Ultra Foods?

We stopped at an Ultra Foods today, because it was convenient to our errands ad we were just looking for dinner. I had no idea what we were in for, but let me say this could be a good alternative for you dairy-freers out in the IL/IN Chicago suburbs area.

First for all, they just have a large selection to begin with. I know some stores certainly vary between locations based on neighborhood needs/sales patterns/etc, but Ultra Foods has a lot of options out there. We will definitely be stopping by again just to see what is all available.

That being said, we needed butter so walked down the dairy aisle and a bunch of dairy-free options were jumping out at me. I saw Daiya shreds (and I think another brand), a variety of different soy yogurts, butter alternatives, ice creams, etc. I didn't get a comprehensive list, but will try on my next trip. They also have a lot of vegan options out there too; one of my favorite snacks being popcorners n_n

Whole Foods

I finally got to hit up Whole Foods in Wheaton, IL. After Trader Joe's (which I still love, so will hit up again when I have more time), and not super successful web searches, I went in with an open mind but not very high results. Holy crap you guys! SO MANY OPTIONS!

I wanted to sample everything, but actually had multiple choices everywhere so had to hunker down and pick and choose between them. I tried to spread this across brands, but also will admit I looked at the prices and sales (dairy-free is expensive!).

In the end this is what I walked away with:

• Chao original slices
• Follow Your Heart American slices
• Earth Balance soy free sticks (*already have original in tub from Jewel)
• Kite Hill ricotta
• Daiya plain cream cheese
• Nancy's cultured soy plain yogurt
• Thai Kitchen Coconut Cream (*have tried Goya cream of coconut - which is more like sweetened condensed milk, btw - and coconut milk already)

Unfortunately I didn't see any Greek style yogurt, which is what I really wanted. However, I know it's available as I've seen people online that have found it. There were so many yogurts though I may have missed it, or it could just be something Whole Foods doesn't carry. I'll keep my eyes peeled, but the plain unsweetened still gives me a few options to play with.

I also picked up some of the other supplies I need to try out Miyoko's cheese recipes:

• brown miso
• xanthan gum

I still need to find a few items:

• rejuvelac (I know I can make it, but in the interest of time wanted to buy... supposedly this is possible, but I'm not finding it)
• agar powder/carrageenan powder
• coconut oil
• nutritional yeast flakes
• sea salt? (does it matter that much?)
• canola oil? (can I use olive oil instead?)

Trader Joe's

Based off some recommendations from friends and forums, I was really excited to hit Trader Joe's in Batavia, IL. They have a lovely selection anyway, but going in with a dairy-free mindset I had high expectations.

While they had a huge selection of milks and creamers, I found them lacking in regards to cream cheese (1 option...I forget the brand now but I've gotten it in the past and can say it's got a good taste, although the texture is a bit too grainy for my liking). I also did not find any yogurt, cream cheese, or regular cheese options (granted I only had 15 minutes to shop before getting back home for a meeting).

Not all was lost tough, I picked up some falafel! And some burratta...because that makes sense. It's so good though! I may have to figure out how to make my own dairy-free. Well, maybe one day... I need to get the basics down first.

Recommendations?

Being new-ish to dairy-free, I reached out to friends to get their tried and true recommendations for dairy subs and where to find them. Below is a summary of their answers:

Stores
Woodmans
Jewel (St. Charles, IL)
Target
Trader Joe's
Whole Foods
Fruitful Yield

Cheese
nutritional yeast (sauces, mac & cheese)
Chao
Treeline (very expensive though)

Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry's dairy-free

Milk
almond milk

Sour Cream
soy premade (found at Jewel in STC)

Cream Cheese
soy premade (found at Jewel in STC)

Butter
Fleischmann's unsalted margarine
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter light

Also, some things I was warned against:
soy shredded cheese (apparently tastes like sawdust)