It’s been a bit of a cross to bear – I’ll admit it.  Giving up dairy over 2 years ago has come with it’s share of adjustments and foregoing the taste & texture of cheese has definitely been the greatest.  Don’t get me wrong, I regret nothing about my decision to rid my diet of all animal-based substances.  I think my pre-vegan life was unwittingly cruel and terribly unhealthy… ANYWAY, everything has now changed!

Until recently, vegan cheeses all pretty much sucked and the better-tasting soy cheeses weren’t actually vegan (read your ingredient labels).  Alas, that’s all behind us… Enter Daiya Dairy-free cheese! I’m not a religious woman, but Mon Dieu – if I was!  I don’t blindly follow much of anything, but I have to admit Quarry Girl* has never led me astray.  Her informative and craving-provoking blog led me to try Daiya in 2 different ways.

If you are in the LA area, run don’t walk to Chango in Echo Park.  They are doing Daiya grilled cheeses (I suggest foregoing the tomato slices, but that’s me) and vegan Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches (along with a warm “Chicken” pesto sandwich that’s a mind-blower as well).  I cannot tell you how truly divine these sandiwiches taste – most definitely set apart because the “cheese” melts, feels and tastes like CHEESE!

The other Daiya avenue I took was to order it directly from Pangea so I could make my own yummy food with this glorious cheese!  Unfotunately, Daiya has yet to hit many grocery stores… so ordering it online is the current jam.  And as it’s perishable, so expedited shipping with a cool-pak is highly recommended (it is a bit alarming that it’s sent in an actual non-recycled styrofoam container… so I will not be ordering it again until they straighten out that nonsense), making me yearn for the day it’s readily available.  I did, however, make sandwiches… quesadillas… you name it.  All delicious, all vegan, All CHEESY!!!

Daiya = Divine!  Skip the Three Nut cheese… not so great.

*OMG… I must sadly announce that one of my favorite thought-to-be-vegan (because the menu/sign/owners claimed it was vegan) dishes in LA – Greenleaves quesadilla – has just been uncovered by Quarry Girl and her gang of vegan investigators as CASEIN-LADEN (a milk derivative)!  This may not seem like a big deal to cheese/meat eaters, but imagine slipping pork to a Muslim, beef to a Hindu or peanuts to someone with allergies.  It’s just f*ing wrong!