Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Teese, Teese, the magical.. product!

Please head over to my new blog at TheUrbanHousewife.com, where you'll find this post & more!

The vegan blog world is quite the hype machine, it seems there's always a new recipe or product making the rounds & Teese has been exception! While my 1st taste of Teese was back when I returned from Europe, I was lucky enough to have a package arrive at my door with an amount sufficient for proper taste testing! (Yes, that label says "Bloggy McBloggerson"!)

I'll admit, I was quite the cheese lover in my vegetarian days, so I tend to approach vegan cheeses with caution. While there are some decent options on the market, most are rubbery nightmares that don't melt or taste anything like the original. For the most part, I am more than happy to do without these imposters, but watch out sub par vegan cheeses, Teese is here to blow you away!

Anxious to try the Teese right away, I opted first for a quick & easy meal; grilled sandwiches! Using my handy sandwich press, I spread Earth Balance lightly across slices of bread, filled them with slices of Teese, & pressed them in to the grill. What emerged was crunchy pockets filled with ooey-gooey melted Teese centers & I must say, they were wonderful! I was concerned the sandwich grill would not work to melt the Teese, but it actually worked so well, there was some spillage! C'est la Vie! By the way, next to the sandwich is one of our favorite things; Kale Chips!

Next stop, PIZZA! I mean, c'mon, Teese was made for this stuff. Teese comes in Mozzarella at the moment, with Cheddar in the works, so we should all be making pizzas while we wait for the new flavor to arrive. I made a sourdough crust & topped the pizza with tomato sauce, garlic, zucchini, bell pepper, tomato slices, & a few pieces of Julie's Spicy Italian Sausages. Once again, I went with large pieces of Teese, instead of shredded & it worked out well. This was one killer meal that satisfied even my pizza obsessed husband!


The pizza was such a success, we made Calzones next. I set up a little spread of toppings; more sausages, artichoke hearts, garlic, bell peppers, zucchini, tomato sauce, & we each made our own ideal combinations. That is Ryan's hand you see there, even he had fun coming up with flavor ideas. Doesn't a "Make Your Own Calzone" party sound fun? The calzones baked up nice & golden brown & although the Teese tried to escape from them, they were delicious! For an extra decadent treat, I could see Teese & tofu ricotta making an amazing combination!

Finally, I had to try something outside the Italian inspired genre. Previous to going vegan, "pregan" if you will, I used to make Enchilada casseroles often. While I still make them these days, I typically skip the cheese subs & focus on spices & extra vegetables. This time, I piled layers of black beans, corn, shredded carrots, zucchini, onions & garlic between strips of corn tortillas soaked in enchilada sauce & topped it with shredded Teese. Thank you, Chicago Soy Dairy, the Enchilada Bake is back! Once again, it melted easily & brought the dish a new & improved taste!

So, you're probably wondering, how does it taste? What's the texture like? Can you eat it plain? Teese is a soft, fresh mozzarella-style cheese, it's quite moist, but not slimy & doesn't smell bad like Follow Your Heart. It has a creamier, more complex taste than FYH, it's almost buttery. While I noshed on a few plain pieces, my guess is most people wouldn't like it this way, it really is at its best when melted!

Want to get your hands on some Teese? Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe, Vegan Essentials, & Pangea have it available via mail order. Also, Chicago Soy Dairy has a listing of places stocking it or using it HERE. Finally, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, I've convinced Rainbow Grocery to carry it, so look out for it starting as soon as June!

47 comments:

Vegan_Noodle said...

I <3 your <3-shaped pizza! I still have some of the first batch of teese in my fridge (when they first started selling it to individuals).... shameful!! I tried a grilled teese sandwich and didn't put enough cheese on, it all kind of disappeared into the bread. This post gives me hope... and inspiration!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

ahh, more Teese! everyone in the blogging world is getting a taste of it, it seems. I love how you tested it, with the pizza, calzones, etc.! fabulous!

Leigh said...

Your heart-shaped pizza expresses how I feel about Teese. Soooo good.

Animal-Friendly said...

I love how your pizza is heart-shaped! It is definitely superior to circular pizzas

And a "make your own calzone" party really does sound fun! I have finally bought some Teese and have it in the freezer now, waiting for some time to finally make some great meals with it. I'm so glad to hear how good it is because now I'm looking even more forward to it!

Bianca said...

Aw man, I've so gotta get me some of that stuff. I tried ordering from Vegan Essentials a few weeks ago, but they were out...I gotta try again.

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

Oooo, I'm glad you liked it! I've heard a couple nay-sayers lately and didn't quite get it - it's honestly melty and good - especially if you like FYH.
love the pizza!

bianca said...

Cutest pizza ever!

I can't believe you convinced cheesemonger Gordon to carry Teese. Yes!

Anonymous said...

Cool! Thanks for getting it in rainbow :)

Another really good vegan cheese is scheese... http://www.buteisland.com/ delish. the melt and non melt versions are both v tasty. You can get it in the UK, but not sure if it is available here. Actually the website says that wholefoods stocks it, but I haven't seen any evidence of that.

Can't wait to try out teese :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for getting Rainbow Grocery to carry Teese! The shipping costs were killing me!

Angie Eats Peace said...

Thanks for the info.
I have also recently heard more about Teese and am excited to try it out!

I also love the heart pizza!

julie hasson said...

