When I was a child, cream cheese was much like a food group for me. Every day, I would bring one or two of those creepy yet convenient packets of cream cheese with me and put it on just about any food item with glee. Luckily, for me, I grew out of that phase, but I definitely still have a soft spot for that creamy goodness of a spread. It’s exciting to see so many vegan cream cheese alternatives on the market.
I’ve tried a few other vegan cream cheeses in my time. Most are okay, but some are downright weird. So, when I got the chance to try out GO Veggie!’s new line of cream cheeses, I was excited yet proceeded with caution. The three flavors that they offer are Original (of course), Strawberry, and Chive & Garlic. I feel as though those three are a good variety for a line that is just starting out. (GO Veggie! is formerly known as Galaxy Nutritional Foods, so some products might seem familiar even though the cream cheese line is new.)
First, I tried the Original flavor with the recipe that I did for the Vegan Cuts Fall Harvest eBook: Fig-Stuffed French Toast (see recipe below). I really liked the smooth and thick texture of the cream cheese, and it was just savory enough to pair perfectly with the sweet fig spread. I was not disappointed!
The other two flavors I tried out a couple of ways. “With a spoon” was clearly the first choice and on their own they were both enjoyable and tasty. I’ve had other onion-type flavors of vegan cream cheese where the onion/chive/what-have-you just isn’t very strong. If you’re going to promise me garlic, give it to me! GO Veggie! found a really good balance between base and flavor, with nice chunks of chive swirling around in there too.
Strawberry was good as well. I’ve tried it with peanut butter pretzels, in a banana bite sandwich with peanut butter, and by itself (refer to spoon method mentioned above). All of the above were very delectable! Also, try heating the Onion & Garlic flavor with salsa to make an addictive dip for tortilla chips. It would be great to serve at your next Sunday football party.
Overall, I was very please with these cream cheese “alternatives” and would definitely buy them in the future.
Fig-Stuffed French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 Very Ripe Banana Peeled
- 1/3 C. Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 T. Ground Flaxseed
- 2 tsp. Nutritional Yeast
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 C. Dried Figs Chopped without Stems
- 3 T. Warm Water
- 4 T. Go Veggie Original Cream Cheese
- 8 Small Pieces of Whole Wheat Bread
- Coconut Oil for the Pan
Instructions
- Using a food processor, puree the banana, non-dairy milk, flaxseed, nutritional yeast and salt together until smooth. Pour into a shallow bowl and set Rinse out the food processor and place the figs and warm water into it. Process until it creates a thick paste, this may take a minute or two. Scrape the walls of the processor so that there are no chunks.
- Taking your bread, spread the fig mixture over 4 slices of bread. Spread 1 T. of Go Veggie Cream Cheese evenly over each of the remaining 4 slices. Sandwich each fig & cream cheese together and press firmly (don’t squish them).
- Warm a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat with a very thin coating of coconut oil. Once hot, dunk each side of the “sandwich” into the banana mixture and let the excess drip off.
- Place it on the skillet and cook until it stops sizzling (usually 3-4 minutes), then use a thin spatula to flip, making sure to get completely under the bread and coating so that it does not tear off.
