Jezebel Loves Daiya

When I first learned I was lactose intolerant in 1978, me and a few Neanderthals, not only did nobody know nothing about LI but the number of dairy-free alternative products - all aimed at those with allergies - could be counted by a four-year-old. The ones that did exist, well, Coffee Rich was already around so they weren't all horribly bad, but you wanted to stay far, far away from the rest. Especially blocks of stinky white stuff that called itself non-dairy cheese.

A food industry that today gives you everything from hot dog and fries on a stick to egg foam with chive infusion can certainly get a mere substitute for cheese correct, can't it?

I've been listing non-dairy substitutes on my website for over 10 years. And I know that the look of the site hasn't been updated since then, and that some of the information there is obsolete, with new stuff missing. Sorry. That's a thousand hours I don't have. Much of the information is still good, though, and at least it gives you an idea of the range of items that are available, inside any one category and over all the various categories that non-dairy covers.

Two years ago, I let you know about the introduction of one particular non-dairy cheese that made a huge splash, Daiya Vegan "Cheese". Since then, Daiya has received much more praise around the web. Not only is it acclaimed as especially tasty, but it's not soy-based, often a problem for people with multiple allergies. Daiya uses tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, which they claim make it unusually allergen-free. (That's a change from earlier, when they used cassava rather than tapioca.)

Jezebel, a major women's blog, has a nice feature called Worth It:

Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we've actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we'd actually tell our friends about. And now we're telling you.

On November 25, 2011, the daily worth it was Daiya.



And the review is glowing.

Daiya cheese is the best substitute cheese of all the substitute cheeses!

I feel pretty qualified to say this — because I've tried so, so many kinds of fake cheese — the only cheese that melts enough to make a quesadillas, grilled cheese, and macaroni and cheese is Daiya. When I stopped eating dairy products, one of the biggest voids left in my eating habits was pizza. Every time I would make homemade pizza — I really, really missed pizza, you guys — it always failed my expectations. Until (surprise!) I tried making pizza with Daiya. It melts, and it melts unlike any other kind of fake cheese I've tried.

What that page doesn't say, and you should know, is that Daiya has a short shelf life once opened, no more than 10 days. You can freeze it, however, and only thaw as much as you'll need at one time.

Daiya Vegan Cheese Makes Good Lasagna, She Says

aiya is the hottest new dairy-free product that I've seen in a while. I first posted about it a year ago and it's made my blog several times since.

Why all the attention? Because of the extraordinary claims Daiya makes.

Daiya is a revolutionary new dairy-free vegan cheese that tastes, shreds, melts and stretches like dairy based cheese. Daiya is not made with casein, the protein found in dairy products or soy, common to many other non-dairy cheese alternatives. In fact, Daiya does not contain any common allergens, animal products or cholesterol.

A non-allergic vegan cheese that melts like real dairy cheese can, dare I say it, rule the world! Or at least, lasagna.

That's what Missy Berggren says on her blog at MinnPost.com.

The Daiya cheese was gooey and tasted great, and the flavor of the sauce tastes the same as the traditional recipe. The best part though? It reheated well in the microwave! I feasted on this lasagna for days and it reheated really well each time.

Now, I don't want you to think it tastes exactly like regular cheese, because it doesn't. But it's by far the best substitute I've tried - and the consistency makes it awesome!

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.

Daiya Expands Its Vegan "Cheese" Alternative Availability

I posted about the introduction of Daiya vegan "cheese" almost a year ago. I said, "It's big distinction is that instead of soy or rice or the usual bases, Daiya uses tapioca* and/or arrowroot flours."

The vegan cheese world can't sit still for long. Daiya, a Canadian product, is finally busting out all over. All over Canada, at least. Naturally, there's a press release.

Daiya Foods has been called "the holy grail of vegan cheese". naturalnews.com says "Daiya is one brand that stands out from the rest. Based on its excellent taste, texture, and ingredients, Daiya truly is a delicious and healthy vegan product."

