You have to find what works for you really. People don't agree on any food, but suggestions do really help.
I loved chopped salads with blu cheese, or feta cheese. I found that olives gave me the same kind of satisfaction, the fatty, salty and even texturally similarity.
I happen to love Daiya farmhouse block cheses--not the slices, not the shreds, just the blocks. Cheddar, jalepano munster, and I think it's provolone
I like Follow Your Heart parmasean shreds, and smoked gouda or provolone slices.
Now I avoid dairy only out of ethics. Through the years I'd have dairy and then kinda binge thinking I'd get really sick and not ever want it, that just never happened other than a snotty nose and cough the next morning. Vegan cheeses have much improved over the years, I compared Daiya cheddar block to a dairy cheddar and preferred Daiya. Cheese had been my favorite food.
Some people talk about nutritional yeast as cheesy. I don't. I thought after all this time I would say "oh it's so cheesey!) I like nutritional yeast a lot (aka nooch), and do make all kinds of sauces and sprinkle it on all kinds of foods, but I don't find it really cheese like- just more like other things that are supposed to taste like cheese. Like I just made a sauce with cashews, nooch, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and a bit of coconut oil for texture all blended. After heating it gets thick and forms a nice kind of 'crust' layer like you get from dairy cheese. Topping tortilla chips with a sprinkle of seasoned salt made it taste exactly like my memory of nacho cheese Doritos. Note the "memory" part! After leaving foods behind, which is hard in the beginning, you 'forget' just what they taste like. Like I'll make 'sausage' with tempeh oats walnuts and seasoning and say it tastes just like sausage and am corrected. people like it- but say no, no it doesn;t taste like meat sausage, just kinda the same flavor
Were you vegetarian your whole life? If not, did you always hate meat and never had to fill a void you missed, like in texture or taste?
For me, and I think most people, meat wasn't so hard as dairy, but even so I do make foods that change the texture of plant foods, like seitan and burgers
I think with dairy you have to quit, and find foods you like that have the kind of components
Ricotta- I mash or process extra firm regular tofu with lemon juice, basil, a bit of oregano, and if I can, minced olives packed in seasoned oil like you get from and olive bar. they have cured pepper and garlic bits! or roasted garlic
Roast garlic and onions and mash with a bit of lemon and nooch is a great condiment
Vegan mayos are wonderful and have helped me like recipes that are made of whole plant foods (I struggle to be wfpb!). My favorite one is Just Mayo, but Earth Balance and Hellmans Vegan are good, and 'some' Veganaisse
I don't often use non dairy milk, but did find Chobani oat milk--and esp their extra creamy oat milk- super good. Almond and soy differ a lot by brand, but I like those. I buy soymilk in shelf cartons that is just soy beans and water (Trader Joes, WestSoy) and make soy yogurt
Soy yogurt ( I guess others too) is great to strain through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to get really thick. I either sweeten it for a spread, or add jam, or, add some lemon juice for a sour creme type. It's also good to make a ranch dressing with blend of herbs.
and tzatziki--mix strained yogurt with minced cucumers,, or pickled veg, for dressing