Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Review Of Go Veggie! Vegan "Cheese" Products
Shreds, Cream Cheese, Slices & Parm Topping
Compare To Daiya And Tofutti

These Go Veggie products are non-GMO, dairy and gluten free.

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Need Non-Dairy Dairy?
As you know, I prefer food that is in its natural state and I'm not a big proponent of imitation foods but every now and then a meal or recipe requires some dairy and if you are vegan or allergic to dairy, you need to find an alternative. Go Veggie! dairy-free products fit the bill. Particularly when you are looking for something to smear on your bagel or you need some melty cheese shreds for your lasagna or casserole.

The good folks at Go Veggie! sent me a nice selection of their vegan products and I have, along with friends, been taste-testing them over the last few months. So it's time to share the results!

Go Veggie Shreds
The big question regarding vegan cheese is always, "does it melt?" These shreds melt very well and are perfect for using in a casserole or in a lasagna where you want the "cheese" to flow. But for some dishes, they melt a bit too much. When we tried to make a quesadilla from the Dairy Free Mexican Shreds, the cheese flowed out of the tortillas and didn't provide enough structure to hold it together. We found the slices work better for making quesadillas and the shreds are better to use over nachos. The Mexican Shreds were PERFECT to use for an enchilada casserole! 


Enchilada casserole using Go Veggie Mexican Style Shreds.

The Dairy-free Mozzarella Shreds were just what I needed when I made a big veggie lasagna.

I think the Go Veggie Shreds are far superior to Daiya Shreds in both flavor and how they melt in dishes like lasagna or in casseroles.


Vegan lasagna using Go Veggie Mozzarella Shreds.

One third cup Mozzarella or Mexican shreds has:
90 calories
6 g of total fat 
0 g saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol
1 g of protein
7 g carbohydrate
1 g protein
0 g dietary fiber
210 mg sodium
25% DV calcium
Gluten, dairy, and soy-free

Cream "Cheese"
There are three dairy-free cream cheeses: Classic Plain, Chive and Garlic, and Strawberry. They are all very soft and spreadable. The Classic Plain has a nice mild flavor and spreads more easily than "Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese" but Tofutti has more of the consistency and mouthfeel of dairy cream cheese. The Go Veggie Strawberry cream cheese makes a lovely bagel topping and I used the Chive and Garlic over a steamy baked potato.

2 Tablespoons of Go Veggie Classic Plain and Chive and Garlic Cream Cheese has:
90 calories
9 g total fat
4.5 g saturated fat
0 g trans fat
0 g cholesterol
1 g protein
0 g dietary fiber
120 mg sodium
Contains coconut and soy


Strawberry Cream Cheese has 80 calories, 7 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 g cholesterol, 1 g protein, 0 g dietary fiber, and 105 mg sodium.

Parmesan Topping
Perhaps my favorite product is the Parmesan Style Topping because it really has the tangy, cheesy taste of Parm. Made from rice and soy, it has only 20 calories in 2 teaspoons and only 1 g of fat. The product clumps a bit but just shake it and all is well.


Fusilli and peas with Go Veggie Parmesan Style Topping.

"Cheese" Slices
Go Veggie has four different dairy and gluten-free cheese slices: Cheddar, American, Pepper Jack and Mozzarella. My favorite is Pepper Jack because it has a nice kick to it. The slices melt nicely and make a good grill cheese sandwich or good addition to any sandwich. Although I prefer to use the shreds, these slices would also melt in a casserole or mac and cheese. Each slice is extremely low in calories and high in calcium. The slices are a bit brittle and tend to break when removing them from their wrapper.

1 Slice has:
35 calories
2 g fat,
0 g saturated and trans fat, cholesterol
1 g protein
5 g carbohydrate
0 g dietary fiber
150 mg sodium
20% DV calcium
Gluten, dairy, and soy free


Grill "cheese" sandwich with Go Veggie Cheddar Slices

To find out where to buy Go Veggie products, just enter your City, State, or Zip code on their website.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Agreed! The Go Veggie mozzarella shreds are perfect melted in a casserole and on a pizza. More important, recipes taste delicious with the Veggie shreds. In contrast I find Daiya has a sort of slippery texture when melted, and it is tasteless.
Veggie Shreds are far superior and furthermore the best non dairy cheese replacement I have ever tasted.

Dr. Joanne L. Mumola Williams said...

The Go Veggie mozzarella does melt beautifully. I also LOVE the Go Veggie Parmesan topping. Have you tried that one?
Joanne

Unknown said...

What oven temp and for how long should I keep the pizza in the oven to get the shreds to melt on the pizza if pizza is already cooked.

Dr. Joanne L. Mumola Williams said...

I haven't done this particular thing, but not very long. These guys melt very quickly. With a pizza, try putting it into a hot preheated oven , maybe 400 or more, and keep an eye on them. It shouldn't take more than 5 or 10 minutes. This is just a guess though.

MissMia said...

Having never been diet restricted before i had never tried this cheese. However niw the need arises. I tried the cheddar slices on an egg white and mushroom omelette..delish!! ( secret confession..im a merchandising rep that maintains this product on store shelves.i now have a great way to promote it while shoppers are comparing products..i can tell them 1st hand its DELISH!!!)

Deb said...

I tried the Go Veggie Mozzarella shreds in a vegan lasagna last night and I really liked it.

I had tried Daiya and didn't like their flavor. It had an aftertaste or just something fake tasting.

This was milder and I think milder and melts was a perfect combination.

Hooray, I can still have lasagna!

Dr. Joanne L. Mumola Williams said...

Hi Deb,
It's so exciting to know we can still enjoy our favorite dishes!!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Joanne