Daiya Foods originated in Vancouver, BC. The Naam restaurant on W. 4th Ave was one of their first customers and Canadian consumers have been asking for the last year when they can buy the product in Canada. The day is on the horizon, the labeling issues holding Daiya Foods back have been overcome, and the packages are at the printers! We will start shipping to distributors Oct 1st, and you will see the product in stores by the end of the month!

Over the last year the only way to purchase Daiya products in Canada was to order 5lb foodservice packages from online retailers like Karmavore or Viva Granola; many supportive Canadian consumers waited patiently for their shipment of Daiya style shreds to arrive at their front door. Now everyone will find the retail packages exploding onto shelves in early fall, plus the foodservice and prepared foods sections in markets will be ramping up over the next 4 weeks.

Enjoy Daiya products on your pizza, nachos, and comforting macaroni. Daiya products are a healthy choice that offers all of the taste, melt, and stretch without the guilt! It's a perfect option for any diet need, whether you have a common food allergy, are lactose intolerant or vegan, or your [sic] just watching cholesterol and trans fat intake!

Positive feedback is already coming in from the foodservice market; Boon's Burger Café in Manitoba says "Thanks Daiya, we’ve got new customers coming in the door… just because we are carrying your "cheese"! With a powerful, fast moving national launch in the US Whole Foods and the continued trends in vegetarian and health eating, Daiya Foods expects the same excitement in Canada. Check back often to see where you can purchase or enjoy Daiya products at www.daiyafoods.com/where/index.aspx.

Product information: Daiya products are a revolutionary new dairy-free vegan option that tastes, shreds, melts, and stretches perfectly for any of your favorite recipes. Daiya is free of many of the common allergens including; dairy (casein and lactose), soy, gluten, egg, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconuts). Daiya is also free of animal products, cholesterol, trans fats, and preservatives. To find out more visit www.daiyafoods.com.

To spare you, I edited the release to create paragraphs and I added some proper punctuation. I complain all the time about how badly written press releases are, but this one is close to the bottom.

Hi, Daiya! I'm available!


*UPDATE: That used to say cassava flour, but the ingredients lists now [11/27/11] read tapioca flour instead.

Tofutti to Announce Three Innovative Products

Tofutti sent out a bit of a downbeat press release, revealing that they lost gross and net revenue since last year at this time.

The good news is that they are expanding their product line into firsts, not just for them, but for the industry.

As announced at our annual meeting in June, we have developed three new dairy-free food products. We will soon release the first commercially available nondairy and gluten-free ricotta cheese product, which is expected to reach grocers' shelves in the fourth quarter of this year. We also intend to release what we believe will be the first dairy-free, sugar-free, frozen dessert than incorporates Stevia as the sweetening agent and a newly re-formulated frozen pizza with a dairy-free, trans fat-free cheese topping. We expect that the latter two products will be commercially available around the new year."

Go to Tofutti.com for more information on all their current products.

Ian's Natural Foods - Dairy and Gluten-Free Kid's Meals

Ian's Natural Foods has an allergen-free line of kid's foods that are all "made without wheat, gluten, casein, milk, eggs or nuts".

Three of the meals are of special interest to dairy-free families as true alternatives to normally dairy-laden products.

Mac & No Cheese - WF/GF Recipe

Kids with food allergies can now enjoy another American classic - macaroni and cheese! Ian’s combined brown rice pasta with a rich ’no cheese’ sauce to create a delicious macaroni and cheese dish made without wheat, gluten, milk, casein, eggs, nuts or soy.

Mac & Meat Sauce - WF/GF Recipe

Tender brown rice pasta, ground chicken and flavorful marinara sauce are combined to create the perfect Italian-style dinner for kids with food allergies! Ian’s WF/GF Recipe Mac & Meat Sauce is made without wheat, gluten, milk, casein, eggs, nuts or soy.

