Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Mo Betta Chedda


I am now on a quest to find the best vegan cheddar available on the market.

Here's what I picked up today (all at one market!):
mo betta chedda

Clockwise from the top:
Galaxy Rice Vegan Cheddar, Daiya Shredded Cheddar (I may also add in a review of the block Daiya Cheddar as well), Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheddar, Vegan Rella Cheddar, Teese Cheddar, Wayfare Cheddar, Galaxy Vegan Soy Cheddar

Still needed:



Dr. Cow doesn't have a "cheddar" per se, so they won't be tested in this round, although I have had the Aged Cashew and Crystal Manna Algae Cheese and it is so good, so I thought I'd mention it here.


I am going to judge the different cheeses according to the following criteria:
Taste: Cold, alone, right out of the package on a cracker.
Taste: Cold sandwich with Tofurkey or Yves Slices and Vegenaise
Taste: Hot on a simple grilled cheese with Earth Balance
Meltability: On pizza of course!
Stretch: On same pizza
Mixability: In mac and cheese
Availability and Cost: Is it easy to find and is it a good value for your hard earned buck?
Overall Performance and Taste

So, with all of these cheeses to taste and test, it may be a week or 2 before I post the final results, but until then, save your money and make your own cheese!  Home made tastes better than ANY of the store bought ones anyhow, right?

Nutty Cheese
Appears in 500 Vegan Recipes:

Nutty Cheeze


*Soy Free
*Gluten Free
Nonstick cooking spray
1 ounce (28 g) agar flakes or powder
3 cups (705 ml) water
2 cups (275 g) raw cashews, finely ground into a powder
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sesame oil (olive oil will work too)
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare a loaf pan (or other deep rectangular container) by lightly oiling or spraying with cooking spray.
Place agar in water and bring to a full boil, boil for 5 minutes. Whisk regularly.
Place all other ingredients into a food processor and blend smooth.
Pour into the water-agar mixture and mix until creamy and smooth, remove from heat. Quickly pour into an oiled loaf pan and refrigerate until hardened.

Yield: 1 loaf

Variations: Add fresh herbs and spices to the mix. If you want a Mediterranean flavored cheese, add about 8 chopped sun dried tomatoes and 5 or 6 chopped leaves of fresh basil. If you want a Mexican flavored cheese, add one teaspoon of cumin and 6 or 7 chopped up pieces of nacho sliced, jarred jalapenos. If you want a smoky cheese, add a little bit, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, of liquid smoke flavoring. It’s limitless!

11 comments:

panda with cookie said...

Whoa. I look forward to your cheese results. That is an impressive pile.

coldandsleepy said...

Cooooooooooool! I did a three way taste test of Cheezly, Teese, and Sheese cheddar for MoFo two years ago, and the Cheezly was far and away my favorite. I really like the We Can't Say It's Cheese cheddar too.

I also look forward to hearing what you think of each one!

Also, I am envious that you can buy ALL those somewhere near you on the same day!

Allysia said...

That pile is far superior than anything I could ever muster up in this province. I'm excited to see the results!

dreaminitvegan said...

Can't wait to see your results.

So far Daiya is my favorite, but I haven't tried the Galaxy or Vegan Rella.
Oh that "We can't say it's Cheese" spread reminds me of the cheese spread you get with those rectangle butter crackers in a plastic package and red plastic cheese spreader. Remember those?

KittyPaws said...

I am so jealous that you can find all of those cheezes at one store. We are lucky to find a few of them scattered around the city! My vote is with Daiya or the We Can't See Its Cheeze by Wayfare.

celyn said...

Oh, fabulous idea! My favorite is Dr. Cow, and I remember that whichever one is blue actually did taste cheddary to me. I haven't found any other vegan cheese that I love unless I make it myself from a great recipe, and I can't wait to try yours. I can't wait to see the results of your vegan cheese-off!

VeggieAmanda said...

I look forward to your results. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I can't wait to try it!

Stefanie said...

That nutty cheese looks really good. My favorite vegan cheese is the Mexichedder from We Can't Say it is Cheese. I look forward to reading your reviews.

Susan Kelley said...

Can't wait to hear your results! I've tried a few of those buy I've never seen Dr Cow products.

I don't like cheddar on pizza, though.

I'm making cheeze once a week for my Vegan Mofo, so I might try your nutty cheeze loaf.

Ali - YumVeggieBurger said...

awesome! I can't wait to see the results :)

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

This is pretty much the best thing ever!

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