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Vegan cheese made from nuts

Vegan cheese Amsterdam

Since 2017 Rosie & Riffy follow their passion of creating plant-based, 100% dairy-free, vegan and organic alternatives to cheese. Their exciting and and at the same time challenging journey brought innovation to the cheese sector and is here to stay & grow. Therefore, Rosie & Riffy’s mission is to contribute to a more sustainable world by creating high quality plant based products. Moreover, they are addressing the challenges of environmental and climate changes, health and well-being of all. For this reason, they plan to deliver in Europe and beyond! To be part of a better world they are working hard on scaling up.

We had the honor to interview Tina da Rosa, the co-founder of Rosie & Riffy , offering different handcrafted cheese kinds made from nuts in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Have you tried one of their products yet ?

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Vegan cheese made from nuts
Vegan

Vegan cheese made from nuts

Since 2017 Rosie & Riffy follow their passion of creating plant-based, 100% dairy-free, vegan and organic alternatives to cheese. Their...
Read More

Curious how vegan cheese is made? Learn more about their handcrafted, delicious specialities in this article. We will dive deeper into the topic of how to produce vegan cheese. Discover how you can implement this amazing diary-free alternativ to your diet.

Q: How are Rosie & Riffy’s cheeses made?

A: Our Cashew nut-based cheeses are made very much like conventional cheese. We like to keep our ingredients as basic as possible so all that you will find in the base of all our products at the moment are cashew nuts, water, bacteria for the fermentation and salt. As you can we like to keep it simple, honest and healthy.

In other words, we use the same techniques as cheesemaking but with some tweaks to accommodate the differences in the raw material. Instead of using animal milk we start with a nut puree and use lactic acid bacteria to ferment the puree.

The acidity from the fermentation brings out flavors and changes the texture. At this stage, what you have is very similar to sour cream. Then it goes into a cheese cloth and the excess water gets drained away and what you have then is a very fresh cream cheese. In a next step, we dry it into Creamy Cashew Wheels or ripen into Camemberti.

Q: What are the benefits of vegan cheese?

A: Plant-based cheeses are very beficial in that it skips over the whole process of impregnating an animal in order to produce milk. By eliminating that whole process we are not only able to eliminate the greenhouse gasses associated with belching cows but also the inefficiencies of the supply chain.

Calves need to be feed and kept for two years before being inseminated. Once they are in the cycle of being impregnated and giving milk they are slaughtered after three births because milk production is reduced. As a consequence, they only have a lifespan of five years of life, two unproductive years and three of those years giving milk. If you take a cashew tree it takes about three years to get a full harvest but lives and gives fruit/nuts for up to 25 years.

So, plant-based cheeses have the benefit of being more environmentally friendly but also more efficient and sustainable.  We can sit here and say how good it is for the planet but what about the consumer? Is it good for them?

Surely, we have given a big push to improve the quality of plant-based cheeses. We have recognized that taste and ingredient quality are so important in supporting people who want to make a switch to a plant-based diet. In the end, we need to have products that are good for us as well. Right?

That’s why we choose not to fill our cheeses with oil or fillers and use organic cashew nuts from a fairtrade supplier. This way we can benefit our customers, the farmers and workers of cashew nuts and the planet as well. It’s an all-round win situation.

Q: What are recipes with vegan cheese?

A: Yes, we there are various vegan recipes that include our vegan cheese.

Rosie & Riffy cheeses don’t melt yet. I’ve had the most success making stuffing for pasta shells with our Creamy Cashew Wheels. You can mix it with spinach, pesto, sweet potato and use this to stuff pasta and bake it with tomato sauce.

Our Camemerti can be lightly heated and used to top any salad. At Restaurant the George in Oisterwijk they made a beautiful salad with grilled spring onions, beets and mustard seeds.

Have you tried Rosie & Riffy’s products yet ?

You can now buy them online in our shop.

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Vegan Food in the Heart of Amsterdam

Vegan, Tofu, Tempeh, Seitan, Protein

Vegan - 5 letters that can change the world. What does it mean to be vegan? How does it impact the environment and how can you start following a plant-based diet? Where to buy vegan food in Amsterdam? And what would actually happen if everyone went vegan?

According to an Oxford study, "a global switch to diets that rely less on meat and more on fruit and vegetables could save up to 8 million lives by 2050, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds, and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion (US)."

