Daiya Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Pizza

The newest entry into the Vegan frozen pizza world is from Daiya. Not content with conquering the Vegan cheese world, Daiya has four new pizzas that have been highly anticipated ever since they were announced. I chose to review the Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Pizza, but you can also get the Cheeze Lover's, Margherita and Fire-Roasted Vegetable. One of the main selling points of these pizzas is that they're gluten-free. While I'm not gluten-free, I think it's exciting Celiacs and wheat-sensitive people have four brand new pizzas to choose from.

Right off the bat, I have to address the cost and size of the pizza. The pizza box gives the illusion that the pizza is bigger than it really is. In reality, the pizza is 12 oz, or the same as an Amy's Pizza. Also, the Daiya Pizza is a little bit pricier compared to Amy's or even Tofurky. In Daiya's defense, I'm sure the gluten-free crust is costlier (the Amy's gluten-free pizza tends to cost more) and therefore, they must charge more. But I think most people will probably complain about the $9.99 price. Ok, but how does it taste?

Well, I was a little disappointed. I felt the flavor was a bit muted. I would have liked some more sauce or something to give it a little zing. Or possibly more toppings. Texture and style-wise, the pizza reminded me of a Tofurky Pizza. The crust is thin and the veggies are diced. You get two styles of Daiya cheese, with the right amount. As for the crust, I thought it was just ok. A little too thin for my taste.

In the end, I'm glad there's another Vegan pizza choice out there, but the price is high and the flavor isn't as compelling as I would like. It's not in my upper echelon of favorite pizzas, but when it goes on sale I'd definitely like to try the other flavors.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Laziest Vegans in the World!

I don't like to toot my horn too much, but I did just noticed that The Laziest Vegans in the World is three years old! What started out as a Facebook Group in 2009 morphed into a full-blown blog in 2010. The reason I started it is the same reason that I still do it: just for fun. If it ever stops being fun, I'll stop doing it. What keeps me going (despite not being a very good writer) is the excitement of when someone discovers a new product because of the my blog, Facebook Page or Twitter.

I'm also celebrating my 10th year of Veganism, so in a sense I'm re-energized. I like helping those people who are newly Vegan or are thinking about make the jump. The people who aren't very good cooks but still wish to be Vegan and need all the help they can get. I hope my blog is a non-judgmental place where people can go for info on Vegan convenience food.

To celebrate my 3rd year blogging, I picked a few past blogs that were fun to write and, I think, worth revisiting.

Daiya Day! (April 1st, 2010)

This blog post was basically celebrating that fact that Daiya was finally available in retail packages. You newbies may not know, but the only way to get Daiya prior to April 1st 2010 was to get it by the pound at your Whole Foods deli (if you were lucky) or to buy it in bulk online. So it was a freakin' revelation to be able to buy Daiya in little baggies. Boy, we've come a long way.


Amy's Proof of Purchase Gift Box! (January 24th, 2011)

After FINALLY getting to the bottom of the whole Amy's Proof of Purchase dilemma (it was keeping me up at night), I redeemed my 25 Amy's points and got this amazing box with a ton cool stuff in it. Although the gift box is no longer available, there is still a program in place to get your Amy's points redeemed for cool swag. Lesson learned, don't throw away those Amy's points!


The Laziest Vegans Top Ten Asks Moby (July 6th, 2011)

I've always been a big fan of Moby, so it was a no-brainer to ask him if he was interested in taking my questionnaire, The Laziest Vegans Top Ten. Luckily, I met him (formally) the year before and I was hoping he would say yes. Amazingly, he did! I think the reason he chose to do it is so he could show that even famous people eat Amy's Enchilada frozen dinners. And for that, I'll be forever grateful.


Vega One All-In-One Nutritional Shakes (March 5th 2012)

In what has become my most popular blog post ever, I introduced the new Vega One to my readers. I had been skeptical up until this point because the original Vega was loved and revered. It seemed insane to mess with such a sure thing. Luckily for the entire world, Vega made the right decision. Now more popular than ever, Vega has gone beyond Vegan athletes and has made its way to everyday people looking for a quick, nutritionally dense fix.


Teal Cat Project Valentine's Day Sampler from Obsessive Confection Disorder (January 20th, 2013) and Lagusta's Lucious Tabby Toffees For The Teal Cat Project (March 13th, 2012)

I know, I know. You're like, "you just posted this!" True, it was only a month ago, but I felt like it was worth revisiting. When Isa first come up with the idea for Teal Cat Project back in '10, I thought she was crazy. It sounded like too much work and not very appealing to me at the time. Luckily she didn't listen to me and soldiered on. It taught me two things: 1.) never underestimate Isa and 2.) it feels good to donate your time and energy to a worthwhile cause. Almost two years later, Lagusta's Lucious Bonbons and Obsessive Confection Disorder have donated their time, resources, talent and money in the name of the Teal Cat Project. Fortunately I have a Vegan food blog I can use to promote such wonderful candies. These were amazing and I look forward to new delectable collaborations in the future.

