VBites Cheezly Proves That Melt Isn’t Everything
It’s been an amazing year for vegan cheese lovers. Daiya has raised the bar for vegan cheese that melts and their cheese has been appearing in pizzerias all over the country. Vegetarian food companies from Amy’s to Tofurkey are also introducing vegan products made with Daiya cheese. So now that we’ve achieved melt nirvana, what about cheese that doesn’t melt? I’m talking about the kind of cheese that can be sliced, set on top of a cracker and munched on from the left hand while sipping a glass of wine from the right hand.
Until recently there hasn’t been much to choose from in this department. Fortunately, Heather Mills wants to change that. After purchasing the UK based Redwood Wholefood Company last year, Ms. Mills rebranded their Cheezly line of vegan cheese under the VBites label and added several new melting and non-melting varieties to their lineup. I recently sampled three of the new cheeses and my only disappointment is that I couldn’t try all of them.
VBites Cheezly assortment: (Clockwise from bottom left) Pepper Jack, Soy Free, Smoked Cheddar
Of the varieties I was able to get my hands on, Pepper Jack, Smoked Cheddar and Soy Free, the hands down favorite was the Pepper Jack. Interestingly enough, although the Pepper Jack is one of the melting varieties, I found it to be far superior when eaten straight out of the package. While the taste was excellent, the consistency was disappointing when melted. Eaten un-melted however, the consistency was creamy while the flavor was sharp with a good kick courtesy of the green chilies. A vegan cheese like no other, this is the kind of cheese that could be served to dairy cheese eaters and they would have no clue that there was not a trace of dairy to be found.
Those same dairy eaters would probably be happy with the Smoked Cheddar as well. The flavor was distinctly cheddar with just the right amount of smokiness. The other non-melting variety, Soy Free Cheezly, also impressed. Softer and milder than the Smoked Cheddar, it still packed a cheesy flavor that is sure to satisfy those who are allergic to soy.
Hopefully, by the time you read this, VBites Cheezly will be available in the US. If you’ve been postponing your wine and cheese party because you couldn’t find vegan cheese that makes the cut, your wait is over thanks to VBites.
VBites Cheezly
vbitesusa.com
VBites Cheezly Pepper Jack
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VBites Cheezly Smoked Cheddar
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VBites Cheezly Soy Free
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Oh man, I cannot WAIT to try this stuff! I want them all… Thanks so much for the great info!
Try Dr. Cow’s vegan cheese! It’s also perfect for slicing and super gourmet.
I really wish there were more tasty cheese alternatives that weren’t soy based. I am on a wheat/dairy/sugar/soy free diet(a lot, I know!) and the rice and almond based cheeses are terrible! I just tried Daiya for the first time at a local pizzeria last night, and went right out to buy a bag of both flavors. I like them both and can’t wait to cook with them, but the fact that it only comes shredded is a drawback.
I’ll be looking for the VBites Soy Free, I just wish there were more soy free flavors. I’m pretty sure they’ll be coming, though.
Angela, VBites is now at Whole Foods, so if you don’t see the soy free variety, maybe you can have them special order it.
Vegan Essentials sells Daiya in 5lb blocks at http://store.veganessentials.com/daiya-5-lb-bulk-vegan-cheese-blocks-p2826.aspx . Yes, that’s a whole lotta vegan cheese, but it can be cut up and frozen and then thawed as needed.