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Vegan and Fabulous!

Follow Your Heart Review, Recipe and Giveaway

December 10, 2013 By Dianne

If you haven’t been vegan for very long, you may not know about the early days of vegan “dairy” products. I went vegan in 2001, when there was one type of mayo readily available, and it tasted kind of like rancid oil. There were one or two types of vegan cheeses on the market, and they were similar to waxy chalk. My only guess as to how the companies stayed in business is that vegans were so eager for vegan versions of their favorite dairy products that they were in denial over what they really tasted like. 

 

VegenaiseI’m not really sure when I first discovered Follow Your Heart’s Vegenaise, but it was was a life changer. Rich and creamy, it tastes like what I remember mayonnaise to taste like. I began using it everywhere I could, and I found myself coming up with excuses to make sandwiches and potato salad, just so I could have more of it. A few years later, I heard that Follow Your Heart had begun making Vegan Gourmet Cheese. I heard that it melted and stretched and could be used on pizza. I salivated at the idea of a cheese pizza. I had friends in California who had tried it and told me it was amazing, but distribution hadn’t quite reached the East Coast yet. I remember the day I finally found Vegan Gourmet Cheese. I was in Watkins Glen, NY, visiting Farm Sanctuary, and I stopped at the local health food store to see if there were any snacks I could buy for the ride home. There in the refrigerator case was block after block of Vegan Gourmet. Fortunately I had a cooler bag in the car so I bought as much as the bag would hold. Soon after, I was able to get Vegan Gourmet Cheese at my local Whole Foods. Pizza Night became a regular occurrence and I started looking for foods to melt cheese over.

 

Vegan Gourmet ShredsVegan Gourmet Cheese is now available in shreds, making Pizza Night and Taco Tuesday even easier. They melt, stretch and they taste like cheese. Win win win! Vegan Gourmet Shreds are available in Mozzarella, Cheddar and Fiesta Blend. I like that they melt without getting slimy or oily, unlike some other vegan cheeses on the market.

 

 

Vegan Gourmet Sour CreamShortly after I discovered Vegan Gourmet cheese, I noticed that they were making both cream cheese and sour cream, which meant that vegans had now successfully conquered the dairy world. We could now have bagels and cream cheese on Sunday mornings. We could have a baked potato with the works. We could make cheesecakes and dips for parties. A new era of vegan food was upon us. Going vegan no longer meant giving up cheese, mayo or sour cream – it just meant switching to a more compassionate brand.

 

Speaking of dips for parties, Follow Your Heart was kind enough to share this recipe for Spinach Artichoke Dip with us. This is sure to be a hit with guests at holiday parties this month. You may want to make a double batch, because it will disappear quickly! 

 

DipVegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

  • ½ white onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ cup Vegan Gourmet® Cream Cheese
  • ½ cup Vegan Gourmet® Sour Cream
  • ¾ cup Vegan Gourmet® Shreds- Mozzarella
  • 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • Bread crumbs or Panko

Preparation

Chop onion and garlic and sauté in olive oil on low heat until translucent. In a medium sized bowl, mix the onions and garlic with the cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella shreds, chopped artichoke hearts, and spinach.  Add freshly cracked pepper and a pinch of salt. Pour into oven safe dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbling and browned on top.

 

FYH_Vegan Cheesecake KitVegan Gourmet is also being kind enough to give a cheesecake making kit to one lucky Chic Vegan reader! The kit includes:

  • Follow Your Heart® Vegan Gourmet® Cream Cheese
  • Follow Your Heart® Vegan Gourmet® Sour Cream
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Mini Heart-shaped Springform Pan
  • Cheesecake Filling Bag: Sugar + Cornstarch (exact measure)
  • Margarine (non-hydrogenated & non-dairy)
  • Gluten-Free Crust Mix: Vegan & Gluten-Free Crumbs + Sugar (exact measure)
  • Spatula

Follow the instructions below to enter. U.S. residents only, please. Contest ends at midnight EST on Monday, December 16th. Good luck!

