You Can Live Without Cheese, I Promise
Tasty substitutes to try if you’re going dairy-free
If you asked my mom what I loved eating more than anything when I was a little kid, she’d probably tell you it was cheese. She’d take me on special trips to the grocery store, just the two of us, and when we visited the deli section, I‘d freak out with happiness because the guys working behind the counter always gave me my very own piece of cheese.
Fast forward 35 years later, when I realized I needed a wellness reset and everyone was going crazy over Whole 30, which entailed giving up — you guessed it — dairy. After I jumped on the Whole 30 bandwagon, I thought I was going to die without Parmesan grated over pasta, slices of manchego with red wine, quesadillas filled with melted, gooey pepper jack. Cheese wasn’t just a guilty pleasure, it was one of my regular food groups.
But I knew if I didn’t change things soon, I’d be unhappier than I’d ever been with my body, and I was tired of feeling bad about myself. So I did what all good cooks do who refuse to compromise flavor for health reasons: I went online and learned everything I could about how to make delicious dishes without cheese.
