I hit the Irish Jackpot last week I won Gaby’s Give Away for Kerrygold products.
It was St. Paddy’s Day last week, and I guess I had the luck of the Irish on my side because there was:
Cheese galore
And an amazing cookbook. It’s a beautiful, hardcover, book with great photos and recipes inside.
I was seriously blown away by the generosity of Kerrygold’s “prize pack”. They overnight, refrigerated shipped everything to me in California. I have won a fair number of give aways over the past couple years blogging and have hosted at least 75 give aways for my readers on my own site, and this give away was definitely top shelf.
Thanks, Gaby and Kerrygold!
With all that cheese, I think I can make some Vegan Fajitas with Sweet Ginger Lime Dipping Sauce. Obviously they won’t be vegan if I add cheese with dairy, but you could always add vegan cheeze, too.
These fajitas use mushrooms. But feel free to use tofu. I just recently had ‘shroom cravings so am all about them lately.From my last post about my rainy day coffee meetup with Amber, and cookies vs. cookie dough, it seems most of you love your cookie dough. If we all love cookie dough so much, why do we even bother baking the cookies? Because lots of you said you do enjoy the baked cookies, too. Not just dough.
Questions:
1. Do you like cheese?
I loved cheese before I stopped eating it about 7-8 years ago. I used to eat any and all types of cheese.
I’m pretty sure Triscuits + Cheese + Wine was dinner at least twice a week in my early 20s. And honestly, those were great “dinners” and memories.
2. If you don’t like or eat cheese, why not?
For most of my life, I have eaten a largely plant-based diet. Vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian. I dislike labels and since we are all on our own journey, and life ebbs, flows, evolves, and changes, we ought to be present and aware of what will work for us as life and our needs and desires change.
Growing up, even as a small child, I never liked or ate red meat or pork. I ate very limited amounts of poultry and did enjoy fish. However, I have food allergies, including anaphalactic reactions to shellfish that came on out of no where when I was 24.
Around that time I also felt like dairy was also a culprit and I eliminated dairy, including cheese, from my diet.
However, in recent years, it seems that dairy in trace/smaller amounts such as in butterscotch chips or in white chocolate in desserts or in cream in coffee, I don’t seem to have any issues or reactions. I haven’t tried eating cheese though.
No issues with the butterscotch chips in No Bake GF Peanut Butter Marshmallow Bars with Chocolate Frosting
Maybe in small amounts, my body is ok with dairy?
3. If you’re dairy free or vegan, do you miss cheese? Do you miss dairy? Would you miss dairy if you were to give it up?
Many people say they could never go vegan because they’d miss dairy, cheese, yogurt, and such. I’ve said before I really don’t miss cheese or dairy (aside from the traces that I have in recipes). Until I open my refrigerator and see all the cheese I just won.
Or walk around my neighborhood and see people drinking wine and eating cheese. I guess perhaps I miss the memories.
I know we don’t “need” dairy. I did a post on it. Dairy FAQ’s, Calcium, Myths, Recipes. But I do think I “need” white chocolate in my life.
I love nutritional yeast for all it’s cheezy vegan-ness. I have a nooch recipes post with about 15 cheezy recipe ideas but let’s face it, cheeze is not cheese.
Do you eat cheese? Or dairy? Would you miss it if you didn’t eat it?
Cheese is one of my #1 offenders, so I don’t touch it. Even the tiny bit of parm that was sprinkled on the broccoli dish I got at my mother’s birthday dinner the other day bothered me!!! But I have been considering going back to Greek yogurt. I don’t think I will, because ultimately dairy causes me to get more colds. Right now, I’m working on a post for Dairy Free Betty about vegan sources of calcium and oxalates! Sounds fascinating, huh? Ha! :)
“Let’s face it– cheeze is not cheese.” Haha…so true. I do LOVE cheese, but have been cutting back over the last year or so. I could never give it up permanently, but I think the less cheese in my life, the better (for my health…not for my tastebuds though!)
i LOVE cheese. sadly, i’ve struggled with constipation and general stomach issues due to IBS as of late, so cheese has gotten the axe. thankfully, i like nooch a lot :)
kerrygold is the BEST though. their butter is golden and cheesy. i want to know who could eat that much cheese before it goes bad!??! ;)
I’m intolerant to lactose and casein, and I had to quit it when I was 12 which was very hard for me, because I almost lived on yoghurt then. And loved ice cream so much. :( Cheese I never liked so much, though, although I would eat it.
