“Say [We Can’t Say It’s] Cheese”

The nice folks at Wayfare Foods sent me samples of their vegan cheese spreads and dips called “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese.” In addition to their wonderfully rich flavors, the main thing that I like about these products is the ingredient list — it’s short, and it contains only recognizable, natural ingredients. The biggest surprise was that the main ingredient in these yummy spreads is (believe it or not) oatmeal!

We enjoyed the Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread on crackers, celery, and my favorite, sliced apples. I combined the Mexi Cheddar-Style Dip with salsa for a quick and easy queso dip. I thinned out the regular Cheddar-Style Spread with some vegetable broth to make a rich and creamy sauce that I tossed with cooked pasta for a quick and easy mac and cheese. Maybe “We Can’t Say It’s Cheese” but we can say “it’s delicious!”

Other goodies:

The publisher of The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood was kind enough to send me a copy. I’m finding the book to be a tremendous resource for at-your-fingertips information on more than 1,000 vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and seeds, including the familiar and the not-so-familiar. This comprehensive book provides clear and carefully written descriptions of all these ingredients and how they can benefit us nutritionally. The entries also include information on home remedies, nutrition, and natural medicine. There are even a number of interesting recipes and informative sidebars. A great reference book, I’m actually reading it like a novel and enjoying the entries from acai to yuzu.

I’ll close this post with a photograph of lilacs from my garden. I picked some of each of the three different old-growth lilac bushes on our property. The dark purple ones are my favorite, but, interestingly, the white ones seem to have the most fragrance. Does anyone know why this is?