I was wondering if anyone knew of any good brands of Tofu or cheese without rennet or tofu dogs anything. I am fairly new so any yummy food ideas would be greatly appreciated

Tofu - they all taste the same.

Tofu dogs - I've had smart dogs and morningstar brand dogs that taste pretty much how I remember hot dogs to taste.

For tofu, go for the water-packed variety it tastes so much better than the boxed.



I'm not a fan of tofu dogs anymore, but I used to buy smart dogs. I think I burnt myself out on them. Maybe, its time for another try.



Sorry, I have no cheese recommendations.

They make un-water-packed tofu?

Also make sure the tofu is organic. Just about any water packed organic tofu is good. If you live in the US you'll probably be able to find nasoya the easiest.

Thank you guys for the tips. I just got back from the store and picked up water packed tofu and it happened to be Nasoya!! Im going to make a smoothie. I really appreciate everyones help.

Smart dogs are pretty good. My boyfriend swears by the Yves brand Tofu Dogs, though. They taste the same to me...



My grocery store carries a brand of veggie cheese that's just called "Vegan." It's in a purple package, if that helps. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it many other places.

To make a hotdog, I just slice off a piece of tofu from the brick. I either bake it or smoke it, put it in a bun, add mustard, relish, whatever. It's been so long since I had a meat hotdog that my plain old tofu version works for me (and my kids who have only know a hotdog this way).

Smart Dogs are my favorite. They seem to hold up on a grill best. I do like Morning Star Farms, as well.

The best veggie hot dogs are Yves brand "The Good Dog". It's in the same section as the tofu actually. I don't like tofu, so I don't have any recommendations on that, and I don't eat cheese so can't help you there either.

I love smart dogs. My parents swear it almost tastes the same as meat.

The Yves brand Tofu Pups are my favorite, but I also like Smart Dogs a lot.

are you vegan or vegetarian?



Vegan rella is very good cheese.. the best in my opinion.. (Most of the other brands ive tasted are really gritty and soft like firm tofu ) vegan rella comes in different flavors like chedder jack and swiss....

All great ideas - I just bought Yves lunch "meat" I havent tried it yet but hearing you guys mention this brand makes me feel at ease.

I would have to agree with the recommendation about vegan rella. I also like vegan gourmet for cheese. But I like making my own cheese from nutritional yeast the best.

nasoya--is good and so is the morningstar farms--but imo they all kinda taste the same.



peace and love



jenn

(Faints) ACK! No, no no... that's like saying all chocolate tastes the same. Tofu doesn't have much of a "taste", this is true, but there are huge differences in taste, texture and appearance between brands...


Nasoya is probably the most widely available, but is far from the freshest tasting or "best" by a long, long stretch... (Personally I find it nasty)

As bigdufstuff mentioned though, try and find organic if you can afford it. (I often can't).

Fresher is better with tofu. Look for it in bulk in Asian markets if you're adventurous enough to go there. It will be totally different than supermarket packaged tofu. Store the fresh tofu in a tupperwear container of water, change the water every day and use it or freeze it soon after buying it. GOOD stuff!



If you have to buy supermarket tofu, look for a brand made locally. (Or somewhere as close as possible). These will usually be fresher and firmer and have a MUCH better texture. Also, the smaller companies (Small Planet, Holy Cow, Common Ground, are some brands I know) usually make a far superior product.



If you're not going to cook it or use it in stir-fry and just going for that smooth, custardy texture however, the aseptically packaged (Mori-Nu) stuff in the box is almost tasteless and perfect for smoothies, dips, dressings and desserts. I don't care for the texture of water packed tofu in smoothies or dips actually.



Good luck! Tofu is an adventure all on it's own, you'll learn what you like and what works best for your favorite recipes as you experiment.

I love me some Smart Dogs.