Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Ste Martaen Gourmet Cheeses are
a Delightful Vegan Alternative

I first learned about Ste Martaen Gourmet Cheese Alternatives on Twitter, of all places, and I'm glad that I did. These tasty semi-soft vegan cheeses are available in Muenster, Pepper Jack, Smoked Gouda, Colby, and Olive varieties. They're a great soy-free option made with simple ingredients: purified water, agar, organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, and spices. Am I going to tell you that they taste just like real cheese? Of course, not. I'm not aware of any non-dairy cheese that perfectly mimics the flavors achieved from the curdled milk of cows, sheep, goats, or other mammals. (And that's a good thing in my opinion.) But just like the Feta and Bleu Cheeses made by Sunergia Foods that I love so much and Daiya's Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses, Ste Martaen vegan cheeses offer even more versatility in the kitchen and add new palate-pleasing pleasure to everyday vegan meal-planning.


I thought that the Meunster was a beautiful thing to behold! These cheeses shred and slice wonderfully.


And the Smoked Gouda made a delicious cheeseburger. That's a gluten-free Chez Gourmet Oregon Harvest Veggi Patti, (my new favorite go-to burgers), on a Dave's Killer Bread Blues Bun and yes, I do like ketchup!


Last Saturday I treated myself to a delightfully light, picnic-style lunch, which I actually did bring outdoors to enjoy, since the weather was exquisite! All of the Ste Martaen cheeses paired beautifully with Dr. Kracker Seeded Spelt Flatbread Crackers. A handful of farmer's market-fresh strawberries, a small bunch of green grapes, and a glass of vegan Radical Red Wine from The Organic Wine Works rounded out the meal.


I decided to surprise Mark last night and made a huge plate of nachos with Trader Joe's Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips and Ste Martaen Colby and Smoked Gouda cheeses. We both enjoyed the gooey goodness of the Nacho Cheese Sauce, and you can find the recipe here.


If you're lucky enough to live in Chicago, you'll find Ste Martaen Gourmet Cheeses at Whole Foods, Bonne Sante, and True Nature Foods. Otherwise, you can order them online direct from Ste Martaen.

Tasty Update: Mention this post with your first order, and Ste Martaen will send you one free cheese!

Tasty Update #2: New vegan cheese companies are sprouting up like bean sprouts! Check out: Miyoko's Kitchen and Vtopian for vegan aritisan cheeses that are so sensational, even your dairy-consuming friends will be amazed!

20 comments:

JL Goes Vegan said...

Looks delicious! Thank you for posting this!

Domestic Dharma said...

I'm going to keep a lookout for these cheeses, thanks! I secretly love ketchup that much too =)

Anonymous said...

Your wine and cheese photo certainly got my attention. Can't wait to try these!

Abby Bean said...

I've never had "fancier" cheeses since I went veg so young, but I'm anxious to try these varieties even though I have nothing to compare them to.

Thanks for including a melty pic; this is important information!

Jacklyn said...

wow i was just telling my bf yesterday that we will never be able to experience the whole cheese and wine thing and then you go and post this..thank you!

Angel said...

I've actually come to enjoy the "cheesy" flavor of nutritional yeast, so I really look forward to trying these. I've heard that Dr. Krackers are really good, too. Can't wait to try them together.

VeganMarr said...

See? There's just no reason to consume dairy! There are SO many choices these days. I look fwd to these going national in the health food stores. Oh & that veggie burger...is it only local? Does look yummy as well!

Anonymous said...

More proof positive that eating vegan is not about deprivation. While it may be true that cheese is hardest for most people to give up when going vegan, it's in no small part due to the addictive morphine-like chemicals that are present in cow's milk. And since it takes 10 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of cheese, well ... just think about how that makes it hard to resist. Giving up dairy was the best thing I ever did for my health. And now that my dairy-eating days are so far behind me, I really enjoy the occasional faux cheese. These sound especially intriguing. I look forward to tasting them!

marilyn said...

omg it looks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good, I gotta try this stuff!

Graygrrrl said...

I am totally checking them out. I'm so glad they deliver!

WholeFoodVegan said...

NOM! Do want....all of them! :)

Tanya said...

I've never heard of this cheese! Thanks for posting about it. I'm always eager to hear of new vegan cheeses...will have to look for it...somewhere...

Anonymous said...

Free cheese? Ooh, now that's exciting!

Anonymous said...

I hadn't heard about these cheeses before. They sound perfect for hors d'oeuvres. What a lovely opportunity. Thank you for sharing the information and the offer from Ste Martaen.

The Vegan said...

The cheese looks delicious and I would love to try out that burger.
I would leave off the ketchup and add pickles. I would use the ketchup for the fries I would have with it.
I will most certainly be ordering some of this cheese from their site.
Oh and those nachos look like they are to die for!

Anonymous said...

Another vegan cheese? How wonderful!

DJ Karma (VegSpinz) said...

Never tried this brand- your nachos look awesome!

Anonymous said...

Looks like a delightful variety of flavors--the smoked Gouda and Muenster seem especially tempting!

Bryanna Clark Grogan said...

I wonder if this is available in Canada yet? I'm off to check that out1 It sounds fantastic-- thanks for posting, Gail!

kim g. said...

These look so tasty! I'm originally from the Chicago area so I'll have to try to get some of these next time I'm home. The picnic shot looks like heaven!