Cheese Alternative...?

[sickchick]

Does it exsist? I can't find anything anywhere!!! *sniff*

[dandelionmom]

I've had almond cheese that was pretty good but I'm not sure if it was soy free or not.

[sickchick]

I bought almond cheese and it had caesin in it... and I love it too it's great!

[dandelionmom]

That's too bad! Sorry! I only had to worry about lactose.

[Juliebove]

Vegan Rice cheese. Be sure to get the Vegan. The others have casein.

Open Original Shared Link

[moldlady]

Does it exsist? I can't find anything anywhere!!! *sniff*

Sickchick,

I too was frustrated that there wasn't anything on the market that was any good and I do not trust what the companies put in their "cheeses."

I have two recipes that I use. I can post them if you like.....

moldlady

[MaryJones2]

There are only two GFCFSF cheese-like alternatives that I know of and neither are overly cheesy. I think you if you go into it not necessarily expecting cheese you'll do OK.

Galaxy Naturals Vegan Rice Slices (must get vegan as the regular Rice contains casein): Open Original Shared Link

Road's End Organics Chreese (they have a gluten free line): Open Original Shared Link

Road's End makes a gluten-free boxed mac & cheese but the rice pasta is pretty bad. I buy the chreese packets and put it on Tinkyada or pizza. I think the cheddar is better than the Alfredo. Chreese is made with nutritional yeast so if you have a problem with yeast this isn't an option for you.

[sickchick]

YAY!!! There is hope!!! lol

moldlady you bet I'd love the recipe, if you don't mind...

You guys rule

[Mango04]

Parma.

Best stuff ever.

www.eatintheraw.com

[RiceGuy]

I once toyed with the idea of making a cheese-like stuff, and a preliminary test suggests it isn't all that difficult to get something similar in certain ways. Though the flavor may never be all that close, depending on the type of cheese desired.

What I did was to puree some nuts (almonds or pecans I think), cook a little sweet white rice flour in water until is was sorta thick, then add the nut puree, and a generous amount of salt. Tasted sorta like mozzarella to me. One of these days maybe I'll try a few more ideas.

Note on the so-called "nutritional yeast": It's basically a way of adding MSG, only with a less conspicuous sounding name. See Open Original Shared Link for details.

[moldlady]

Sickchick,

I too was frustrated that there wasn't anything on the market that was any good and I do not trust what the companies put in their "cheeses."

I have two recipes that I use. I can post them if you like.....

Parmesan "Cheese"

1/3 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup flaked nutritional food yeast (no MSG and not active)

1/2 T. lemon juice

1/4 t. garlic granules

1/2 t. onion granules

1/4 cup walnuts

I put the sesame seeds in the food processor first and get them really ground up and then I add the rest bit by bit. Store in refrig.

"Cheese" sauce

1 cup raw washed cashews

3/4 cup water

1 t. garlic granules

1 1/2 t. salt

2 T. sesame seeds (nut grinder them)

1 T. onion granules

2/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes (no MSG type)

2 T. lemon juice

Process this or blender it and if need a bit more water add but not too much as it will get too runny. When I put it on top of a pizza I also add a sprinkle of oregano and then bake.

These taste the closest to cheese that I can make. The nutritional yeast flakes I buy at a HFS and does not contain MSG and it does not culture. A rich source of vitamin B. It is also not a by product of beer fermentation like brewer's yeast can be (that stuff is terrible).

moldlady

[sickchick]

That Parma looks pretty awesome I am going to mail order some THANK YOU!

RiceGuy ... thanks for the inspiration.

WAHOO Mold Lady!!!!

[RiceGuy]

The nutritional yeast flakes I buy at a HFS and does not contain MSG and it does not culture.

Not to stray off-topic, but...

The labeling regarding MSG is often quite deceiving, sad to say. Adding MSG and adding an ingredient which already contains MSG are considered two different things by FDA rules.

And, what happens when you leave it out of the recipe? Effects flavor, doesn't it?

FYI, I saw through the deceptive labeling of some Galaxy Foods products, and thus contacted them. After two months, I finally received a reply. They admitted that the products do in fact contain MSG, and claimed it was "not much". Anyone know what measure is "not much"? I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't want any neurotoxins any more than I want gluten. The company subsequently relabeled the products in question.

