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.
I’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 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.
Shortly 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!
Vegan 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.
Vegan 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
I would love to make the vegan cheesecake for my boyfriend who is just starting to become vegan! It’s great 🙂
I’d definitely make a cheesecake for myself! It’s been so long!
My wonderful boyfriend who recently went vegan. So proud of him!
I would make a heart shaped vegan cheesecake for my husband and son! ♡
My family! They all love cheesecake and I have been looking for a DF recipe!
I would love to make a cheesecake for my husband. He’s been working overtime the past month and taking care of our 4 month old on his days off. I’d love to show him how much I appreciate how hard he works!
I would make a heart-shaped cheesecake for my boyfriend Ryan. We went vegan together and it’s only strengthened our relationship.
I would make a cheesecake for My mom 🙂
I would make a heart shaped vegan cheesecake for my husband, Robert, Daughters, Morgan & Bailey & last but not least, my son, Lucas. They have all reached one of their goals this year and I am proud of them.
For my husband.
I would definitely make a vegan cheese cake for all my school mates. I’m a film student and we all work hard. I would love to share it with them.
My husband has a birthday coming up so I would love to make the cheesecake for his day.
I would make one to share with my friend and hard – working coworker who takes such good care of the rescued animals here!
I would make a heart shaped cheesecake for my partner because she loves cheesecake and I love her!
I would make a heart shaped vegan cheesecake for my girlfriend’s mother, who is new to healthy eating and a skeptic of vegan food tasting good.
I would make it for my wonderfully fantastic boyfriend 🙂
I would make it for my family and myself. whom ever wants a piece!
I would make the cheesecake for my husband and our family 🙂
I would love to make this cheesecake for my second family (my boyfriends family) I am vegan and they love meat, but they are so open minded and always try to accommodate me and they love to try the vegan desserts I make. His nephew is lactose intolerant so I would love to share this with him!
I would make a vegan cheesecake for my boyfriend who has me eating vegan now that I live with him. We are always searching for vegan treats when we go out. I know geese cake is one of his favorites!
For myself! But my family could try it too!
OMG! Cheesecake! Lol!
I like to make one for my grandkids. I tell them I love them everyday.
For me….I deal with strict food allergies and use to lole a real Homemade cheese cake.
I would love to make a heart shaped cheesecake
For my best vegan friend who misses cheesecake!
Myself!! And of course I would share it with my boyfriend. 🙂
i would make a heart-shaped vegan cheesecake for my boys! they are 2 and 4 and have been vegan since birth! plus they have never had cheesecake and love fun shaped food!
I would make it for my family so they can try something new! Am always making vegan dishes for them! Last night I made the beatiful chocolate cake from instructables!
I did all the entries and its only showing 4 :/
for my three kids <3
They’re all there. I can see them on my end. Comments are held in moderation, so they take a while to show up.
I would def make a <3-shaped vegan cheesecake for my veg husband. It may be his favorite dessert.
Thanks. I actually am meaning the following. The last 3.
I would make a heart shaped cheesecake for my girlfriend. I’m vegan and she is doing her best to slowly trnsition from eating meat and animal products. She’s unsure if she could actually go vegan because of things like dairy. She loves cheese and isn’t so sure about vegan cheese. This would really show her that it’s possible to make a delicious cheesecake without regular cheese, which is something that’s important.
I would LOVE to make a great tasting vegan cheesecake for my girlfriend. She has been vegetarian since she was 11 and vegan for years. We have been wanting to make this for a long time! I tried once to surprise her but the recipe wasn’t good. Follow your heart brand is the very best when it comes to vegan dairy products! I have full confidence in this kit!
I’d make a delish <3 shaped vegan cheesecake for Ben Schmitt… aww, I'm so sweet
Me! I think I need some vegan cheesecake self love.
My new husband of almost three months would get a heart shaped cheesecake!
I would make a heart shaped cheesecake for my wonderful fiance.
I would make a cheesecake for my daughters (and me, too)…;)
I would make a cheesecake for all my wonderful non-vegan friends to show them how delicious a vegan lifestyle can be!
I would make a heart shaped cheese cake for my boyfriend cause he eats that instead of cake for his birthday.
For the husband feels like such a boring answer! So I’ll say for Elvis, on his birthday next month. And I’ll eat it in his memory. 🙂
Myself because I’m awesome (and single).
I would make a vegan cheesecake for my coworkers who firmly believe that it could not compare to regular cheesecake. I would love to prove them wrong and open their eyes to a world of delicious vegan food! 🙂
Love cheesecake but I am lactose Intolerant :(!! And have never tried this brand before 🙂
My husband LOVES cheesecake. I would definitely make it for him. We’ve been vegan for a few years, and I’ve yet to make a vegan cheesecake.
My husband and coworkers
I would make a vegan cheesecake for my mom and sister and myself! My mom is open to vegetarianism, but I haven’t quite convinced her on veganism yet, but if I could make her a vegan cheesecake I might just be able to sell her!