So that's three years in a nutshell. Hope you enjoyed it, and here's to three more!

Daiya Jalapeno Garlic Havarti Style Wedge Cheese

Last year at the Toronto Veg Fest, I stopped to by the Daiya table and tried a sample of their newest cheese, the Jalapeno Garlic Havarti Style Wedge. I was really impressed with the flavors! The garlic and jalapeno obviously stood out. I told myself that if and when it showed up in Omaha, I would buy one and blog it. Guess what I saw on the shelf last month?  

I think the great thing about the Jalapeno Garlic Havarti is its versatility. I've been using it for sandwiches, nachos and even just on crackers. The creaminess is exceptional and I love the bits of garlic and jalapeno floating in there. People who still eat dairy might be impressed by how delicious Vegan cheese can be. So if you don't have an aversion to garlic or jalapeno and you don't mind a little kick in your cheese, the Dayia Jalapeno Garlic Havarti is an outstanding choice!

Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds (plus John's Laziest Pizza)

Trader Joe's has a new Vegan cheese and it's not Daiya! Trader Joes's Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds are basically Galaxy Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds, which I've never had before. Since it's Mozzarella, I thought I would put it to the true test and try it on a pizza. Lazy pizza anyone???  

I keep my pizzas pretty simple. First, I procured some Whole Foods pre-made dough and marinara sauce. Both are super tasty and obviously very easy to work with. For toppings, I grabbed Tofurky Pepperoni Slices and some black olives. The Tofurky Pepperoni Slices are great if you miss that old pepperoni flavor. I normally would do green pepper with the olives but I totally forgot. Now let's see how the cheese and pizza turned out!

The Trader Joe's Mozzarella was really interesting. If you eat it raw, it honestly doesn't taste very good. But when I melted it all over the pizza, I found it to be quite good! When it melts (and it does melt), the mozzarella gets a bit gloopy almost like a glaze. It's definitely a different beast than Daiya. So if love Daiya and think it has no faults whatsoever, this probably isn't the cheese for you. I like Daiya too, but I find it to be too rich in large quantities, the flavor taking over whatever you put it on. It's just nice to have another option out there. This cheese is pretty mild and didn't overwhelm the other flavors. The pizza itself was great and I really love those Tofurky Pepperonis.

In closing, I'm always happy to see new Vegan products, especially cheese. I thought the Trader Joe's Mozzarella tasted great when melted and had a nice neutral flavor. It is almost an anti-Daiya cheese, which I feel the world needs.

Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival 2012

A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend the 28th Annual Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival. It is without a doubt one of the most successful Veg Fests in North America, if not the world. The impressive Toronto Vegetarian Society is the driving force behind this yearly mecca. My first visit to Toronto just happened to be during the 24th Annual Veg Fest four long years ago and I was really excited to return and check out all of the venders and speakers. Oh, and did I mention it's free?  
   

One of the first places I had to stop was the Field Roast table. Field Roast is one of my all-time favorite companies.  I've never eaten something of theirs I didn't love. I was told that Field Roast distribution is a little wonky at the moment in Canada, but keep asking your local stores to carry it. Their table was packed with people all weekend!

Apiecalypse Bakery, located straight outta Toronto, was a pleasant surprise. Not only did they have Vegan Marshmallows out the yin yan, they also had S'more Pie! Really nice people who rock!

You know I had to stop by the Vega table! It was crazy packed most of the weekend, which is awesome. I've been using Vega products for 5 years now and it's amazing to see how much the company has grown in that time. I guess if you have a great product it's going to be successful.  

A couple products from Bio, MozzaRisella and Muscolo De Grano that looked interesting to me. I'm not sure if I'll ever see these in the states, but you Canadians can gloat that you have something we don't!

Of course, a lot of the heavy hitters were in Toronto, too. I had my first taste of the Jalapeno Garlic Havarti Style Wedge from Daiya and I liked it! Gardein brought some Teriyaki Chick'n Strips that I thought were amazing. But the Coconut Earth Balance is freakin' out of this world! I've never been an Earth Balance connoisseur, but you gotta' try this stuff.

But  the greatest product of the entire Veg Fest, by a long shot, was this Aureeva Creamsicle Soya Beverage. It was liquid gold, I swear to god. If anyone can get this imported to the US, I will love you forever. It seriously tastes like creamsicle, kids will love this stuff!