[tom]

Does it exist? I can't find anything anywhere!!! *sniff*

Yeah ... ...

I went w/out for ~3yrs until I finally decided to check out goat cheese.

Had read of many w/ a casein problem who were fine w/ goat, and was VERY happy to find I seem to be good w/ goat too!!

Still haven't tried any aged varieties, but have loved the chevre, feta & mozzarella that I've had so far!!!!

[sickchick]

I think Chevre is a little bit of heaven!!!

Well I bought Goat Milk and then the advice I got was not to eat any dairy whatsoever (Goat & Sheep) while I am in this beginner stages of healing, to give it 3-4 months then see how my body responds.

So I am impatient HAHAHAHAHA

Enjoy your Goat Cheese Tom!!!

be well

[Melybean]

Does it exsist? I can't find anything anywhere!!! *sniff*

I'm gluten and lactose intolerant, and this cheese doesn't hurt me at all...it's AMAZING. And I found it in the regular grocery store.

Open Original Shared Link

[moldlady]

Not to stray off-topic, but...

The labeling regarding MSG is often quite deceiving, sad to say. Adding MSG and adding an ingredient which already contains MSG are considered two different things by FDA rules.

And, what happens when you leave it out of the recipe? Effects flavor, doesn't it?

FYI, I saw through the deceptive labeling of some Galaxy Foods products, and thus contacted them. After two months, I finally received a reply. They admitted that the products do in fact contain MSG, and claimed it was "not much". Anyone know what measure is "not much"? I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't want any neurotoxins any more than I want gluten. The company subsequently relabeled the products in question.

Rice guy,

I understand what you are saying and I agree the industry is very deceptive to say the least. I have called companies too and have been told that there is MSG in everything and it cannot be totally avoided.....

The reaction I usually get if there is MSG in something is that I get very very tired within about 20 minutes of digestion. I do not get that way with the nutritional flakes that I use from the HFS in our area.

Thank you for your concern and I have listed on other forums all the tricky names that MSG goes by on the labels so that people do not know it is in the product.

Maybe start a new thread on the top to make people aware and I will post my list.

moldlady

[highrentsmile]

I always used Veggie Shreds. But, upon a closer look it has a lot of artificial ingredients. My husband will even eat it though and he is picky!

[RiceGuy]

Rice guy,

I understand what you are saying and I agree the industry is very deceptive to say the least. I have called companies too and have been told that there is MSG in everything and it cannot be totally avoided.....

The reaction I usually get if there is MSG in something is that I get very very tired within about 20 minutes of digestion. I do not get that way with the nutritional flakes that I use from the HFS in our area.

Thank you for your concern and I have listed on other forums all the tricky names that MSG goes by on the labels so that people do not know it is in the product.

Maybe start a new thread on the top to make people aware and I will post my list.

moldlady

There is a thread on MSG, though it dates back a ways. When a company rep says there's MSG in everything, it can be interpreted in more than one way. In nature, glutamic acid is present in a lot of stuff, and that's one way in which companies spin the issue. However, what they don't expound upon, is that the naturally occurring glutamic acid is bound up in other larger compounds. Thus it doesn't all get into the bloodstream at once, flooding the brain and causing all the toxic effects. In short, I would not be a bit surprised if the yeast you use has MSG in some form or another, but that you happen to be less sensitive to that particular form, or it enters the bloodstream slowly enough not to be a problem for you. I say this because "nutritional yeast" is added because it is a flavor enhancer, and that's what MSG is. I ask myself how it could do what it does if it doesn't have MSG? Aspartic acid isn't MSG in the technical sense, but it does have a similar effect on the brain. So aspartame can be said to be free of MSG, and in one sense it it, but that doesn't negate the fact that many people have trouble with it.

Until I read otherwise, I have to go by the best sources of information I have. And it seems MSG is a "catch-all" phrase applied to the substances which have a similar effect on the brain as monosodium glutamate.

In some ways I'm reminded of the differences between sodium chloride (salt) and potassium chloride, which is used as a salt substitute. Both are flavor enhancers, but what some people may not be aware of, is that potassium chloride is also used for lethal injections. Here's Open Original Shared Link.

