Ste Martaen Vegan Cheese
A sweet couple Laviyah and Nahum both run family business based in Chicago, on vegan and gluten-free gourmet cheese and/or alternatives called, “Ste Martaen” (Sahn Mar-tahn in French). Their mission, “is to provide a high quality vegan cheese alternative and share their love of vegan food.” In addition, they have a 100% vegan food truck teamed up with Soul Vegetarian East featuring vegan lunch items with their cheese products.
★ PRODUCT NAME: Ste Martaen
★ WEBSITE: www.stemartaen.com
★ FLAVORS: Colby, Smoked Gouda, Pepper Jack, Muenster and Olive (as of June 2012)
★ ABOUT: Chicago’s Ste Martaen cheese alternatives are VEGAN, and SOY and GLUTEN-FREE. “They do not contain additional oils or emulsifiers, but are low in saturated fats and provide a source of protein, vitamins and minerals. The Ste Martaen vegan cheese alternatives present exceptional taste when eaten alone and pair brilliantly with a variety of wine[...] They can be sliced for a sandwich, shredded for a taco, cubed for a salad, or melted in a quesadilla.” Their goal is “not to emulate dairy cheese,but to offer consumers a product that can elegantly substitute its dairy counterpart or enhance your everyday vegan meal.”
★ HOW TO ORDER:
Order directly from them: They ship on certain days to customers in the U.S., and for international orders, this will be considered as a special order, please email them directly: info(at)stemartaen.com. For U.S. customers, they accept orders through PayPal and you do not need an account with PayPal. Pay directly here.
If you live in Chicago: They are found at various locations throughout the city of Chicago.
★ GENERAL VERDICT:
I liked the fact that Ste Martaen vegan cheese are all cashew-based because I am comfortable with soy-free cheese alternatives. I was impressed with the block “molds” of Ste Martaen vegan cheeses. They lasted for a week in a sealed container after opening. My favourite flavours so far were Muenster, Smoked Gouda, and Colby. Personally, Ste Martean vegan cheese remind me of yummy vegan “firm” savoury pate or spreads (once they were pressed), but their soft, slightly firm texture is far different than the actual cheese.
★ Verdict:
Ste Martaen Muenster looked like an actual muenster cheese block with a faint orange rind and white interior. When I opened the package, I could smell a bit of blend of tahini and paprika. The texture was smooth, not runny. I have to be delicate by holding the vegan cheese since it tends to be slippery. This muenster is perfect for any cold sandwiches that doesn’t require melting, or spreads on crackers and breads. I like to eat them alone as snacks. I tried grilling the cheese on the bread for several minutes, and it did not melt completely. Instead, the cheese retained its shape whilst the exterior dried out a bit. In the end, it gave a warm touch to the cheese slab, which was pretty nice.
This vegan and soy-free Ste Martaen Cheese’s Muenster goes well with toast and any French-style bread. The Muenster cheese does not melt on my bread in the oven, but softens the cheese warmly and tasty.
★ INGREDIENTS + NUTRITIONALS: purified water, agar, organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, spices and citric acid
★ Verdict:
The colour of a vegan Ste Martaen Smoked Gouda is a beautiful, rich orange, but not as round as an actual smoked gouda cheese would look like. The flavour reminded me of a smoky or hickory flavour due to the liquid smoke ingredient. It tasted savoury and juicy than the Muenster flavour I’d tried. It doesn’t taste spicy at all. It still provides a smooth texture and infuses traditional Gouda’s nutty taste with a pleasantly smoky flavour. I find the texture more delicate than Muenster.
This vegan and soy-free Ste Martaen Cheese’s Smoked Gouda brings a beautiful orange colour to my burgers and sandwiches with a light smoky flavour. I prefer it sliced and slab it on a burger without using any oven or cooking techniques.
★ INGREDIENTS + NUTRITIONALS: purified water, agar, organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, Dijon mustard, roasted red peppers, liquid smoke, sea salt, spices
★ Verdict:
The vegan Ste Martaen Colby cheese looks exactly like the Smoked Gouda, but the smell is different due to the ingredient “Pimientos” (sweet red peppers). I find the Colby cheese more flavourful, and more firm than the other two: Muenster and Smoked Gouda. I love the fact that this Colby cheese is firm for me to slice thinly for decorative dishes like my vegan “Doni” chili below.