Your pizzas are beautiful Melisser! Love the hearts.

It's great reading your thoughts on Teese. Now I'll have to pick some up and make some Teese pizzas.

Unknown said...

your pictures are ace! I wasn't impressed with teese at first, and I grew to love it and will probably order more once my current batch is gone.

Jess said...

I keep meaning to post about my Teese experience, too! I've been a lazy blogger. I haven't made anything but pizza with it yet, but I think that was the ultimate test. I was quite impressed! Everything of yours looks so delicious... But those pressed sandwich pockets are especially tempting... Good job convincing your local grocer to carry it, too!

Unknown said...

I love using my sandwich press for grilled Teese sandwiches!! I always throw in some pesto and sliced tomatoes, MMM!

The heart shape pizza is ADORABLE.

DJ said...

Melty vegan cheese? Surely not... I am not a vegan cheese lover per se as I was a big cheese fan when omni, and most vegan cheeses suck ass, so here's hoping we get Teese over here sometime before 2015...

JENNA said...

one of these days i will order some Teese. in the meantime i will just look at all your lovely cheesy teesey meals.

Rural Vegan said...

I'm very happy to read a positive Teese review, I'm going to pick some up next time I'm in the city. Rumor has it that Chicago Whole Foods are using it on their deli pizzas too.

Erin said...

Hooray for Teese! I am also a fan, can't wait for more flavors. I can see cheddar making a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. I've been making pizzas too, and I shredded my Teese, but next time I'm going to go with slicing like you did. The shredded cheese tended to clump together and not cover evenly.

Meghan said...

i want it (teese). bad.
your pizza looks yummy.
i'll take that too!

bazu said...

hee hee, I'm going to call you bloggy mcbloggerson from now on! and I'm drooling over all your teese creations- I haven't had a chance to taste it yet, but reviews make it so tempting!

Anonymous said...

Aww, what a -lovely- pizza (pardon the pun)! I'm working on a review of Teese as well, although I think it's already pretty obvious that it kicks ass. :)

Anonymous said...

Curious minds want to know, how does the Teese grilled sandwich compare to the one in Pogo?

sarchan said...

Wow, that's the most adorable pizza I've ever seen. Good to know that aside from melting better, Teese differs in flavor from FYH mozz (which I never really loved so much). I need to order some already!

AJ Bindel said...

DUDE! That's wicked awesome! I'm totally going to order some Teese soon and get my pizza on. Mmm...

Oh yeah, and it's till not safe fr you to look at my blog or Flickr yet. ;)

I'm mailing your surprise off tomorrow.

Melanie said...

Oh Mm Gee. I gotta get me some teese! All the food looks delish.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

That heart-shaped pizza is especially beautiful.

Anonymous said...

Your heart shaped pizza is so cute!!

Tami said...

You really know how to get your Teese On. Wow! Everything looks amazing.

Cakespy said...

Oh Bloggy Mc Bloggerson, you're the teese! This pizza looks off the hook delicious--you're really selling this cheese! Mr. Cakespy and I will be on the look for it, we almost exclusively buy vegan cheeses and area always looking for one that melts nicely!

shannie cakes said...

thanks to you melisser i just made my first grilled cheese in over a year! yes i know its 2am but i have a weird schedule.

i bought a pound of the mozzerella teese a few months back (the shelf life is a DREAM) i've just been tossing it on pizzas and in calzones because on it's own it kind of scares me haha.

your grilled cheese looked so delish i thought i'd try it. it's scary how much it tastes like "real" grilled cheese! i could only eat half it was so rich and creamy!

my waist line thanks you, once again my dear!

meesh said...

Hi, I found you from clicking on a link at Bazu's blog. I just wanted to say as a vegan and a native of Wisconsin, thank you for reviewing the Teese! I have all but given up on finding a tasty vegan cheese substitute that doesn't taste like melted platic. Also, a big thank you for the links on where to order it. I'll be giving it a try in 3 - 7 business days. ;)

Ruby Red said...

Thanks for such a thorough Teese review. I have one of those adorable little sandwich press toasters - now all I need is some Teese so I can copy your awesome-looking sandwich! I used to be a calzone lover, too. Three cheers for Teese! And four cheers for your heart-shaped pizza!

Natalie said...

Wow, I need to buy some Teese now, you've convinced the Midwesterner to try non-dairy cheese! Way to go!

shannie cakes said...

melisser! the bakery site is awesome! can't wait to see all you're able to do with it!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

yep, Teese is the best! i was thinking about a grilled Teese sandwich just a minute ago!

Anonymous said...

I love getting packages in the mail! You heart shaped pizza rulez.

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

Wow that cheese looks amazing.. i really miss it! Im allergic to soy so I cant have most Vegan cheeses...but im jealous that I cant try teese for myself!!

Carrie™ said...

This sounds very promising. Scheese didn't do it for me. Maybe Teese will. Pizza looks killer!

urban vegan said...

I'm a teese virgin.

Anonymous said...

i just bought a pile of kale and can't wait to make those kale ships, lady!!! yum!!

Anonymous said...

I am going to Chicago next week and am bringing my cooler so I can stock up and bring home Teese! I can't wait. I just found the perfect crust recipe that has been begging for some decent vegan mozarella.

Adriana said...

I made kale chips last night. They were delicious! So much so that even my veggie challenged omni husband loved them.

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