From the Stacks: 'The Uncheese Cookbook' a feast of tips for the lactose intolerant

"The Uncheese Cookbook" by Joanne Stepaniak
"The Uncheese Cookbook" by Joanne Stepaniak

"I keep my collection of books at the library," says my friend. She means she doesn't need to go out and purchase every book she wants then find space for them at home. I do the same. Often when I do buy a book, I end up donating it to the library after I've read it. However, there are a few books that I own and keep at home. "The Uncheese Cookbook" is one of them. Like a number of people, I am lactose intolerant, but I love cheese. The substitute cheese you can buy at some stores made of soy just leaves me wanting. This cookbook with its numerous and varied recipes really hits the spot.

This book has a wide variety of tasty recipes for those who are vegan, lactose intolerant or wanting to reduce their cholesterol. In addition to great cheeses, she also provides accompanying recipes for dishes that rely on cheese, such as pizza dough, lasagna and a pie crust recipe that my family uses every holiday. I like that she includes a wide variety of recipes including cheesecake, macaroni, custard and "cheeze."

You might expect a specialized cookbook to contain the same recipes with minor variations. Author Joanne Stepaniak's recipes, however, are creative and unlike recipes you will find in other cookbooks. Several of the recipes rely on nutritional yeast (mustard-yellow flakes you can buy at health food stores) for the cheesy flavor, but many use other ingredients like lemon juice and pimento. She is inventive in her use of ingredients to create these uncheeses. The substrate, or the base, is highly varied - from cooked millet, to ground Great White Northern beans, to baked potatoes, to ground almonds.

If you love cheese but want a better substitute than the soy cheese some stores have - better flavor and better texture - this is the book for you!

Qhyrrae Michaelieu is the adult services manager at Missouri River Regional Library and in charge of the Summer Reading Program for Adults.