It’s funny what three weeks of no cheese can make you try. I was craving something melty, and so the Daiya vegan cheddar cheese shreds that I read about in VegNews ended up in my shopping basket. The texture was remarkably cheese-like, although a touch grainy. And no, anyone who is eating cheese on a regular basis is not going to find this particularly appetizing, but for vegans, the lactose intolerant, or detoxers like me, it helped soothe my cheese craving. The cheese is made with tapioca and arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller-pressed canola and/or non-GMO expeller-pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegan natural flavours, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor), and annatto. Yeah, that’s some mad food science. I tried it in a sprouted grain quesadilla last night (the tortilla was “crunchy” in more ways than one) and it melted really well; it also was a nice addition on top of my tomato soup. But since I am not vegan, I am going back to the regular cheese I love and adore.
I also was having mad sugar cravings by the end of week two—I just wanted a little treat, so I bought two non-dairy ice creams to compare. What’s funny is I never even have ice cream around my apartment, and now I have two. Anyway, since I couldn’t have any sugar or chocolate, vanilla was the flavor I had to choose. The brand-new Almond Dream vanilla had a nice creamy texture, with a nuttiness from the almonds, but a slightly funky undertone I grew to dislike—but in its favor, it only has 7g of fat for a serving. I also tried the all-organic Alkemie vanilla (you can find it at Whole Foods, made from cashew and coconut cream, but it was double the fat per serving, at 13g a serving (at least they’re “good fats”). The texture was a bit more icy when compared to the Almond Dream, and the coconut gave it a more tropical undertone. But overall I found the flavor to be more appealing and fresh-tasting.
How sweet, a friend brought over some snacks for me to try that I didn’t know about: Kaia Foods sprouted sunflower seeds. I tried the sweet curry flavor, and garlic and sea salt flavor. Both were delicious, good for you, and the kind of snack you’ll keep munching if you don’t watch yourself—they kind of clump up into little bites. It’s the kind of snack that you don’t have to be on a cleanse to dig, so these will remain in my grocery mix. (You can find them at a number of stores in San Francisco.)
