I'm always on the look-out for good cheese alternatives. About three years ago, I bought the almond cheese block form by Lisanatti. In a nutshell, I was not impressed back then. A few weeks ago, my student, Melissa Thurnhofer, wrote on my Facebook wall and asked if I had tried the Lisanatti almond cheese. I wasn't sure if what I had tried a few years earlier was by Lisanatti, so I promised her I would go back and see if it was or not. If it was, then I would certainly give it another shot again.
Well, lo and behold, it was Lisanatti that I tried before. This time, I decided to buy the shredded version of the "cheddar cheese" option. I first tried it in a plain and simple vegetable dish. It was alright. This was looking promising so far! Then I tried it making a spaghetti dish. I used the angel hair pasta version of Barilla Plus (a must! and healthy!) and the Barilla Garlic Sauce (yum!)...I'm a big Barilla fan! I did include the shredded cheddar style almond cheese, and it was pretty good...not bad!
Now on the packaging of Lisanatti, it says "melts and tastes great!". The most common definition of melt is turning a solid into a liquid. I don't know about you, but I sure think of "liquid" as it becoming one and very fluid. However, in the cheese alternative world, I've come to realize that the word "melt" does not have the same meaning for "melt" as in the dictionary. Lisanatti's definition of melt means, it just breaks apart, so it breaks down into smaller pieces and may stretch a little bit. I tried making a "cheese sauce" with Lisanatti for my healthy version of "mac and cheese" and even after almost an hour on heat, the Lisanatti almond cheese never become one, never became a liquid, but became separate little pieces. (My apologies for the unclear, unfocused picture.) If you don't look really closely at the finished product it looks alright.
Tastewise, the Lisanatti in my mac and cheese was not outstanding. It was fair. I'm still working on and tweaking my healthy recipe version of mac and cheese, but maybe next time I will try Daiya or Galaxy Nutrition cheese alternatives. Lisanatti is good for when you do not want strong flavors, but very, very mild flavoring. The protein source is casein from milk products, so those who are vegan will not be happy about this product. This product though does not have saturated fat, which is a nice plus. In addition, the sodium content is fairly reasonable and not as high as other cheese alternatives, so this is an additional plus. Every one has different preferences in tastes, so why not give Lisanatti a try one day. You might like it.
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What other almond cheeses have you tried and liked?
Well, lo and behold, it was Lisanatti that I tried before. This time, I decided to buy the shredded version of the "cheddar cheese" option. I first tried it in a plain and simple vegetable dish. It was alright. This was looking promising so far! Then I tried it making a spaghetti dish. I used the angel hair pasta version of Barilla Plus (a must! and healthy!) and the Barilla Garlic Sauce (yum!)...I'm a big Barilla fan! I did include the shredded cheddar style almond cheese, and it was pretty good...not bad!
Now on the packaging of Lisanatti, it says "melts and tastes great!". The most common definition of melt is turning a solid into a liquid. I don't know about you, but I sure think of "liquid" as it becoming one and very fluid. However, in the cheese alternative world, I've come to realize that the word "melt" does not have the same meaning for "melt" as in the dictionary. Lisanatti's definition of melt means, it just breaks apart, so it breaks down into smaller pieces and may stretch a little bit. I tried making a "cheese sauce" with Lisanatti for my healthy version of "mac and cheese" and even after almost an hour on heat, the Lisanatti almond cheese never become one, never became a liquid, but became separate little pieces. (My apologies for the unclear, unfocused picture.) If you don't look really closely at the finished product it looks alright. 
Tastewise, the Lisanatti in my mac and cheese was not outstanding. It was fair. I'm still working on and tweaking my healthy recipe version of mac and cheese, but maybe next time I will try Daiya or Galaxy Nutrition cheese alternatives. Lisanatti is good for when you do not want strong flavors, but very, very mild flavoring. The protein source is casein from milk products, so those who are vegan will not be happy about this product. This product though does not have saturated fat, which is a nice plus. In addition, the sodium content is fairly reasonable and not as high as other cheese alternatives, so this is an additional plus. Every one has different preferences in tastes, so why not give Lisanatti a try one day. You might like it.
******
What other almond cheeses have you tried and liked?
9 comments:
Thanks for the tips. We use Lisanatti because of concerns about sat. fat and find that it is best in things like cold pasta salad which have a dressing. We do like it in cheese sauce with added garlic, although you are right on about the "melting" issue. Lisanatti is great baked into Lucini's chickpea frittata, with lots of veggies added. Appreciate your site; thanks again.
I just tried the Lisanatti Mozzarella style cheese for pizza. I used the Pillsbury Artisan wheat crust(so good) and a meatless meatballs for a topping. I am so happy to say I have finally found my mozzarella replacement!! I can finally get closer to being vegetarian non-dairy.
It should be noted that this cheese substitute is NOT non-dairy! Casein is a milk protein which means it is derived from dairy. I was really bummed to find this out as I cannot eat dairy and thought these types of cheese substitutes would be just fine to consume-until I looked into what casein is. Many people do not know this as these cheeses are advertised as a non-dairy substitute. Spread the word!
The daiya and follow your heart are both casein free
It looks great, and delicious, I'll try this. Can't wait to taste it, thanks for sharing this. Such a great post !
I love the jalepeno style almond block. I cut some thin slices and layered them in a quesadilla. It melted really well on a corn tortilla and became gooey. Half the calories, almost no fat compared to reg cheese, and the same amount of protein? I didn't realize this could exist and taste fine. Happy to have a cheese option again. I don't eat macaroni and cheese so I never tried to melt it to that extent but it probably wouldn't work for this one either based on your results.
Thank you for sharing! I'm going to have to try the jalepeno almond block! I appreciate it when others share other flavors and their experiences with me. I can't wait.:)
yup
yup
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