Daiya Vegan Cheese, Take Two

Last night, my friends Foodeater and the Quarrygirl team gathered in a gorgeous kitchen to further test the Daiya vegan cheese I mentioned here. With a bag of the Italian (mozzarella) flavor and a bag of the cheddar flavor, we set out to make two pizzas and grilled cheese sandwiches.



While we were waiting for the first pizza to bake, we whipped up a grilled cheese sandwich that was the best I've had since my dairy-consuming days. In grilled cheese form, the cheddar Daiya tasted just like the mild, creamy American cheese that I would only tolerate in a grilled cheese sandwich when I was a kid (I never was able to eat the orange squares straight from their plastic wrappers as some kids did).

The Quarrygirl pair introduced me to a pizza topping combo that I absolutely loved: fresh tomatoes, cremini mushrooms, and fresh garlic. You can see that pizza in all its deliciousness at the top of this post (check out the stretch of the Daiya!).



Our second pizza was topped with fresh tomatoes, fresh garlic, Field Roast sausage, and Yves pepperoni. This was also a really good pizza. I enjoyed the spiciness of the faux meats against the creaminess of the Daiya and the freshness of the veggies.

This experiment solidified my original thoughts about the Daiya Italian style. Its flavor is mild and creamy and it definitely sticks to the back of the teeth when eating. Next time I make pizzas, I think I'll mix some of the cheddar in with the Italian to add a little flavor. I'm not sure how well cheddar goes on pizza, but the Italian is too mild on its own. I'm also really looking forward to a time when Daiya is available in block form so we can create a thicker, more pizza-conducive shred. Fingers crossed that will be soon!