Last week I revisited some gluten-free products, in that case cookies, and today I'll be revisiting some dairy-less cheeses. Sort of. One of the products I'll be discussing isn't technically, 100% dairy free, but it's close. But more about that in a bit. For the record, I tried two kinds from the Almond line--their mozzarella and cheddar flavors, and one from the Daiya brand--their jalapeno Havarti style. (And a previous post about some non-dairy cheeses, and vegan meats, was on September 14, 2014.)
Almond "cheese" is made by Lisanatti Foods. This company started back in 1976, in Oregon, as P.J. Lisac & Associates, Inc., founded by Phil and Norma Lisac. It began as a brokerage business, but changed into a processing and manufacturing firm after only a short time. Their products are cheese substitutes. The first two "cheese" bases were soy, and then almond. A rice-based substitute came about in the late 1990's. The company also changed its name to its current moniker in the late 1990's. The current name is a combination of Lisac and Simonatti, which was Norma Lisac's maiden name. However, strict vegans can't enjoy Lisanatti products, alas, as they contain casein, a product derived from milk sources. (Because of this, I kind of wonder who they're marketing to, since vegans can't eat their stuff, and regular vegetarians can eat normal, real cheese. But the company has survived for 44 years, so somebody (besides me!) is buying, obviously.) The official company website also notes that Lisanatti is not made from 100% organic sources as well, they "use as many organic ingredients as are affordably available on the commercial market." So those who insist on completely organic products may have reason to reject them, too. Other almond cheese flavors include a garlic herb and a jalapeno one, and they have several kinds in their SoyStation and rice cheese lines.
Daiya Foods Inc. comes to us from the U.S.'s friendly neighbor to the north, Canada. In 2008 Andre Kroecher and Greg Blake started making non-dairy approximations, usually using cassava (see my post on April 10, 2014) and arrowroot as the bases. Food scientist Paul Wong joined soon after, and Frankensteined their products together. Unlike Lisanatti, Daiya is more straight edge, as it were, avoiding all animal products, including milk and eggs, as well as soy, wheat, barley, gluten in general, and nuts. They have many alternate flavors, including cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, provolone, gouda, and Monterrey Jack. Daiya also makes pizza, burritos, desserts, yoghurts, and dressings, some by themselves, others in collaborations with other companies, like Amy's, Gardein, and Tofurkey (see my post on September 14, 2014). In 2017 Daiya was bought up by the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, a Japanese firm. Which started way back in 1921, although its name has changed over the years. Unfortunately, some strict vegans have felt honor-bound to boycott Daiya after this acquisition, since Otsuka uses animal testing for their pharmaceuticals. So, if this is a sticking point for you, be forewarned.
Lisanatti Foods, Almond cheese, cheddar flavor: Orange color. Texture is good, very cheese-like. However, the taste is not like cheddar, or like any other cheese, for that matter. It's not terrible, but it's bland, and kind of plastic-y. I had this plain, and then on microwaved Lean Cuisine classic macaroni and beef with tomato sauce. Both ways tasted about the same, disappointing.
Lisanatti Foods, Almond cheese, mozzarella flavor: As with the previous, I had this plain and on that kind of Lean Cuisine meal. This one was a white color. And the taste was very similar to the cheddar kind--bland, plastic-y, with something missing. Not a good cheese substitute. Not horrific, but kind of boring. This one was slightly better plain, but not significantly. It also melted better than the cheddar kind when microwaved.
Daiya Foods, Inc., jalapeno Havarti flavor: Color was white, with visible green pepper pieces in it. Once again, I had it plain and then with the Lean Cuisine mac and beef with tomato meal. Much better than the Almond kinds. Taste was pretty good, a nice simulation of real cheese. I think the jalapeno really helped. Good both plain and on the microwaved meal. This one melted in a more natural cheese way, too. I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
Therefore, since I gave the Almond cheeses a fair trial, and found them wanting, I won't be buying these again. (I should say, though, that my mother tried and really liked both of these.) I would consider sampling Lisanatti's soy and rice cheese flavors, though, if I get the opportunity. But, conversely, as I mentioned, I really enjoyed the Daiya kind, and I will both try alternate flavors, and probably the jalapeno Havarti one again. Obviously, additional flavors of either company will be added to this post if/when they occur, so stay tuned.
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