The Vegan Holy Grail: Cheese

Good vegan cheese is as hard to find as a mythical old cup

The tang and stretch of cheese has eluded the vegan sector for decades. Cheese, you see, relies on proteins from cow’s milk, and that milk should only be used to feed their own babies, not ours.

Most vegan cheese comprises fat and starch, neither of which are nutritionally good for you, and it’s the added flavours that make it seem cheesier.

And here’s a secret: however good someone says a vegan cheese is, it’s not a patch on the real thing. And I say this as someone, in a former life before the veil of cruelty lifted, loved cheese. I was renowned for eating it. And I was fat. Like, too much cheese and chips fat.

While big food works tirelessly to re-create all the taste and umami of dairy cheese, desperate to gain more profits from cheese-deprived vegans, we’re left with a small selection of phlegmy, claggy, rubbery and often tasteless ‘cheese’ style products.

I’m happy to worship at the altar of this Cathedral

Some are good, and it’s getting better. This is UK-centric, as that’s where I live, but Honestly Tasty’s Bree is a bit of a treat, but my carcass munching frinds didn’t like it. And Cathedral City’s mature vegan cheddar style clag is a thing to behold, the closest I think anyone’s come to re-creating cheese - it even stoinks when you open the packet.

But, and there’s always a but, plant-based Catherdral City cheese is not healthy stuff. It contains more saturated fat per 100g than the brand's dairy-based mature line (25.5g versus 21.7g). There's also 22.4g of carbs and just 0.2g of protein. Interestingly, its ingredients seem all natural, and include water, rice syrup, potato starch and the oh-so-annoying ‘ flavourings’. This pisses me off, because regular readers will know I always love to re-create good products I find at home.

These fat and starch-based products are often UPF level products…they’re highly processed, with a lot of salt, too. Adding ‘cultures’ makes the stodge seem more cheesy.

In vegan cheesemaking, bacterial cultures like Lactobacillus help develop a tangy flavour and break down proteins in nuts or soy to mimic the consistency of traditional cheese. Yeast cultures, including nutritional yeast, add a cheesy, umami flavor and are involved in fermentation to enhance complex flavours. Additionally, mold cultures such as Penicillium are used in special vegan cheeses to replicate the distinct rinds and flavor profiles of cheeses like blue cheese or Camembert.

The Holy Grail is a tangy, tasty, stretchy cheese. A lot of very clever scientists are working in the space, and I recently heard about two kiwi scientists who are working to recreate casein, the part of dairy cheese that has been shown to be as addictive as a crack sandwich. You see, there’s something in casein - according to my admittedly sketchy research - that releases dopamine, one of the feel-good hormones.

The casein protein found in milk is converted to casomorphins compounds by the body. These compounds trigger the dopamine receptors in your brain, making you feel good - and dairy cheese is concentrated cow milk, so the casomorphins are also concentrated. It’s truly addictive, and probably why a lot of vegans still crave cheese.

I found the Holy Grail

H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-OH, sing it with me, to the tune of D-I-S-C-O.

You see, that’s the formula for a vegan casomorphin.

I got to thinking - if the presence of casomorphin is what gives dairy cheese its wonderful, addictive taste - or at least the dopamine-fuelled happy sensation post-consumption, why can’t we create a casomorphin in the lab that doesn’t need cow’s milk?

Turns out we can. I won’t go into how long I spent in the last week reading formulas I don’t really understand, and reading scientific papers, (ask me about solid phase peptide synthesis, coupling reagents and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, go on!) but in short, it seems like a vegan lab-created casomorphin is very complex, costly and technical to make.

Bovine casomorphins, particularly beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7), includes the amino acids Tyr-Pro-Phe, key to its opioid activity.

H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-OH shares this critical Tyr-Pro-Phe sequence. This suggests that it could potentially mimic the opioid-like activity of BCM-7, with a few assumptions. However, the actual bioactivity would depend on several factors including H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-OH’s overall structure, stability, and how it is metabolized in the human body.

At the moment, my research suggests it's theoretical, yet plausible, that H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-OH could influence dopamine pathways similarly to BCM-7.

So come on, big food, up your game and give me the dopamine hit I need from cheese.

The problem, I think, lies in the fact that its manufacture is complex and costly, and adding a lab-manufactured ingredient to a vegan cheese might simply put consumers off.

