Some years back, during my early days as a vegan, Follow Your Heart came out with a legendary new vegan cheese. This cheese was legendary for its time only in that it actually "melted". Ah, vegan cheeses have certainly come a long way since then. With so many better options available, I haven't touched Follow Your Heart in many years, but lately I've heard that their new cheeses, such as the slices, are much better than their original product. Today, I will see for myself if this is true!
Buying. Follow Your Heart has a product locator on their website, but I'm not sure how up to date it is, as it does not bring up where I actually found the cheese I am reviewing here. I paid $4.99 for this 7 oz package at my local New Seasons. You can also find it online from Vegan Essentials.
Nutrition. This cheese is primarily coconut oil, with some binders, flavorings and salt. Like any other cheese, it's not a health food and it's not really meant to be one. Eat sparingly as a decadent treat!
Tasting. I tried my first slice just straight from the package. The flavor did remind me of mozzarella, but the texture did not. The texture was "cheezy" enough for me, it reminded me of a firmer deli cheese, but I expect mozzarella to be a bit on the softer side. So, as-is, this cheese is pretty decent, but of course, I need to do the grilled cheese sammich test!
This cheese actually melted quite well. It got nice and gooey, without becoming a liquid mess. The mozzarella flavor seemed to go away a bit when the cheese was piping hot, but came back as it cooled. It didn't have the characteristic "pull" that dairy mozzarella typically has when melted, but it was still pretty darn good.
Bottom Line. This product is a vast improvement over Follow Your Heart's original cheese product! The fact that it didn't just melt into a liquid mess was a definite plus, as well the flavor itself has greatly improved. A lot of people compare this product to Field Roast's Chao cheese, and I can understand the comparison. I think I slightly prefer Chao (at least, the creamy original flavor), but Follow Your Heart is still pretty good, not to mention a bit cheaper too! I am definitely interested in giving the other flavors a try.
If you like cheese, I would say these slices are worth trying. They are gluten & soy free, if that's important to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment