As I mentioned in my last post, we stopped at Whole Foods a few weeks ago and I picked up some new foods. It’s time to start experimenting. I started simply, deciding to take another shot at the “daiya Cheddar Style Shreds” and the “daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds”. (www.daiyafoods.com ) It seemed while I immensely enjoyed vegan cheese on my S.U.V. (Straight Up Veggie – a sandwich of vegan cheese, avocado, sprouts, tomato, onion, lettuce and Creole mustard all served on toasted gluten-free, vegan bread) at the Chicago Diner (www.veggiediner.com), I just couldn’t seem to get past the taste difference when using it at home. My first thought on this is that I believe when you have eaten cheese made from cow’s milk for over 40 years, it’s going to be hard to convince your taste buds you’re eating anything but the real thing. Because I was having a hard time finding a cheese replacement, I’ve been cheese-free for over 6 years. This means, cheese-less pizza, nachos, tacos, burritos. No more grilled cheese, cheeseburgers or chili-cheese fries. I’ve missed cheese.
First, I used the cheddar style shreds on nachos, a hamburger and chili-cheese fries. All tasted pretty good. Next I used the mozzarella style shreds on spaghetti and garlic bread, again, pretty good.
The next item I tried and really enjoyed was the “daiya deliciously dairy-free Supreme with Meatless Sausage & Vegetables Gluten-Free Pizza”. This was good. While the daiya doesn’t melt quite like mozzarella cheese and it doesn’t get all stringy as you take a slice of pizza, it still tasted great. I thoroughly enjoyed this pizza the first evening I made it. (I ate half the pizza.) It also was good reheated the next afternoon for lunch. When eating it for lunch I also had a little “Just” Ranch dressing (www.justforall.com) for dipping – nice addition. I liked this pizza so much that this afternoon I picked up another; a Margherita Pizza. (I found the daiya pizzas in Meijer today!) This will be a much anticipated dinner for one of my meatless Fridays during Lent.
Now, let me give you a little “disclaimer” here. This is not real cheese, nor does it quite taste like real cheese, but it does do a nice job. If you’re going to try the “daiya”; just keep this in mind. My taste buds are still not completely sold on this cheese replacement; but, as stated earlier, that may be because I ate dairy cheese for so many years. If you were not a cheese fanatic, like I was, or maybe you have a younger family member having to go dairy-free; then you, or they, might be sold on this product quicker than I’ve been. With all of this being said, I can tell you I’m pleased with how my foods have tasted with the addition of daiya products. I plan to continue to cook with it. But, because I have been eating foods without cheese for over 6 years I’ve found I really don’t have a great need to smother everything in cheese the way I used to. With that being said, I will continue to buy the daiya shreds and will keep them in my freezer because I’m sure a package will last me 1-2 months. I will definitely continue to buy the daiya pizzas. While I am sure that a daiya pizza would keep fresh in my freezer for 1-2 months, that’s just not gonna happen – I will be eating them much faster than that!
One last note: Remember when buying new foods to read, read, read the labels. Over the years I’ve tried to buy pizza and while it was gluten-free, dairy-free it still contained egg in the crust. Fortunately, I’ve now found the daiya pizza. You really have to read your labels well. You also have to read them every time you buy something. More than once, a product I’ve used for several months or years, has all of a sudden changed up their ingredients which is really frustrating to me.
Thanks for stopping.
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels!)