Parmela: Vegan Parmesan Style Cheese

As a child, one thing that could always be found in my family's fridge was Kraft (or 4C) parmesan cheese. You know the kind I'm talking about; the one that sat on the shelf at the supermarket and didn't need to be refrigerated until you opened it. Dairy products like that would always weird me out, yet parmesan was still my absolute favorite condiment. Eventually my family upgraded and started using a block of fresh parm that they would grate themselves, but as I went veg, all forms of parm were off the table for me. And I've missed my favorite condiment. A lot.

Since I discovered nutritional yeast, it has been my new go to condiment, but it still hasn't quite filled the void; nor have the generic soy parmesan cheeses on the market, or even the nut based ones... until now.

I'd heard rumors that there was a new(ish) nut based Parmesan on the scene, called Parmela, but I hadn't had a chance to try it.  I did get a little sample back during WorldFest, but still hadn't actually used it at home, until recently. Holy moly is this stuff good! 

Where Parmela stands out against other plant based parmesan substitutes is that it is fermented, like real cheese, to give it an authentic tangy taste. To me, Parmela has a great tang that is reminiscent of that Kraft parmesan I loved so much as a kid. (I mean, I put that stuff on everything! Veggies, pasta, rice, I'd make ramen noodles minus the broth and just load it up with parm. I was obsessed.)

Parmela is made with simple ingredients: raw almonds, cashews, nutritional yeast, fermented soy bean; and, has recently been reformulated to also be gluten free.  Unfortunately, according to Parmela's creators, a soy free version is not in the cards for the near future, although it is something that they are keeping in mind once the current product gets off the ground.

Since I do limit my soy intake, I haven't been going to crazy with the stuff, but I have incorporated it into a few meals for myself, like sprinkling it over pasta and in lasagna, served over braised green beans; and even used it in meals for clients. In fact, I used it when I made stuffed portobello mushrooms, which were exclaimed to be "ridiculously good".

My next step is to incorporate into sauce to see if it helps create an alfredo type taste.

Parmela is available at a limited number of specialty stores right now, but hopefully that list is soon growing; it is also available for purchase online. To find out where you can purchase Parmela near you, visit the link below. If it's not available in a store near you, ask for it!

http://parmelafoods.com/Where_to_Buy.html