vegan cheese: a miss.

Yesterday for lunch, I made tomato soup with Tabasco and fresh arugula, and paired it with a grilled 'cheese' sandwich.  The weather called for such a comforting meal, and my hour-long lunch called for a quick and easy prep.  I made a somewhat large pot of tomato soup so that I would have a quick lunch to nuke for a couple of days, but I wasn't terribly hungry so I only made half a sandwich.  I used the super-yummy {I'll get the name for you later} vegan bread, and the not-so-yummy Soy~Sation mozzarella.

I sliced a few thin strips off of the block and arranged them on the bread, then placed the open faced sandwich in the hot skillet.  After a few minutes, even with a lid on the skillet, I noticed the 'cheese' had not even begun to melt, but the bread was browning.  I folded the sandwich in half and turned down the heat a bit.  When the bread was bordering burnt, I decided to remove the sandwich from the skillet. 

I sat at the table with my large mug of hot tomato soup and my grilled half sandwich and dug in.  The soup instantly warmed me.  I had to give myself kudos for adding the arugula for its peppery spice and greenery.  It was delicious.

Next, I bit into my sandwich.
 
I'll admit I was naive to think it would actually taste like real cheese.  With all of our technology, is that too much to ask?? It looked like cheese.  It sliced like cheese.  It even felt like cheese.  But the similarities end there.  It tasted gross, to put it bluntly. 

When I began this post, I searched the manufacturer's website simply for an image to use as a visual.  What I found in addition to said image was off-putting.  Reading the ingredients list {something I usually always do before I purchase an item}, I noticed it contained casein, a milk protein.  According to wikipedia:

Casein is not coagulated by heat. 

It is precipitated by acids and by rennet enzymes, 

a proteolytic enzyme typically 

obtained from the stomachs of calves.

Not only does this explain why the 'cheese' didn't melt when I grilled the sandwich, but it also means this product is not vegan. 

Gabriel found it in the designated vegan corner of the refrigerated section at Whole Foods, so I am guessing he didn't think to read the back label.  The thought had not occurred to me either.  I believe I was discovering the presence of eggs in a package of soy sausages, incorrectly labeled vegan, at the same time he was grabbing the mozzarella off the shelf.

Live and learn {then read the label!} is the lesson I take away from this experience.  I read a recommendation on another 'cheese' from a vegan blogger yesterday, who claims it tastes and melts like real cheese, so I am excited to try it.  

Has anyone else tried this cheese?  Your thoughts?