A dairy, gluten and soy free cheese alternative?
- Thread starter Rabelais
- Start date
RyanX
The Living Force
Although it doesn't work in all recipes, I like to use ripened avocados for a "cheesy" texture.
No, it's not the same thing as cheese, but it tastes good to me and gives certain recipes a creaminess. I believe there are a couple avocado dressing recipes in the recipes section of this forum.
No, it's not the same thing as cheese, but it tastes good to me and gives certain recipes a creaminess. I believe there are a couple avocado dressing recipes in the recipes section of this forum.
It's good to be creative in searching for alternatives to foods that shouldn't be part of our diet in the first place, on the other hand it seems like a sort of waste of time with particular foods, cheese being a case in point. I just think that with certain foods we should just get over them :)
anart
A Disturbance in the Force
Also,
are both MSG (spices can mean anything!). Nutritional yeast, like Vegemite is a form of MSG - at least according to Mercola. I personally avoid anything 'created' by the vegan/vegetarian food industry - just stick with natural foods (the ones that are good for you).
are both MSG (spices can mean anything!). Nutritional yeast, like Vegemite is a form of MSG - at least according to Mercola. I personally avoid anything 'created' by the vegan/vegetarian food industry - just stick with natural foods (the ones that are good for you).
anart said:
Totally agree on this. A processed food is a processed food is a processed food - even if it says "vegan" or "organic" or whatever. A lot of times they stuff so many chemicals and artificial ingredients into these vegan imitations you'd end up doing a lot less harm to yourself by eating the original. Veggie burgers are a case in point - all soy and nitrates and MSG.
As was brought up by truth seeker here [http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=17052.msg151807#msg151807], I wonder if the vegetarian community has been vectored into these sort of non-foods... (I should clarify here that truth seeker brought up the idea that the vegetarian community may be infiltrated. I think she may have been more referring to the created opposition between vegetarians and meat eaters. The speculation about their food choices was my extrapolation. FWIW).
dugdeep said:
In addition what always bothered me about these imitations, apart from containing the obvious stay-away ingredients like soy or MSG etc, was how they contain all sorts of exotic ingredients, not necessarily artificial or processed, but still something or a combination of somethings that you'd never come across in your diet. Combined who knows what they do to your body.
As Anart points out, just stick to normal natural foods.
GRiM
The Living Force
Perceval said:Back to the drawing board Rabelais!
I might have an alternative; I have never tasted it so who knows but it doesnt look to bad Ingredient-wise.
Ingredients:
ORGANIC RICE BASE (FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC RICE FLOUR), ORGANIC RICE MALTODEXTRIN, RICE BRAN OIL, PEA PROTEIN, CALCIUM & SODIUM PHOSPHATES, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SEA SALT, CARRAGEENAN, MONO & DIGLYCERIDES, NATURAL FLAVORS, LACTIC ACID (NON-DAIRY), APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), BETACAROTENE.
Here is their own description:
Soy free. Dairy free. Melt-full.
All of the taste. None of the dairy. Rice Vegan is converting non-dairy lovers one delectable bite at a time. Free of preservatives, casein, gluten, dairy, soy, lactose, cholesterol and trans fat, the only thing Rice Vegan isn’t free of is big cheese taste. Whether you add it to salads or melt it on meals, it’s easily the most scrumptious vegan around. Look for it in the cheese alternative section of your local natural foods store.
http://www.galaxyfoods.com/Products/RiceCheese/RiceVegan/
What is Rice-cheese:
Rice cheese is a cheese substitute made from rice products. Lactose-free and soy-free, rice cheese is a product popular among consumers who are allergic to or choose not to consume dairy products. It's different from other cheese substitutes which typically are made from soy beans, making it an ideal for those with both a dairy and a soy allergy, or those who do not eat dairy but do favor soy cheeses.
Rice cheese is created from rice with casein, oils, and cheese-flavored seasonings. Casein is a milk protein, but is used in such small amounts that typically doesn't offend those with dairy allergies. Because of the miniscule amount of casein, rice cheese is usually billed as lactose-free. Casein is a protein much like gluten which is found in wheat products. It is used as a binding agent to hold the rice and oils together.
Rice cheese is typically found in gourmet grocers, health shops, or vegan-/vegetarian-focused food stores. It is often served in the refrigerated dairy section of these markets and comes in a variety of conventional flavors, including cheddar and mozzarella. Rice cheese is often sold in brick form for immediate cutting and consuming, but it can also be sold grated or pre-sliced.
Consumers are able to enjoy the taste of rice cheese just like regular cheeses. It can be melted, shredded, baked, and eaten straight just like any other type of cheese. For recipes that call for cheese, rice cheese can be substituted. This makes it even more ideal for those who at one point in their lives enjoyed the taste of cheese, but no longer consume dairy.
Rice cheese is distinctive for its smooth texture, which is much like the texture of soy products like silken tofu, although rice cheese doesn't contain soy. It is different than other cheeses, including other cheese substitutes, because it has an added flavor of rice which many people enjoy.
edit: random store that carries it. http://store.veganessentials.com/vegan-rice-cheese-slices-by-galaxy-nutritional-foods-p2141.aspx
JonnyRadar
The Living Force
Fwiw, I used to be a cheese hound. Like you wouldn't believe. I would eat a bag of shredded pizza cheese right to the face. Since the dietary changes I've just decided to let it go. It hasn't been easy (by any means!), but some things... I think it's better to just let them go.
I was a cheese hound as well - sometimes I wish I would have had one last grilled cheese before quiting gluten and dairy, but... (see below)
A couple months ago I tried a rice cheese that was either the one mentioned above or something similar and it wasn't good. Didn't taste like cheese and most importantly didn't melt. A slice of it just got hot and wouldn't stick to the stuff I was trying to mix it with.
I have to agree with the others, let cheese and the other stuff that we enjoyed go - like it never existed. I've come to realize after eliminating all the bad stuff from my diet (sugar, coffee, dairy, gluten, alcohol, soy - did I miss anything?) for an extended period how much of a food addict I was. I thought nothing of gorging on a whole pizza or some other naughty badness as a comfort food once a week and thinking you know I deserve to relax after a hard week or whatever. I would also sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and gorge on some chocolate chip cookies and milk in a semi-sleep state like I needed my fix. I really think that the article 'The Dark Side of Wheat' is accurate to describe wheat as addictive and wonder if other things like dairy are addictive. I eat so much less now a days and if I skip a meal it's not as big a deal. Maybe my system is starting to right itself and getting the proper nutrients and not sending the signal out to constantly be hungry or eat.
A couple months ago I tried a rice cheese that was either the one mentioned above or something similar and it wasn't good. Didn't taste like cheese and most importantly didn't melt. A slice of it just got hot and wouldn't stick to the stuff I was trying to mix it with.
I have to agree with the others, let cheese and the other stuff that we enjoyed go - like it never existed. I've come to realize after eliminating all the bad stuff from my diet (sugar, coffee, dairy, gluten, alcohol, soy - did I miss anything?) for an extended period how much of a food addict I was. I thought nothing of gorging on a whole pizza or some other naughty badness as a comfort food once a week and thinking you know I deserve to relax after a hard week or whatever. I would also sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and gorge on some chocolate chip cookies and milk in a semi-sleep state like I needed my fix. I really think that the article 'The Dark Side of Wheat' is accurate to describe wheat as addictive and wonder if other things like dairy are addictive. I eat so much less now a days and if I skip a meal it's not as big a deal. Maybe my system is starting to right itself and getting the proper nutrients and not sending the signal out to constantly be hungry or eat.
