vegan craving cheese?

Question

ahhhh man! i have been vegan since November, i have been really good at it, but... over the past week someplace i have been craving convieniant foods, like taco bell and what not that involves cheese and sour cream and i miss those so much! i cant afford the fake ones...

i dont know what to do...
please help me! :(

Answer 1

Nutritional yeast - it comes in flakes. Whole Foods carries it in the bulk foods aisle.

You can sprinkle it on popcorn or add it to sauces for a cheese like flavor.

Vegan Cheese Sauce

prep time: 5 minutes | cooking time: 5 minutes | makes 2+ cups
This recipe is an amazing alternative to all sorts of traditional cheese sauces. Use less water for a nacho cheese or use a little more water for a macaroni and cheese style sauce. Adding extra margarine will make it creamier. Great over steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, in burritos, on veggie burgers, and the list goes on!

Equipment:
Sauce pan

Ingredients
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
2 tbs soy margarine
1 tbs yellow mustard
garlic salt to taste

Additional spices can and should be added at your discretion. Yummy add-ins are curry powder, turmeric, red pepper, powdered mustard, cumin, etc.

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=122

Answer 2

Try Tofu that has been flavored (by you or in the package) with lemongrass, garlic and parsley, the firmer the better it works fairly well as the texture is similar and those specific flavors seem to trigger a similar response. You could also be low on calcium and your body is triggering the thing it knows has calcium in that case make sure to increase your servings of: Rhubarb
Collard Greens
Spinach
Turnip Greens
Okra
White Beans
Baked Beans
Broccoli
Peas
Brussel Sprouts
Sesame Seeds
Bok Choy
Almonds
These are all calcium rich and can help curb milk fat cravings. To better afford Vegan foods skip the fashionable stores and hit your local Asian market or a Persian one as well they have a myriad of great vegan options at about 1/3 the price because it's not a "diet" it is just food. Foods like Falafel are what western stores call veggie burger and charge more for. Then there is Humus which is simply a puree of Garbanzo beans, garlic olive oil and parsley. This is new territory for you so be brave and hit some local mini grocers to find great foods at great prices. Be sure to talk to a dietitian to assure you are getting the right food balance for your activity level and good luck!

Answer 3

I think that's the most common thing for vegans - is cheese craving. I suggest you give in to it. It will make you feel better. And if you're like me - it won't be as satisfying as you thought it would be and you will have gotten over it. Or maybe you can find a nice locally made organic cheese from a small dairy that treats its cow's humanely.

Answer 4

You can easily make your own. I don't like the store bought vegan sour creams.

I made the BEST vegan sour cream with silk tofu. It was a thousand times better than the real thing!

This isn't the same, but it'll do. I recommend making half the recipe.

1 1/2 cups silken tofu, crumbled and firmly packed
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 t apple cider vinegar
1/2 t sugar
1/2 t salt

Toss it all in a blender. Whizzzzz. Chill for half an hour or so before using. I didn't put any salt or sugar in mine. I did add lemon.

Rather than your standard shredded cheddar, go for nutritional yeast flakes. Better for you. Or Follow Your Heart brand vegan cheddar. But Nut Yeast is YUM!

Check out the link below for other yummy vegan condiments you can make at home.

Get taco shells and Soy Taco.

Answer 5

A couple thoughts come to mind.
I'd try the Uncheese cookbook, it can be purchased from Amazon. Lot's of creamy foods that are dairy free.

You may also try http:www.veganessentials.com. It's a fake one, but they do have these new Scheese products from Britian that are awesome. To me, they taste just like the real thing and are about the same price as what you'd find in the store. I've been snacking on cheese and crackers all week long.

Answer 6

I'm a vegan too and a strange desire for a grilled cheese sandwich passed through my head after school today.

I went to my local health food store and bought some Cheddar-flavored Vegan Gourmet because I'd heard such good stuff about the brand. It melted just like real cheese and then I took a bite and OH MY GOD IT WAS DISGUSTING!

It totally killed my desire for cheesiness.

So don't worry about being unable to afford the fake ones. They're a complete waste of money.

Answer 7

first of all you have to think about why you became vegan in the first place, if it's from an ethical standpoint just get some cheese from a local small farm where you know the animals have been treated well, and handmilked this also goes for health reasons because they probably haven't put wierd chemicals in thier milk/cows. in my experience vegan cheeses are kind of gross. It's ultimately up to you.

Answer 8

From a health standpoint, Vegetarianism has both it's pros and cons, being that a lot of vegetarians don't get enough complete proteins a lot of the time......being a "vegetarian" doesn't mean just eating rabbit food, either........It's a conscious choice about not eating any type of flesh from animal sources......and a lot of people are in the dark about they "whys" and "hows" of vegetarianism.......I was, in my earlier life a vegetarian, and I thought it was a real drag, plus my weight soared to 218 lbs, my normal weight is 160.............I was constantly hungry, and though those were the days (the 70's) when we were thought of tree hugging hippies, but, that was just the "establishment" that referred to us in that way.......
Gee, that was long winded!!! MY point is that the human body is anatomically and evolutionarily "built" to be omnivorous, which means that we as human beings can eat just about anything on the face of the Earth, both plant matter and animal matter......so, it's just a preference to either make a conscious choice as to eat meat or not...........I like my lean meats, pork loin and chicken breasts and light tasting fish (sea bass, halibut, etc....) Hope that helps you out, mate!!!

Christopher

Source(s):

I'm Cordon Bleu trained and I'm also an RN


EDIT: This is a question that I had just answered for another mate, if you need more protein, then EAT THE CHEESE, IT WON'T KILL YOU!!!

Christopher

Answer 9

You can do whatever you want, but I don't honestly think that is a healthy way to live. There are certain nutrients you are missing out on, and your body is probably craving the foods that have them. Maybe you are needing calcium because you are craving dairy. Or protein because cheese has protein and most vegetables are low in protein. I read that you need to be taking a supplement especially for B vitamins if you don't eat any meat, but it is healthier to get vitamins from natural sources. At least add some dairy maybe if not any animal protein.

Answer 10

make your own.. i saw some bocca meat that was shredded and some veggie chesse in the veg and fuirt dep.at walmart... i am a meat eater but decided to give it a go.. and i got the bocca burger and the chesse and i could not tell the difference