When Orly Shard gave up dairy, she thought she’d be saying goodbye to creamy pastas and cheesy comfort food forever. But that was before she learned how to create richness from plants.
“I missed that creamy, indulgent texture,” she admits. “But I wasn’t about to live on dry quinoa bowls.”
Instead, Orly began reinventing her favorite meals using cashew cream, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast. The result? Dinners that feel indulgent but leave her feeling light and energized. “There’s no crash,” she says. “Just real food that satisfies.”
One night, she’ll make a mushroom stroganoff with almond milk and tahini. The next, a roasted cauliflower curry with coconut cream. Her kitchen is a lab — and a comfort zone. “I want food that feels like a hug but doesn’t hurt my stomach.”
The transition wasn’t instant. “At first, I missed cheese a lot,” she laughs. “But the more I cooked, the more I realized — it’s not the cheese I craved. It’s the feeling of satisfaction. And I can get that without the dairy.”
Orly now hosts small dinners for friends curious about plant-based living. Most of them don’t even notice the meals are dairy-free. “They just ask for seconds,” she smiles.
