Faux Cheese Frenzy!

I've received a lot of emails from skeptics about my claims to have found good vegan cheeses. In the world of vegan cheese one size definitely does not fit all and I use different brands for different functions. So here we go, my picks for the best vegan cheese out there right now.

Galaxy Nutritional Foods makes two of my favorite faux cheese slices. I use these for sandwiches they go great with a tuna tempeh sandwich or faux chicken salad sandwich. But they do not melt so don't rely on these babies to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Both the mozzarella and the American slices are amazing. I'm fortunate enough to have a Whole Foods and a Vegetarian co-op in my city but if you're local health food store doesn't carry them these perfect slices are available online too. My favorite website http://www.veganessentials.com/

Stop reading this blog immediately and go to your nearest health food store and pick up this cheese. I'm serious. Well actually, finish reading this first then go. This faux cheese came out around the same time I became a vegan, talk about perfect timing. Although I love my traditional Italian pizza without the cheese (yep, real pizza doesn't have cheese on it!) I have to admit when I'm stressed out and in the middle of a craving this stuff is a lifesaver for a perfect cheesy pizza. It's also perfect for enchiladas, nachos, and anything else that requires melted cheese (although I wouldn't recommend this one for grilled cheese either). The only drawback of this particular "cheese" is that has to be heated to at least 450 degrees for it to melt correctly. For things like nachos this means that the cheese should probably be pre-melted on the stove top (mix in a little bit of soy milk when melting). I'm still experimenting with the perfect way to melt the cheese for different recipes but overall this is a wonderful product. My favorites of this brand are the mozzarella and Monterrey jack. I'm not a big fan of the cheddar and I've never tried the nacho.

So I've told you over and over again what you can't use for a grilled cheese sandwich now let me tell you want you can. The first time I had Tofutti mozzarella cheese was at Asylum (a very rock and roll bar/lounge) in DC. I was floored! I had to ask them 4 times if this was really cheese. I'd never tasted something that was so close to cheese before. I ate the grilled cheese sandwich and then sat and waited to see if my body would reject it, because I just knew this couldn't be faux cheese it tasted too much like the real thing. Well, as luck would have it they run a good business over there at Asylum and it was in fact vegan cheese after all, so I went back and had another one immediately! I'm a bigger fan of the mozzarella than the American slices and I only like to use these when I'm looking for a melted cheese slice. I know it sounds crazy but after not having real cheese in so long tofutti's brand cheese can taste a little too much like real cheese and somewhere in my subconscious I can only have a little before my mind takes over my body and I can't take another bite. Nonetheless, I can't wait to try this on a tuna tempeh melt!

Last but not least there is Cheezly. Cheezly has created more buzz than Beanie Babies in the 90's. Veganessentials.com and Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe both carry Cheezly in the U.S. and it is in incredibly high demand. I've actually been reading about this on blogs for over a year now and everyone in the UK claims it is the best. I've been on the waiting list to get this stuff for months (I feel like such a groupie) so if you've tried it let me know what you think and let me know if it's worth the $7-8 price tag as well (not to mention shipping and handling). UPDATE: Check out the new review of Cheezly here.