Beginning life as a Vegan Southern Belle

In the South, we love our food.  We love meat, bacon grease, butter, milk, mayonnaise, ice cream, and a varied assortment of animal-centric ingredients.  Going without those ingredients in this are is almost unheard of, and people tend to give you funny looks when you state that you don't eat animal products.  Recently, I decided to become vegan, if only for Lent.  However, for the first time in many years, I finally feel good.  My stomach doesn't hurt, my skin isn't cracking and peeling, my nails healing, and I'm not nearly as exhausted as I've been since I was a freshman in college, some six years ago.  In the four weeks I have been following a vegan diet, I have felt so much better in both body and mind.  It's a perk that I'm also helping to save animals in the process.

The hardest part for me, having already given up meat except for the occasional barbeque chicken pizza at a local restaurant called Soulshine, is cheese.  I have always loved cheese, and giving it up has been the absolute hardest part for me, and it's only been a few weeks.  Naturally, I began to investigate where I could find a substitute that would fix my craving for delicious hard cheddar and creamy brie. 

My first attempt, following the recipe set forth by Angela of Vegangela, provided three ramkins of unusually flavored gelatin.  Her cheeses, which you can see on her blog in the link below, look beautiful and delicious.
http://www.vegangela.com/2011/10/15/homemade-vegan-cheese/

So, my next question was "What did I do wrong?"

Well, while I attempt to answer that question, I'm investigating the best in commercially produced vegan cheeses.  Mainly recommended to me have been Daiya Shredded Cheddar and Cheezly Mature White Cheddar.  Daiya melts well, making it good for pizzas or cheezy pasta.  The Cheezly is a harder cheeze and is better for salads or sandwiches.

I plan on hitting up the health food store the next glorious Saturday morning I have free in the closest major city with a Whole Foods.  I will stock my newly vegan pantry with cheezes, meat substitutes, dairy-free breads, and other dairy alternatives.  It should be interesting,