Tofurky Pizza with Daiya "Cheese"

Hokey smoke, Rock, it's Daiya week here at Planet Lactose.

Yesterday, I posted Daiya Expands Its Vegan "Cheese" Alternative Availability. But that's just the beginning of the big Daiya news.

Tofurky is starting a line of pizzas made with Daiya vegan cheese alternative.

Tofurky® Pizza

Tofurky brought vegetarians back to the Thanksgiving table by providing a high protein, cholesterol free option to people who had been left out of the celebration. Today we continue that mission by offering delicious, nutritious vegan pizzas in three bold flavors: Cheese, Pepperoni and Italian Sausage with Fire Roasted Veggies. You might say our goal is: "No pizza eater left behind!"

Ingredients: Ingredients: Crust: Whole wheat flour,
enriched wheat flour (niacin, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid), potato flour, water, expeller pressed non-GMO canola oil, yeast, organic sugar, salt, malt (malted barley, wheat flour, dextrose). Sauce: Water, tomato paste, garlic, expeller pressed non-GMO canola oil, salt, oregano, basil.

Tofurky Italian Sausage: Organic tofu (water, organic soybeans, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride), vital wheat gluten, expeller pressed non-genetically modified canola oil, water, shoyu soy sauce (water, non-genetically engineered soybeans, wheat, salt, culture), sun dried tomatoes, textured wheat protein, basil, black pepper, spices, granulated garlic, salt, chili pepper. Fire Roasted Veggies: Zucchini, tomatoes, red onion, red bell peppers, poblano peppers, green bell peppers, olive oil.

Vegan Cheese: Filtered water, tapioca and/or arrowroot flour, non-GMO expeller pressed canola oil and/or non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, vegan natural flavors, inactive yeast, vegetable glycerin, calcium citrate, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor), annatto.

Contains: Soy and wheat.

I found a review from a Hollywood socialite with Ph.D..

My verdict: Not bad! The whole wheat crust tasted especially impressive for a frozen pizza — a perfect crispiness after 12 minutes in the oven — and the sweetener-free tomato sauce had a nice natural flavor.

The toppings were just okay — though faux meat lovers will likely have a more enthusiastic response. The somewhat synthetic tastes of fake cheeses and meats seems to rankle me more than others. I appreciate how Daiya cheese melts unlike most faux cheeses, but the stuff always tastes vaguely soapy to me. And while I do enjoy Tofurky on occasion, the sausage on the pizza dried out too much in the oven heat, ending up little, light dehydrated squares atop the otherwise well-cooked pizza.