All of the items that I recommend are ones that I have personal experience with and can therefore put my personal seal of approval on. I generally keep my consumption of these products to a minimum. However, sometimes a girl needs something creamy. I have gotten all these items at Whole Foods and various health food stores.
Cheese:
I love Vegan Grated Topping, Parmesan flavor (yup, that’s the clever name they came up with): http://www.ethicalplanet.com/vegrpaflto.html
I love everything I have tried by Tofutti, it’s not all gluten-free though so make sure to read all labels: http://www.tofutti.com/
I especially love Tofutti “Better Than Cream Cheese”…it really is.
Ice Cream:
Tofutti ice cream is the only soy based icecream I like.
Purely Decadent coconut milk based ice cream is amazing, mint chip is my favorite: http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/purely_decadent_Coconut_Milk.html
These folks have delicious cashew milk-based gelato….mmmmm coffee: http://www.organicnectars.com/
Butter:
As a replacement for butter, I use unrefined coconut oil or ghee (clarified butter). I can eat ghee because I am casein-sensitive not lactose-intolerant, as it is a dairy product that does not contain casein. You may have lactose sensitivities and would therefore not be able to digest it well.
Coconut oil is slightly sweet, delicious on vegetables (carrots and peas, corn), and has gotten a bad reputation in the past, however it actually has been immune boosting and digestion boosting properties. Check out this book:
Milk:
My favorite type of non-dairy milk, that I actually enjoy sipping, is cashew milk. I have not seen it sold in stores. Here is a recipe for it: http://www.elanaspantry.com/cashew-milk/
If it is too grainy for you, you can buy special cloth bags (yes, I think they are called “nut bags”) to strain the milk.
Silk brand of soy milk makes an excellent creamer.
In my cooking, I like to use coconut milk. You can see above about it’s healthy properties.