Sorry for straying off-topic, everyone.

[jerseyangel]

Yeah ... ...

I went w/out for ~3yrs until I finally decided to check out goat cheese.

Had read of many w/ a casein problem who were fine w/ goat, and was VERY happy to find I seem to be good w/ goat too!!

Still haven't tried any aged varieties, but have loved the chevre, feta & mozzarella that I've had so far!!!!

It's about 3 years for me, too! I recently tried some sheep's milk pecorino romano and have had no problem with it.

[moldlady]

There is a thread on MSG, though it dates back a ways. When a company rep says there's MSG in everything, it can be interpreted in more than one way. In nature, glutamic acid is present in a lot of stuff, and that's one way in which companies spin the issue. However, what they don't expound upon, is that the naturally occurring glutamic acid is bound up in other larger compounds. Thus it doesn't all get into the bloodstream at once, flooding the brain and causing all the toxic effects. In short, I would not be a bit surprised if the yeast you use has MSG in some form or another, but that you happen to be less sensitive to that particular form, or it enters the bloodstream slowly enough not to be a problem for you. I say this because "nutritional yeast" is added because it is a flavor enhancer, and that's what MSG is. I ask myself how it could do what it does if it doesn't have MSG? Aspartic acid isn't MSG in the technical sense, but it does have a similar effect on the brain. So aspartame can be said to be free of MSG, and in one sense it it, but that doesn't negate the fact that many people have trouble with it.

Until I read otherwise, I have to go by the best sources of information I have. And it seems MSG is a "catch-all" phrase applied to the substances which have a similar effect on the brain as monosodium glutamate.

In some ways I'm reminded of the differences between sodium chloride (salt) and potassium chloride, which is used as a salt substitute. Both are flavor enhancers, but what some people may not be aware of, is that potassium chloride is also used for lethal injections. Here's Open Original Shared Link.

Sorry for straying off-topic, everyone.

Rice guy,

I use the potassium 1/4 c. in a detox. bath. I can't stand the flavor of it as I tried a dusting of it once in my oatmeal. Is it okay in a detox. bath?

So, if I do not use the nutritional yeast in recipes, what is the safe alternative?

ML

[mftnchn]

The cashew cheese option works the best for me. There are several recipes if you do a search. I use the sliceable cashew cheese recipe that has kosher gel (I use gelatin as I am not vegan). This can be shredded when just out of the freezer, and I use it on pizza. It melts quickly and reminds me more of cream cheese in consistency.

I just made my cashew cheese with roasted, unsalted cashews and it was very good.

The sauce is good adding salsa and stuff to make a dip.

[RiceGuy]

Rice guy,

I use the potassium 1/4 c. in a detox. bath. I can't stand the flavor of it as I tried a dusting of it once in my oatmeal. Is it okay in a detox. bath?

So, if I do not use the nutritional yeast in recipes, what is the safe alternative?

ML

I don't honestly know if it is supposed to be safe to bathe with potassium chloride in the water, but I know the skin does absorb things, so I myself won't be trying that anytime soon.

As for an alternative to the yeast, I'm not aware of any safe flavor enhancers besides salt in normal amounts. That is unless you count spices or something like that. If you find the recipe unsatisfying without the yeast, perhaps you've become accustomed to it and/or built up a tolerance, or maybe that's why non-dairy cheeses usually have it. Anyway, having sensitive taste buds, I don't often find it necessary to punch up my foods with all sorts of flavorings and such. So I'm not really sure what about the non-dairy cheeses you find dissatisfying. Perhaps if you can describe what it tastes like to you without the yeast, I might be able to suggest something.

I do know that dairy is salty, and that it also is acidic. I've been able to approximate the taste of yogurt, using tofu, and adding both salt and an acid, such as ascorbic acid and/or citric acid. Aroma and what the food designers call "mouth feel" are also important aspect of the satisfying nature of food. Getting the texture and consistency right, as well as aroma can and does go a long way.

I hope this is of some help to you, and feel free to ask any questions of course. And I do apologize if I've climbed too high on the soapbox regarding MSG. I've just had too many health problems to feel comfortable in trusting any industry to tell the truth when they're in it for the money.