This vegan and soy-free Ste Martaen Cheese’s Colby seems to go well with “Doni” chili for its beautiful orange colour and “cheesy” flavour. The vegan colby cheese block was easy to slice in thin strips for garnish.
★ INGREDIENTS + NUTRITIONALS: purified water, agar, organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, spices, pimientos, citric acid
★ Verdict:
My first impression on Ste Martaen vegan Pepper Jack cheese was the fact it smelled slightly both picklish and of a chili pepper. It wasn’t as spicy as I’d thought. Some of their Ste Martaen vegan cheese are firm or fragile, but this Pepper Jack cheese is a bit soft to slice. I can see the fresh chili peppers in the cheese block. After my first bite, I like snacking it alone.
This vegan and soy-free Ste Martaen Cheese’s Pepper Jack mixes very well with the other vegan Colby cheese for vegan “nacho cheese” sauce adapted from Ste Martaen’s Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe with a slight modification. The vegan pepper jack cheese wasn’t as spicy as I had thought with the visible chili peppers, instead it tasted savoury and mildly peppery.
★ INGREDIENTS + NUTRITIONALS: purified water, agar, organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, jalapeno and chili peppers, sea salt, spices, citric acid
INGREDIENTS
8 teaspoons of minced garlic/garlic oil
2 green jalapenos, finely diced
2 green onions, diced
half of Ste Martaen Pepper jack, roughly chopped
half of Ste Martaen Colby, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons sea salt, add more to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Cilantro and tomatoes, diced and chopped for garnish
PREPARATION
Heat 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin oil at medium in a medium saucepan. Add minced garlic, green onions and diced jalapeno. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.
Add 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk and heat to near boil.
Add one half of the chopped cheese. Whisk until smooth.
Add 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, add the last half of the cheese, whisk again until smooth.
Add all the spices (chili powder, sea salt, onion powder and chili flakes). Whisk again until smooth.
Keep the vegan nacho sauce at low heat to keep it runny. If you turned the heat off, it will be firm after 4-5 minutes. If firm again, re-heat it again at low heat, stir continuously until you get a runny nacho cheese.
★ Verdict:
Ste Martaen vegan Olive cheese tastes like a firm Colby cheese with green olives. It has a faint orange tint on the cheese. I don’t like olives (that also means for any kinds) in general, but if you cook the vegan cheese in a pot with other spices and ingredients, the olive flavour fades quickly. The Olive is more firm than the Pepper Jack.
This vegan and soy-free Ste Martaen Cheese’s Olive mixes very well with the other vegan Pepper Jack cheese for vegan “nacho cheese” sauce adapted from Ste Martaen’s Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe with a slight modification. I am not a massive fan of olives in general and I can’t snack on them alone. If you are an olive fan, this vegan cheese is for you and it has green olives in it. I don’t mind making a nacho cheese sauce from olive cheese since you can’t taste the olives at all with combinations of powerful spices. This time, I used the vegan nacho cheese sauce for the vegan chili dog.
★ INGREDIENTS + NUTRITIONALS: purified water, agar, organic cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, tahini, sea salt, spices, pimientos, green olives, Dijon mustard, citric acid
INGREDIENTS
8 teaspoons of minced garlic/garlic oil
2 green jalapenos, finely diced
2 green onions, diced
half of Ste Martaen Pepper jack, roughly chopped
half of Ste Martaen Olive, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons sea salt, add more to taste
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking
Cilantro and tomatoes, diced and chopped for garnish
PREPARATION
Heat 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin oil at medium in a medium saucepan. Add minced garlic, green onions and diced jalapeno. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.
Add 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk and heat to near boil.
Add one half of the chopped cheese. Whisk until smooth.
Add 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, add the last half of the cheese, whisk again until smooth.
Add all the spices (chili powder, sea salt, onion powder and chili flakes). Whisk again until smooth.
Keep the vegan nacho sauce at low heat to keep it runny. If you turned the heat off, it will be firm after 4-5 minutes. If firm again, re-heat it again at low heat, stir continuously until you get a runny nacho cheese.
DISCLAIMER
This item was kindly sent to me to review by Ste Martaen Vegan Cheese. All products that are mentioned and reviewed here on my vegan blog are of my own personal opinions and I am not being compensated to review them, only just to share my thoughts. Any products mentioned here should be used at your own discretion and with caution. I only review cruelty-free and vegan products. If I receive a product complimentary of the company, it will be stated so in the post, otherwise, all products are purchased myself for my own personal use.
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