Dr. Cow Tree Nut Cheese

Photo taken from The Healthy Happy Life blog.  See her review  here.

While I hate to just give away free advertising when other companies have been so generous to donate items for review, I can't let this go without saying; Dr. Cow Nut Cheese is rocking my socks off.  Instead of the usual vegan cheese that is made by using seasonings to mimic the aged flavor of animal milk cheese, Dr. Cow makes his own nut cheeses and ages them like you would a traditional cheese.

The results?  OMG I'm in nut cheese heaven.  Now, this isn't cheddar or American cheese.  This is some strong tangy cheese reminiscent of when I used to go to a little cheese shop in Carmel, CA and they would give you tastes of the most fancy and exotic stinky cheeses from around the world.  I'm fairly certain that shop is what nailed the coffin on my ability to digest dairy.  But that's okay, I don't want dairy in my diet anyway.  I do, however, enjoy a little tang now and then.

I ordered the sampler pack from Dr. Cow's website as a birthday present to myself, along with a few other items I'll review later ;)

The cheese is small, but pungent, and I've only tried two flavors so far.  Both were cashew cheeses, one with dulse and one with hemp seeds.  I didn't mix them into anything, just ate them on crackers or pretzels, and enjoyed every bite.  They are VERY strong tasting, and if you don't like those intense cheeses, these aren't for you.  The texture almost reminds me of a triple cream brie with a fairly soft center and a firmer rind around it.  The cheese is completely creamy, with no grit or other indication that it was once a fresh nut.  The flavor is more like an extra sharp white cheddar.  I will say that despite the strong flavor, my toddler was all over that.  I guess it's true that kids love cheese.

I highly recommend this product for someone looking to indulge, and who is willing to spend the money for it.  At $80, it's a lot of flavor and worth the price, but it's not a huge amount of product.  If you really love your vegan friends a LOT, you could have a wine and cheese party with these and everyone would be amazed.