Follow Your Heart Shredded Vegan Parmesan, MoFo Day 15

I was raised in an Italian family and one thing that was always available was Parmesan cheese. Not that kind that came in the green plastic jar, but the kind that came from the deli that my mom (or grandmother) shredded or ground to put into a glass shaker. At every meal someone said “did you put the parm on the table?” When I went vegan, I would sometimes longingly look at the cheese and remember it’s tangy taste and salty flavor. Since then I have tasted some sprinkle jar vegan kinds and had not been all that impressed. I was so excited when I saw this product at our local co-op as I had been waiting to give it a try. As soon as I got home, I ripped open the package and threw a pinch in my mouth. It’s been about 7 or 8 years since I’ve had fresh grated parm, but this made me do a double-take thinking I was eating the dairy version. The taste seemed to be spot on. A little nutty, salty, and tangy.

Product: Shredded Parmesan by Follow Your Heart

Overall Grade: A

Pros:

• Tastes like the dairy product it imitates! It is spot on for flavor and texture.
• It melts!
• It adds that touch you need to Italian food.
• The price is in line with other vegan cheese products. It isn’t cheap, but won’t break the bank.
• Since you don’t have to use a lot, it lasted quite a while for me. I did sneak a few pinches from the container every now and then.
• It is soy and gluten free.

  

  Vegan and Gluten Free pizza with the Parmesan sprinkled on top

Cons:

• It isn’t easy to find here. I’ve only been able to find it at our local co-op. It isn’t at my Whole Foods yet.
• It is a little on the salty side. So is dairy Parmesan, but I was kind of hoping the vegan version would be a little less salty.