I’m no scientist, so for now, I’ll stick to avoiding the expensive vegan supermarket cheese, trying to crack the equation for good non-dairy cheese and just keep trying to crack a formula at home. Below are some of my favourite home efforts - just don’t expect that dopamine rush.

Recipes

My go to Cheese Spread

I don’t make this too often, as its calories are high, but when I do, it goes in one sitting! Blending is key, don’t give up, and maybe do it in small batches to make it creamy, rather than crunchy! The original recipe came from the lovely Sweet Potato Soul

Ingredients

• 1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 2-4 hours and drained

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• Juice of half a lemon

• 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

• 1 or 2 teaspoons of miso paste (adjust to taste)

• 1/4 cup water, or as needed for blending

Preparation

• Blend everything until it’s as smooth as a dolphin’s inner thigh.

• Serve on good bread or crackers.

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Vegan Mac and Swede Cheese

Re-creating cheesiness is one of my cooking goals, and my partner loves mac and cheese. This recipe is a great, filling and tasty version, which I was driven to after receiving a couple of giant swedes in a ‘Too Good to Go’ bag from the supermarket.

Two warnings - 800gms of pasta is a MAHOOSIVE amount, and it calls for cashews soaked overnight. I fell for the recipe and did the 30 min hot water soak, instead, and it all turned out lovely. If the recipe seems too big for you, halve the ingredients. The below recipe made enough to feed the two of us about six times! (It freezes well, but defrost/re-heat in a low oven).

Ingredients

• 200 g cashews (soaked overnight, (or soaked for 30 minutes in freshly boiled water)

• 1 medium swede (around 700 g, peeled and cubed)

• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 2 teaspoons miso paste

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

• 2 medium onions (peeled and roughly chopped)

• 4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 200 ml water

• Optional - 50ml of dry white wine

• 2 Tbsps of breadcrumbs, for topping your oven dish

Preparation

• Bring your biggest pan of salted water to the boil and tip in the pasta. My biggest pan still lead to my doing this step twice.

• Boil your pasta for about 1/2 the recommended time on the packet, until the pasta begins to soften but still has a lot of bite. About 5-7 minutes from when the water’s boiling, I reckon. Drain the pasta and leave to rest in a bowl.

• Put the soaked cashews into a high speed blender with 100ml (half) of the water. Blitz until the cashews are smooth and creamy. I did it in small batches, in my nut/ spice grinder, adding water until I thought it was smooth enough. Bit of a faff, but worth it.

• Put the swede, onion and garlic in a large saucepan and cover with water. Salt heavily, then cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the swede is soft.

• Heat your oven to 200C.

• Once the swede is cooked, drain the mix and tip into your blender with the cashews. Add the nutritional yeast, 100ml water, white pepper, mustard, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice and miso paste.

• Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender to make sure everything mixes well, and feel free to add more water and wine, like I did. It seemed very thick to me.

• Next, mix the blended swede and pasta in a large bowl, thoroughly mixing it all up (gently), then transfer to an oven safe pan. Top with the breadcrumbs and drizzle with vegetable oil, if you’re into oil.

• Then place in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until the top of the mac and cheese is browned.

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Vegan Fondue

It hit while cooking the above that the rich creamy cheese sauce could be tweaked to make a fondue…so here goes:

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 2 teaspoons miso paste

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 200 g cashews (soaked overnight, or alternatively, soak for 30 minutes in freshly boiled water)

• 1 medium swede (around 700 g, peeled and cubed)

• 2 medium onions (peeled and roughly chopped)

• 3 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 300 ml dry white wine (ensure it's vegan-friendly)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons kirsch (optional, ensure it's vegan-friendly)

• A pinch of nutmeg

• A pinch of black pepper

• Fresh bread, apple slices, blanched vegetables, etc for dipping

Preparation

• Soak the cashews overnight or for at least 30 mins in boiling water

• In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.

• Add the roughly chopped garlic and onions, sautéing until translucent.

• Add the cubed swede and continue to sauté for a few more minutes until slightly softened.

• Pour the white wine and lemon juice over the sautéed vegetables.

• Simmer the mixture gently until the swede is completely tender, about 15-20 minutes.

• Blend your cashews with enough water to make a creamy paste.

• Transfer the cooked mixture to a blender.