Now, the only dairy products I can and do eat are butter and cream. Kerrygold and organic sweet butter are my favorites! :)
What an awesome giveaway load! I’m sure you’ll make good use of it.
I tend to avoid dairy OTHER than yogurt. I really do feel physically healthier by not eating it, however yogurt still sits well with me.
Wow! That is a cheese haul that you have there. I do like cheese but don’t eat too much of it. I mainly go for white cheeses such as mozarella, feta and goat’s cheese.
ooo those cheeses look so delicious! I absolutely love cheese, that is probably the one food I could never do without, I don’t get cravings for sweets or desserts ever, and I could care less about soda or chips, but I always crave cheese!
I’m kind of like you. Growing up, I never really liked meat to begin with, so when I cut it out completely, it never bothered me. I do love cheese, but cheese definitely gives my stomach problems. Small amounts of dairy in things such as dark chocolate, don’t seem to bother me. Greek yogurt doesn’t really bother me either. I love big hunks of smelly old cheese… ::sigh::
I was vegetarian for 10 years before I found out I was lactose intolerant. I had a rash on my arm and was gassy, bloated, had diarrhea and uncontrollable bathroom urges. This came out of no where since I have always had a heavy diet with cheese in it. I had already given up ice cream and yogurt and milk and mostly eggs. So to be come completely vegan I had to be done with cheese.
I struggled for 4 years giving up cheese. I had an addiction, it became and obsession where I would guiltily buy it, eat it and then feel bad and not know why since logic says – don’t eat it if it bothers your stomach and body. Then I found out about the science of it. Cheese has two proteins – whey and casein. Casein breaks down into your brain into something called caso-morphine which basically acts like a morphine/drug addiction. After that and learning about the ethics of the dairy industry (I had made some incorrect assumptions) .
I’ve been vegan ever since and have not looked back or missed a thing : ) That said you should do what is right for you. If you can’t give cheese up, then give everything up but cheese.
Yeah I havent had any cheese in 7-8 years or so but lots of people do have issues giving up dairy precisely b/c of the casomorphin addiction. I addressed that in my Dairy FAQs post which is linked in this post or here it is again
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/03/dairy-faqs-allergies-calcium-myths.html
Glad you figured out what works and doesnt for you!
I LOOOOOVE CHEESE & DAIRY!
thanks for keeping it real on your blog about it all too :)
And thank YOU for your support :)
lucky gal! I love cooking with kerrygold. Their cheese is good too. I can still have high fat/low lactose dairy in moderation. But I usually go for the wine and raw nuts/fruit instead. Love those memories too!
“I can still have high fat/low lactose dairy in moderation.”–good to know! I have heard other people say that, too about their choices. Something about the fat helps to “buffer” things.
Oh my goodness… I used to work for a gourmet coffee and grocery shop, and we sold this brand. It was delicious! I have been completely dairy-free, except for the lactose in a prescription I needed to take, for the last two years. While I am stubbornly faithful (to a fault) to my animal-free diet, piles of cheeses still makes me salivate. Looking is okay, right…?
of course :)
congrats on winning that giveaway, averie!! what a beautiful cookbook to add to your collection.
i’m not a cheese fan – just because i don’t really like the taste or texture. not big into cheesy dishes like lasagna or pizza. i DO like milk – although i’ve been choosing almond more and more, of late. milk + cereal – the only way i do milk!!!
LOVE nooch!!! i think it’s the best thing i’ve found thanks to blog reading!
have a great day!
I try and eliminate dairy for health reasons, too. But the thing is, it tastes so good I think it is healthy for the soul! But it’s important to find the balance of when indulging in it is ok–I’m still struggling with that. Luckily I’m a healthy 19-year-old so I have plenty of time to figure it out!
Kerrygold is such a great cheese! We get it here in Saudi, and we love it. Congratulations on your win!
When I was vegan I obviously didn’t eat cheese, and I didn’t really miss it. Cheese is yummy, but it was never something that was a centerpiece of my diet. I’m glad to have it back in my life now, it is a fun addition to lots of dishes.
So glad you have done what’s worked for you, Tasha!