 

 

Recipe and photos courtesy of Follow Your Heart

Related

Filed Under: Giveaway, Recipe Tagged With: Cheese, cheese cake, cheesecake kit, cream cheese, featured, follow your heart, giveaway, party dip, sour cream, spinach artichoke dip, vegan, vegan gourmet, Vegenaise, vegetarian

About Dianne

Dianne Wenz is the Editor-In-Chief for Chic Vegan. She is a Holistic Health Counselor, Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Plant-Based Nutrition Specialist. Dianne coaches people from across the country to help them improve their health and wellbeing, and she helps people make the dietary and lifestyle changes needed to go vegan. Dianne lives in New Jersey, where she runs the busy MeetUp group Montclair Vegans. Through the group she hosts monthly potlucks, runs charity bake sales and organizers guest speaker events. An avid cook and baker, Dianne also teaches cooking classes to local clients. In addition to food and nutrition, Dianne loves crafts and cats. To learn more, visit Dianne’s website and blog at Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Leigh Freda says

    December 12, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    I’d make it for myself and anyone else who wants to try!

  2. Kelly says

    December 12, 2013 at 4:55 pm

    My boyfriend 🙂

  3. jen says

    December 12, 2013 at 5:41 pm

    My boyfriend! He deserves a sweet treat.

  4. Eva says

    December 12, 2013 at 9:07 pm

    For the family!

  5. Sarah McLaughlin says

    December 13, 2013 at 2:25 am

    I would make it for my dad as cheesecake is his favorite but he’s never had a vegan version!

  6. Stephanie Carrasco says

    December 13, 2013 at 4:51 am

    I would make it for my family♥

  7. Michelle says

    December 13, 2013 at 11:44 am

    me and my lovely boyfriend!!

  8. Susan G. says

    December 13, 2013 at 8:29 pm

    My friend who is a cheesecake fiend and has been wanting to try a vegan version!

  9. jen says

    December 13, 2013 at 10:01 pm

    I would make it for my vegan (and not-yet-totally-vegan) family members 🙂 Haven’t had cheesecake in so long!

  10. Wendy Erman says

    December 14, 2013 at 3:28 am

    My husband and me 🙂

  11. Jen E says

    December 14, 2013 at 7:05 am

    I would make it for my hubby because he does most of the cooking and baking and needs a much needed break lol

  12. Chuck M says

    December 14, 2013 at 7:15 am

    I’d make it for my wife.

  13. Stephanie says

    December 14, 2013 at 2:27 pm

    Would make the cheesecake for myself, and my boyfriend 8)

  14. Jennifer K says

    December 14, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    I would make a heart-shaped cheesecake for my valentine 🙂

  15. Jen S says

    December 14, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    My fiancee and our family!

  16. Ariel R says

    December 15, 2013 at 9:38 am

    I’d make it to share with my friend 🙂

  17. Maryann D. says

    December 15, 2013 at 10:35 am

    I would make this cake for my daughter who is Vegan.

  18. Adrienne Borgersen says

    December 15, 2013 at 11:30 am

    I’m dying to make a good vegan cheesecake for Christmas…and not tell my family until after they enjoyed it!

  19. S Owens says

    December 15, 2013 at 11:37 am

    I would make it for myself, of course!

  20. Ashley says

    December 15, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    I’d make one for my sister. She recently discovered she is lactose intolerant and I think she misses cheesecake!

  21. melissa says

    December 15, 2013 at 12:47 pm

    I’d make it for my family to enjoy on christmas day!

  22. Crickett says

    December 15, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    I would make a vegan cheese cake for my husband and my best friend!!

  23. Suzy says

    December 15, 2013 at 8:45 pm

    I’d make it for my dad

  24. Phoenix says

    December 15, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    I’d make it for my family.

  25. Frank says

    December 16, 2013 at 12:09 am

    I would make a vegan cheesecake for my wonderful partner (who is always baking delicious treats for me)!

  26. Lydia Claire says

    December 16, 2013 at 4:27 am

    I would make it to share with my mom. =)

  27. Deanne O'Donnell says

    December 16, 2013 at 8:52 am

    My husband who loves cheesecake and is a new vegan.

  28. Katelyn says

    December 16, 2013 at 11:16 am

    I’d definitely make my family a vegan cheesecake for the holidays.

  29. Jess C says

    December 16, 2013 at 12:08 pm

    Myself – I love me and I love cheesecake! Sorry, I’m honest. ☺

  30. Mary Syrenne says

    December 16, 2013 at 1:25 pm

    I’m make it for my family.

  31. Amy says

    December 16, 2013 at 4:20 pm

    I would make a heart-shaped vegan cheesecake for my husband! We’ve both recently switched to vegan because his father (and entire male-side of his family!) all have cancer. It’s taken me years to switch but the health benefits will be totally worth it.

« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. Spinach Artichoke Dip | Gona Be Vegan says:
    December 22, 2013 at 2:19 pm

    […] Original recipe taken from Chic Vegan […]

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