I wasn't able to see most of the speakers, but I did get to go to most of the cooking demos. Strangely, even though I don't like to cook, I find cooking demos entertaining and informative. The genius known as Isa Chandra Moskowitz (no, she didn't make me say that) was funny as usual. Terry Hope Romero made Seitan Gyros and won the crowd over. Taymer Mason introduced everyone (especially me) to Carribbean cuisine. I found out Taymer is a fan of my blog which is totally awesome and unexpected!

So that was a little snapshot of my experience at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival. I barely scratched the surface because there is so much going on. If you've always wanted to go to Toronto, you should totally go during the Veg Fest. It's a humbling experience that will reinforce your choice of going Vegan or Vegetarian.

Amy's Vegan Margherita Pizza

A couple weeks ago Amy's contacted me to try one of their new pizzas. As you can imagine, I freaked out and did a robot dance. When I started this silly blog over a year ago I never imagined that I would get the chance to try something before it actually came out. And this isn't just some minor modification, this pizza has a brand new crust and is sporting Daiya cheeze. So did Amy's pull it off? Let's take a look!

The first thing I noticed is that the Daiya is sparse. I think that was a wise decision because I feel the Daiya taste can overpower the rest of the toppings. The sweet sauce and basil really popped for me. I feel like I've had this pizza before and I really can't put my finger on it. Almost like Fazoli's pizza, which I miss immensely. The crust is puffy and moist, way different then the Roasted Vegetable Pizza. So the bottom line is that I have a new favorite pizza. It's going to win you over, even you Daiya haters! It's the pizza Vegans have always wanted but didn't think they would get. I hope it comes out soon because I'm already fiendin'.

Candle Cafe Frozen Foods

When I first heard Candle Cafe was going to create their own frozen dinners my ears perked up. I've been to Candle 79 and I have to say they make some of the most amazing food in the world. How that would translate to the frozen world I wasn't sure. So over the course of four days I tried each of the new dinners: Macaroni & Vegan Cheese, Tofu Spinach Ravioli, Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce and Ginger Miso Stir-Fry. These can only be found at Whole Foods as they are the exclusive retailer. Well, let's get down to it!

Macaroni & Vegan Cheese- I liked it! If you know Daiya (pronounced DAY-YA, git with it people!!!) like I do, then you'd know instantaneously that the cheese is Daiya. It's not a problem for me, but it is interesting that they don't mention it on the package. I did have a problem with the fact that it was creamy on one side and liquidy on the other (*probably due to the fact I didn't stir the dinner as instructed). I'm not sure if it's like that in all the Mac dinners but it was a tad weird. What I loved was the spiral noodles and the flavor. I guess it depends on how you feel about Daiya. If you don't like it, this is a no-go, if you do then you'll probably like this dinner.

Tofu Spinach Ravioli- Again, the first thing you'll notice is the Daiya sprinkled on top of the ravioli. What I enjoyed about this dinner is that the ravioli was nice and tender. I also enjoyed the taste of the raviolis mixed with the red sauce and cheese. It's a nice change of pace from your typical frozen dinner. I'd totally buy this one again.

Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce- I wasn't feeling the Seitan Piccata at all. The seitan was a little rubbery and the rice was dry. (*The rice was probably dry because I didn't stir the dinner as instructed). The sauce was overpoweringly lemony and oddly sweet. I actually had this dish at Candle 79 so this was really disappointing.

Ginger Miso Stir-Fry- I don't love strong ginger flavors, but despite that, I thought this dinner was ok. The tofu was tasty and the rice was moist. Would I ever buy it again, though? Probably not.

Candle Cafe has the impossible task of making these frozen dinners live up to their reputation. I enjoyed the cheesy dinners but the inclusion of Daiya is an interesting and possible controversial choice. The portions seem smaller than other frozen dinners and the meals seem to be directed at health conscious buyers. So bottom line, I think if you are on a diet and you want a good tasting Vegan meal, these Candle Cafe dinners are a decent choice. But if you are hoping these dinners are going to save you a trip to Candle Cafe or Candle 79, you are sadly mistaken.

* I'm lazy.

Trader Joe's Vegetable Burritos Featuring Daiya Pepperjack Cheese

I asked the Laziest Vegans Facebook page for suggestions on what to use with my recently purchased Pepperjack Daiya Cheese. Trader Joe's Vegetable Burritos was one of the suggestions. I've never bought the burritos before (or even noticed them for that matter) so I pretty much had to pick them up. I made this a couple days ago and it was delish!

First off, the burritos were excellent. I have to wonder if they are actually Amy's burritos in Trader Joe's packaging. They come two in a package so you have to be really hungry or you are going to have left overs. But it's nice to be able to cook them in the tray and not have to wrap them in paper towels. Taste-wise I found them spicy and very beany.

