cheese fix

I knew the hardest things to give up in this diet would be cheese and milk. Thankfully, I discovered a great vanilla soy milk at Trader Joe's that is a great substitute for milk. But the cheese issue? Now that's been tricky. It's just second nature to grab a handful of shredded cheese and throw it on the top of my salad or add a little cheese to a burrito. I tell you, if there's any family that loves cheese more than ours, I'd be surprised....

1. Summers in VT. Sitting in our cottage in the evening. Someone would grab a paper plate, triscuits, VT sharp cheddar cheese, sprinkle the cheese with some fun spices, and nuke it. Melted cracker snack in a flash!

2. Apple pie without sharp cheddar cheese? Now that's just unheard of!

3. Staple recipes growing up: Cheesy Potatoes, Chicken Divan, Tater Tot Casserole, Grandma's Mac & Cheese...Trust me, the amount of cheese in all of these recipes is just plain extreme.

4. Christmas morning. Cheese danish, and cheesy scrambled eggs. A must.

I honestly think I've started to believe that slices of cheese are just another side dish to any meal. Hmm...what would go well with this salad? Cheese and crackers on the side! What else can I eat with this sandwich? Of course! Cheese and crackers! This pasta needs a little somethin' else. Why, shredded cheese, no doubt! I'm starting to realize this is a problem. Cheese is good, but it shouldn't be the thing to fall back on when I need a little something extra. While I've missed cheese the last week or so, I've discovered that I can do just fine without it, especially when there are recipes like the one we made this week. I got my cheese fix through crushed up cashews of all things. I said to Heather, "How the heck did someone come up with this concoction and discover it would resemble and almost taste like cheese?" It seriously is the oddest recipe we've made so far just because we couldn't imagine how it would turn out. Vegan or not, this mac & "cheese" is a great fix for an obsessive cheese fan like me!