, esp goat cheese - which conveniently is often a more pleasant experience for the goats) but here is a recipe that I quite liked for a cheese-like cashew/brewer's yeast spread.
I'm pretty sure I transcribed this correctly. Let me know if anything seems off :)
Pimento Cheese Spread
Blend until smooth:
1c. water (may use water from pimentos)
¾ c. cashew nuts or sunflower seeds
2 T sesame seeds
1¼ tsp salt
3 T Brewer's yeast flakes
⅔ c. rolled oats (only if being used for lasagna)
1 tsp onion powder
⅛ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp dill seed
½ c. pimentos
¼ c. lemon juice (or to taste)
May add 2 T. arrowroot or cornstarch if used for spread
Cup and Tablespoon. Sorry, I probably faithfully transcribed a bit too well. Do let me know if it works. I haven't made it in a while. I guess I should try it again.
A little belated followup - I tried it, and I feel it was way too thin, even after adding corn starch. I would cut that water way down. Maybe even add as needed after initial blending. Not sure why that is, don't remember it being that thin.
The flavor is completely different but the umami of miso is crazy, if it would not be so salty i’d eat it by the spoonful. Honestly I don’t miss cheese at all, there are some replacements good enough for the occasional sandwich or pizza.
I'm not convinced by some of those. I'm a pescetarian, so I still eat cheese, but I enjoy unusual foods.
I don't find tahini to taste anything like yeast/cheese, though to be fair I mainly use tahini in hummus.
I'm not familiar with lactic acid fermented Tofu - does that go by a different name?
Tempeh seems more nutty than cheese-like to me, though I rarely eat it as my wife doesn't like the flavour or texture of it.
Personally, I'd recommend Japanese Natto if you're after a cheesy flavour - it's soy beans fermented in straw/hay and ends up becoming somewhat slimy/stringy, so it's a bit of an acquired taste.
> Natto
Any advice to try it? I haven’t had the courage yet but I guess it's time to face my fears.
> lactic acid fermented Tofu
The english name of the one I buy is "Lactofermented Tofu" [0], although their ingredients [1] lacks a coagulant but have ferment instead: I guess the tonyu+ferment produce lactic acid, which then coagulate the fermented tonyu into tofu. I wonder if that make a big difference with classic recipes that ferment the tofu directly [2].
> Tempeh
It's a fresh product and the taste really differ depending on:
- Ripeness. It can be ripped a few days to build an intense flavor when homemade or bought fresh.
- Ingredients. Same fungus (Rhizopus oligosporus) can be used to ferment others legumes/grains. I once made black-lentil-tempeh which had a very strong gorgonzola flavor with a firm and non-fat texture.
The only Natto that I've tried is pre-packaged and frozen, bought from a Chinese supermarket in Bristol, UK. It comes as five little polystyrene packs that have a small quantity of Natto (maybe 25g?) along with small packets of mustard and soy sauce. The Natto itself consists of the beans, but the oustide is somewhat slimy and very stringy (like cheese) and the flavour is very cheese-like. Incidentally, Natto is extremely high in vitamin K, especially K2, so be careful if you take an anticoagulant like Warfarin.
I don't think the fermented tofu is popular here, but I have seen fermented tofu sold in the same Chinese supermarket - it's sold in either glass or porcelain jars and doesn't usually have any english translation on them. I have got a jar that I bought a while ago, but I haven't had the courage to try it yet as the tofu looks blackened and murky.
Similarly, I've only tried Tempeh from mainstream supermarkets, so that might be why I don't find it to taste cheesy.
I’ve vegan for 20+ years and find weird the obsession people have with meat that without even talking about milk. Literally there are hundreds of alternatives better for health, for the environment and for the animals yet we keep looking for justifications to consume them.