• Add the blended cashews, nutritional yeast, miso paste, white pepper, and Dijon mustard.

• Blend until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, adjust the consistency by adding a bit more wine or water.

• Return the blended mixture to a pot.

• Dissolve the cornstarch in water or kirsch and stir it into the fondue.

• Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the fondue thickens slightly.

• Add a pinch of nutmeg and black pepper, adjusting the seasoning to taste.

• Keep the fondue warm in a fondue pot (hasn’t everyone got one in the back of a cupboard somewhere? If not, hit the charity shops) over a low flame.

• Serve with cubes of fresh bread, apple slices, blanched vegetables, etc for dipping.

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Ian and Henry - together they are BOSH.

Bosh Garlic and Herb Cashew Cheese

Those Bosh boys are great. If you haven’t come across any of their books, shows, or social media, you’re missing out. Just don’t ever bother spending 6-8 hours cooking their lasagne, a classic example of an over complicated, technical and absolutely not worth it in the end recipe. Bitter? Me? Never.

Ingredients

• 300 g cashew nuts, soaked for 30 mins in boiling water

• 60ml water

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• Juice of a lemon

• 1 big garlic clove, chopped

• Small handful of fresh parsley

• 8 chives

Preparation

• Blend your sokaed cashews with enough water (around 30ml, or a tablespoon or two) to make a smooth, creamy paste.

• Add the other 30ml of water, the salt, coconut oil and nutritional yeast. Add more water if necessary - you want a thick, creamy consistency).

• Add the lemon juice and garlic, and blend until smooth

• Transfer to a bowl, add gently stir in your herbs

• Lay out a large piece of cling film on your kitchen counter. Spoon the mixture on to this, and then fold the clingfilm over your cheese and roll it into a log. Or if you’re me, get really frustrated and make a right old mess of it. Key is that there’s no air in there.

• Put it in the friedge to set, for at least a couple of hours.

And finally, this steamed cheese is better than you might imagine:

mensch.chef

A post shared by @mensch.chef

Extra: Find out what a vegan magazine thinks of UK vegan cheeses

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Stuff You Should Know (and care about)

Tell SkyTaxi to Stop Flying Monkeys to Laboratories…

PETA has exposed another airline for shipping monkeys to laboratories, where they’ll be tormented and killed. Dozens of airlines have already turned their back on this shady industry because of people protesting and demanding change. Demand that this Poland-based company stop shipping monkeys, here.

theconciergekitchen

A post shared by @theconciergekitchen

Celeb Chef Dow serves 1000 vegan meals to L.A.’s homeless people

Celebrity Chef Supreme Dow recently set a new Guinness World Record by serving over 1,000 vegan community meals in just 37 minutes in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The area is considered a "food desert," lacking easy access to fresh, nutritious ingredients. Dow's event showcased a massive effort to improve food accessibility and community health through plant-based eating.

The meals featured items like Beyond Meat meatloaf, Spanish rice, kale salad, and chocolate chip cookies. Chef Dow, who runs nonprofit The Harvest Academy, also announced plans to serve 100,000 meals to unhoused individuals in LA over the next decade, reinforcing his vision that "everyone deserves the opportunity to be whole, healthy, and happy."

All You Need to Know About How Meat is Destroying the Amazon

This is a great article, and worth a read, even if you know about stuff like how around 10,000 years ago, more than half of the world’s habitable land, around 6 billion hectares, was covered by forest. Now, thanks to humanity, that has dropped down to 4 billion, and it’s still dropping. Over 40% of global tropical deforestation occurs in Brazil, and an estimated 81,081 square metres of forest land is lost every year for meat production, 80% of which occurs in the Amazon.

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Cause of the Week

Veganism and racism

I came across this article (linked in the title) during a week of insane, hate, ignorance and misinformation driven racist riots across the UK. Heartbreaking.

Veganism sits in a complex place in the world, where we have to pay attention to a web of interrelated factors, and try to find a path through it all. Racism cannot exist in a vegan world, or for that matter, in any sort of world. Sometimes, although we’re vegan for the animals, it’s good to consider the humanimals, too.

Hit up HopeNotHate to help understand what you can do.

As ever, thanks for reading/ supporting/sharing this newsletter. Let me know YOUR favourite cheese - whereever you are in the world!

Love and respect,

Will