At Little Plant Pantry, we try our best to make it easier for you to adapt to a vegan diet. We offer all kinds of delicious products, from flours, grains, herbs & spices, ferments, plant-based cheeses to handcrafted pasta and vegan desserts.

Visit our shop located in the heart of Amsterdam or shop your favourite vegan products online and get them delivered right to your doorstep:

What does vegan mean?

So what does vegan actually mean to us? It is quite simple: plant-based products. In other words, food not made from animals or animal by-products.

What can you eat or drink as a vegan ?

If you decide to follow a vegan or plant-based diet you may want to include the following products into your regular meals:

vegan food Amsterdam

Where to find this delicious vegan food in Amsterdam? You can find fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables at local markets. For the rest, we've got you covered! Combining various ingredients together will allow you to produce your own vegan food, such as spice mixes, granola, soups and stews or even vegan cheese.

What to avoid when you follow a vegan diet

A vegan diet does not include animal products or by-products. When it comes to food and drinks, avoid consuming

  • Meat (including pork, beef, goat, deer, etc.)
  • Poultry (including chicken, turkey, quail, etc.)
  • Fish (including freshwater and saltwater fish & seafood)
  • Diary products (including milk, yogurt, curd, cheese, etc.)
  • Honey
  • Eggs

What is the difference between being vegan and vegetarian ?

So how is vegan different from vegetarian? A vegetarian would eat everything a vegan diet has to offer plus dairy products, eggs and honey. In other words, a veggie-lover that sometimes enjoys yogurt, curd and omelette :). A person that eats products from animals that moo, bleat or hum, but not their meat.

There is no magic to being a vegan. In fact, you've been eating vegan products your whole life! Think bread and vegetable broth.

If you browse our product library, you will recognize most of the products as typical pantry staples. Becoming a vegan does not mean revolutionizing your diet. Quiet often, it is a return to the basics 🙂

Why is vegan food good for the environment?

When you go vegan it is not only beneficial for your body but also for our planet. So why is being vegan actually good for our natural surroundings? Being vegan reduces carbon emissions in big amounts. No forests need to be cut down for planting crops that feed animal stock, less water is used and farmland is more sufficiently used. Studies have shown that being vegan can cut an individual's carbon footprint by more than two thirds.

Curious to know more? Read on to learn how to transition to a vegan diet.

How to start a plant-based diet?

What is the easiest way to start following a vegan diet? We have a few tips here that will make it easier for you to transition to a plant-based diet:

  • Get yourself inspired and research vegan recipes online.
  • Explore local markets and include more fruit and vegetables to your diet.
  • Try to rethink your eating habits.
  • Explore alternatives like vegan camembert, yogurt or grated cheese.
  • Replace protein sources like chicken or meat with vegan proteins such as tempeh.
  • Ask friends who already are vegan how to start a plant-based diet. Sometimes it is easier to change your eating habits if you have supportive friends!

In conclusion, everyone has to find her or his own way of moving towards a vegan lifestyle. We at Little Plant Pantry can help making it a little easier.

How to live vegan in Amsterdam besides consuming plant-based food

Being vegan also means trying to reduce the consumption of other non-food products that are derived from animals. We found some shops in Amsterdam that offer vegan clothes and cosmetics to point you in the right direction when you're doing your research. For fruit and vegetables, we recommend visiting Noorder Market and Haarlemmerplein Market. If you're looking to buy new natural cosmetics, try visiting DIY Soap. As far as clothing goes, many brands now offer vegan clothes (try checking Geitenwollenwinkel and Noumenon). And don't forget to frequent second-hand shops!

Did you know? We also produce our own natural soap and shampoo bars and other natural cosmetics in our store. We are happy to explain more about our products when you visit our shop.

Our favourite vegan recipes

We love to inspire you with some delicious vegan recipes. These are some of our favourite ones:

Vegan cottage pie

Creamy vegan Korma

Vegan snicker bar

lisa_goes_vegan

Meet our vegan suppliers

We work with local suppliers that deliver vegan food to our shop in Amsterdam. To let you know more about where your food is coming from, we started a health food webinar series. Our aim is to ask our suppliers to share their knowledge and shed light on different areas within the field of sustainability.

If you want learn more, check out our recorded webinars below:

In conclusion, we can say that following a vegan diet is better for people and the planet. A win-win for everyone. Give it a try! We can't wait to meet you in our vegan food shop in Amsterdam 🙂