The Vegan Thread

Julie piatt made a book called this cheese is nuts. I have not made it, but I heard she has a simple mozzarella that’s banging.

Yeah I reckon this might be slightly beyond my abilities, even with my C in GCSE chemistry.

2 Attachments

I might try and pick a copy of that up actually, looks interesting!

https://schoolnightvegan.com/home/super-cheesy-vegan-mozzarella/

I've tried this one and it's pretty easy! My blender is terrible too, so even a lil grainy it still tasted great. As far as I remember I made it without the agar as I couldn't find any anywhere, and it still turned out good. A little definitely goes a long way.

I’m also hugely into her husbands podcasts. He’s a plant based ultra athlete. I think he actually did an episode with her on her nut cheese book, although I preferred his other episodes 😃

This would be my recommendation too, though I realise you don't want recipes. It really doesn't take long, wap it all in a blender ; it doesn't have to be a nutribullet as stated, I used a Kenwood chef + blender attachment. It tastes properly if you add extra nooch, and doesn't stick to your teeth like all the packaged ones. I made 1 batch with the stated amounts, it lasted me a week. I even tried it as a cheese on toast which I highly recommend.
If you're desperate to buy one, I prefer the Daiya stuff but it is eye-wateringly expensive. Still sticks to your teeth, but less than the Sheese stuff in the purple packet.

I've not had Sheese in years. Is it still awful? It was pretty much the only vegan cheese on the market when I first went vegan so I just didn't bother for years.

Still awful.

Haven't tried it, but do like the new Sheeze Kettle Chips.

Ah, the joy of raising animals to exploit their bodily functions and cadavers. Warning--a fairly stomach-turning read:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/millions-of-us-farm-animals-to-be-culled-by-suffocation-drowning-and-shooting-coronavirus

I used not to like Sheese when I first came across it, but they've changed and improved it a lot. Obviously, it may not be your thing if you're not into the (now largely) coconut oil-based analogues, but of those I think it's currently the best. I don't normally buy them very often, but to keep myself amused during the lockdown I've been trying out a few.

I generally like all the cream Sheeses, and of the solid varieties I thought the mature cheddar, red onion, and Gouda ones were the best I tried. The Gouda analogue is *very* smellycheesy; if you don't like smellycheesy smells in your fridge, don't get it. I don't know how dairy Gouda tastes any more, but I enjoyed the Sheese in some soups I made, like onion soup.

I still massively prefer cashew cheeses, which to my mind are actually cheeses and not analogues. Incidentally, I AM NUT OK! have quite a few reduced products (by 50p):

https://www.iamnutok.com/shop

Still pricey, but it's all lovely. The 'Oh, Grate!' 'parmesan' is delicious; not really like parmesan, just better.

Iamnutok is the only cheese substitute I’d eat nowadays. I’ve been buying them for a couple of years and not got tired of them. The Paprika, Smoky or Pepper varieties are great. I use them with pickle, onion and rolls/beigals. Not tried cooking or grilling them.

Properly fucked up, that. I went from typically militant veggie teenager to being extremely tolerant of meat and meat-eaters, completely swinging the other way now. Anyone who enjoys an occasional bacon butty or bit of chicken is party to this obscenity, whether through complacency or a selfish indifference to cruelty.

This is the only one.

Might have to give Sheese another go, I haven't eaten it for about a decade so can imagine it's changed a bit! Not tried the Koko stuff yet. I don't really eat an awful lot of cheese but the Sainsbury's own brand cheddar is generally my go to.

Edit: Iamnutok looks great, I'm in Leeds until lockdown is over and £20 minimum order is a bit much though.

Plot twist, ordered £27 worth of Iamnutok stuff. Didn't need an email telling me my recent Lush order was going to be delivered tomorrow. Feel like a boujie vegan twat now.

1 Attachment

Hehe, you won't regret it. It is very good!

I didn't realise you were back in Leeds during lockdown, had you filed under London.

Great to hear you like it so much!

Just one point, which I consider important--I don't think the cashew cheeses are a ...

cheese substitute

... but actually cheese. I think all the derisory remarks about the 'substitutes' are conceptually correct in that all this unfermented, artificially flavoured, etc. stuff, even if tasty, just isn't cheese as such. However, I think that cashew cheeses actually are cheeses. Someone might still consider this kind of cheese a substitute for another kind of cheese, but I don't think they're substitutes (of another kind) for cheese as such.

I think extending the concept of cheese to the analogues is stretching it too far, but including nut cheeses to me is a valid way of extending it.

I was planning to be! I moved down and started a new job a week before lockdown. My girlfriend was still in our house in Leeds so I'm back up here until work need me back down south. Was massively excited to sample all the vegan delights London had to offer but will have to wait!

Could you share the flatbread recipe? Cheers!

Agreed, IamNutOk is cheese, and @ltc is in for a treat. Milk & dairy cheese has a bad/ gone off smell to my nose now after 5 years not using.

Don't think I followed a specific one, flatbread seems to be pretty forgiving. I usually just end up reminding myself of how much water to flour you're supposed to use by googling flatbread, then having at it with a bit of self raising and wholemeal flour and chucking a few spices and a bit of oil in, garlic granules, salt pepper and cumin suit kebabs well. Usually the amount of water seems a bit low, probably because of the wholemeal flour and being used to wet pizza dough so keep a bit extra to hand and go by feel for a slightly moist dough. Let it rest for few minutes while you sort the rest of the stuff out, chop into suitable sized pieces (I think about 500g flour does about 8 breads) and role out, getting flour as far around the kitchen as possible, cook on a well heated, pretty hot iron skillet with a touch of oil on, or whatever you have in the cupboard.

This aint half bad.

Nice one, cheers!

Had my first go at vegan shepherd's pie last night and it came out great, will add to my regular-meal repertoire I think. Loosely based on looking up a recipe but mainly improvised. M&S Plant Kitchen mince, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, peas, carrots, basil, oregano... and the tangy-ness coming from soy sauce, maple syrup and tomato ketchup. And a couple of dollops of horseradish sauce in the mash.

1 Attachment