Last Christmas, after our festivities with our families, my friends and I drove 40 minutes to a movie theater at around 11 p.m. to sit down and watch the new Marty Supreme movie. While I can’t even begin to describe many of my thoughts while watching that movie, I can certainly say that one thought I had was, “Oh! It’s Pepper from Iron Man.”
While Marty Supreme reminded me last December that Gwyneth Paltrow not only existed, but can certainly still act, she’s gone quite viral recently for a different, food-related reason: substituting arugula for parmesan cheese.
Why does Gwyneth Paltrow substitute arugula for parmesan?
Believe it or not, this is not the first time that Paltrow has blown up on the internet for a strange food habit. She notoriously has followed a strict regime from the Paleo diet, which is a diet meant to resemble the whole, unprocessed diets of cavemen (who are from the Paleolithic era), with her day of eating typically consisting of only coffee, a soup, and a lean meat with “lots of vegetables.”
While Paltrow has recently described being “sick” of the standard Paleo diet and now incorporates previously restricted items such as bread, cheese, and pasta in her meals, she is still clearly quite disciplined about her eating habits.
In a cooking segment with the Today show, Gwyneth Paltrow was sharing her turkey meatballs recipe when she made the shocking announcement that often substitutes arugula for parmesan cheese when she wants to avoid dairy products. She says, “It sounds weird, but it kind of adds a nice texture to it, and it’s delicious.” Audiences of the show were bewildered, with one user saying, “I love arugula, I love dairy, they’re not the same.”
What are some other dairy alternatives (other than arugula)?
Despite Paltrow’s arugula substitution being, as many have said, a little weird, there are still many valid reasons for wanting to avoid dairy in a recipe. Whether you are lactose intolerant or vegan, here are some better dairy substitutes that aren’t arugula.
If you’re looking for a dairy-free milk substitute, look into the many plant based milks that you can easily find at any local grocery store. Silk and Califia Farms both have great almond milks, and Oat-ly’s oat milk is an absolute classic.
As for dairy-free cheese alternatives, maybe if you’re looking to recreate Gwyneth Paltrow’s meatball recipe, there are plenty of vegan cheeses out there to try. Trader Joe’s has a great vegan cheese selection, but there’s also brands such as Violife and Follow Your Heart who make completely dairy free cheese if there’s no Trader Joe’s near you. Additionally, people have used cashews or even nutritional yeast as a savory, dairy free alternative to cheese.