I've been a Daiya supporter from the start and I'm happy to see them branch out to new flavors. The Pepperjack tastes like a spicy version of the Cheddar to me. I microwaved the Daiya after the burrito was already cooked and it melted just fine. It tasted great on the burrito! I'm sure it would be a great addition to tacos or nachos too.

Portland Binge: Part One

While most of you grilled out your veggies in 90 degree heat I froze my butt off in Florence, OR. But the exciting part of my trip out west was a trip to Food Fight in Portland. As you may have seen before, I go ape shit when I shop there. Here are some of my finds.

A nifty little bag to throw my shit in.

These look so cute that I had to buy them. The turtle cup is swell.

These Sjaak's Organic Chocolates looked equally as cute. I no eaty, gifts.

Bernod's Organic Cotton Candy. It was grape and obviously Vegan grape cotton candy must be eaten.

These are Vegan white chocolate chips. If you want to be a baking all-star you pretty much need these.

Sweet & Sara is amazing as usual so this was a no brainer.

Ironically it's freakin' hot in Portland today so I'm not able to fix these BUT I'm told they are fantastic. They gots that Daiya.

Daiya Day!

Quite possibly the biggest story of the year for Vegans, Daiya Cheese becomes widely available at Whole Foods Markets nationwide today. Why all the hype? Well Daiya is unlike any other Vegan cheese. First of all it has no soy which is pretty rare for Vegan cheese. Second of all it melts as if it were real cheese. I have a feeling that non Vegans looking for a cheese alternative will jump all over this. Third of all it tastes amazing! So the bottom line is Vegans now have a easier way to get Daiya and non Vegans will now have another option to try. In the end the cows win!

To celebrate this glorious day I decided to cook with Daiya! I know, I know, Laziest Vegans is all about not cooking. This will be one of the few times I cook for this blog so don't get used to it. Basically I whipped up some of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Chickpea-Hijiki Salad Sammiches and topped them with Mozzarella Style Daiya. For the last step I broiled them in the oven for 5 minutes.

As you can see, the Daiya melts and browns as if it were dairy cheese. If you want to get REALLY lazy you could buy some English muffins and spaghetti sauce and make mini pizzas. And if you are REALLY REALLY lazy, Daiya is already in some prepackaged Vegan foods.

Amy's Rice Macaroni with Daiya

Gardein Marinara Chick'n Good Stuff with Daiya

The Higher Taste Vegan Supreme Burrito with Daiya

Out of these three the only one I've had is The Higher Taste Burrito. It was amazing as I'm sure the others are.

Soy Dreams

I can vividly remember the first time I ate fake meat. It was before going Vegetarian but I was at the point where I started thinking about cutting out meat. While in the frozen foods section I noticed a meatless meatloaf. I thought to myself "how the hell is it meatloaf without meat?" It was an Amy's Veggieloaf frozen dinner and it turned out to be one of the most delicious frozen dinners I've ever had. It was one of those a-ha moments where I realized I didn't need meat to have a hearty delicious meal. For a couple years I ate the shit out of those dinners but once I went Vegan I had to stop because it contained honey. I would LOVE it if Amy's could bring out a Vegan version or just get rid of the honey all together (pretty please!!!).

Anyway this brings me to the point of my post. For those of you that think you have to give up all of you meat/dairy convenience foods because you go Vegetarian or Vegan, you are just dead wrong. I'm not going to lie to you and say everything tastes just like the original, but in most cases it tastes better. Down below are a couple of examples where I think someone got it right.

Tofurky Deli Slices by Turtle Island Foods

I never had any desire to try these because I was never a big lunch meat person. Late last year someone very sweet made me a sandwich with Tofurky Deli Slices and it was amazing! Now I buy them fairly often for my sandwich fix.

Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages

These were forced on to me by Whoa Wren. I'm serious, she fixed them in my house! I wanted nothing to do with them because sausage used to make me sick. Amazingly they were delicious and now I keep a couple packs in my refrigerator at all times. I'm also anxious to try Field Roast's other products...all in due time.

Yves Meatless Pepperoni

I don't make pizza that often but when I do I usually go with all veggies. A couple months ago I had a Vegan pizza party at my house and my friend Jenny brought some Yves Vegan pepperoni. I thought it tasted great! If you are really missing that pepperoni flavor this should do the trick.

Teese Mozzarella by Chicago Soydairy

Teese is my favorite pizza-making cheese right now. I agree Daiya is hella good but until I can buy some at the store I'm rollin' with Teese.

Follow Your Heart Sour Cream Alternative

This is a must for nachos! I also enjoy the Follow Your Heart Nacho Cheese, good stuff! Oh and of course Vegenaise, the O.G. of Vegan condiments.