French Bread Pizza - WF/GF Recipe

Ian’s French Bread Pizza is a great-tasting meal for anyone with allergies! Don’t limit yourself to homemade pizza; enjoy the taste of thick, hearty wheat and gluten-free French bread with a zesty Italian sauce, plus nutritious dairy and casein-free mozzarella cheese. French Bread Pizza is made without wheat, gluten, milk, casein, nuts or eggs. Contains soy.

Ian's Natural Foods, Inc.
360 Merrimack Street
Building 9, Suite 320
Lawrence, MA 01843

Phone: 800.54.FOODS (36637)
Fax: 978.989.0602

Follow Your Heart Dairy Alternatives

It's been four years since I posted about Follow Your Heart and in that time they introduced new soy-based dairy alternatives.

They now have a sour cream alternative and a cream cheese alternative.

Description

Thick and creamy, this non-dairy delight tastes just like the old-fashioned favorite. Our fresh sour cream is a perfect topping for Mexican food, a rich base for dips, and the finishing touch on top of a steaming baked potato.

Description

Our cream cheese alternative has the smooth, buttery taste of the diary version with the same velvety texture. Made with organic ingredients, this cream cheese gives richness to cheesecakes, frostings and desserts, and naturally, nothing is better on a bagel!

They also have several vegan, dairy-free, cheese alternatives, which they claim can melt like real cheese even though they don't contain the milk protein casein.

Leave your perceptions of soy cheese behind. Vegan Gourmet® Cheese Alternatives taste great, and they melt! Yes, it's true! It's a non-dairy cheese revolution! Our heart healthy "cheeses" contain no cholesterol or gluten, are lower in fat than dairy cheese, and contain no lactose or other dairy products.

Flavors: Cheddar Cheese; Monterey Jack; Mozzarella; Nacho

Lisanatti Foods Cheese Alternatives

I went shopping today at a natural foods store, and found some brands that are new to me.

The first is Lisanatti Foods.

Lisanatti® Foods, family owned and operated in Oregon since 1977, produces several varieties of high quality cheese alternatives: THE ORIGINAL Almond®, Senora Lupe®, PREMIUM Soy-Sation®, RiceCheeze®, and MUNCHEEZE® Snack Sticks. We have been using organic and non-GMO ingredients for many years and source the finest ingredients commercially available.

Lisanatti® cheese alternatives are easy to use in favorite recipes as a cholesterol-free, gluten-free substitute for traditional dairy cheese. For dietary changes to improve health, our vegetarian cheese alternatives contain no Trans fats or saturated fats, are low in sodium and good sources of calcium and protein.

Let's break those down into flavors:

The Original ALMOND

Cheddar Style Chunks
Mozzarella Style Chunks
Garlic-Herb Style Chunks
Jalapeno Jack Style Chunks

SoySation

SoySation® Chunks
SoySation® Slices
SoySation® Shreds

RiceCheeze|MUNCHEEZE

RiceCheeze® Cheddar Style Chunks
RiceCheeze® Mozzarella Style Chunks
RiceCheeze® Pepper Jack Style Chunks
MUNCHEEZE™ Mozzarella Style Snack Sticks
MUNCHEEZE™ American Style Snack Sticks

Senora Lupe (soy-based)

Chipotle Style Chunks
Jalapeno Mild Style Chunks
Manchego Style Chunks
Quesadilla Style Chunks

All the different styles and flavors appear to contain the milk protein casein. That makes them melt like regular cheese but are not recommend for people with milk protein allergies, though they are find for those of us with lactose intolerance and for vegetarians (but not vegans).

Lisanatti Foods
1815 Red Soils Court
Oregon City, OR 97045

(866)864-3922 Toll Free
(503)652-1988 Local
(503)653-1979 Fax

A Healthy Sampling of Non-Milk Cheeses

Out in the Pacific Northwest Inlander, Leah Sottile surveyed a range of non-dairy cheeses available in local stores.Since most of those sounded like they'd be available elsewhere as well, I thought I'd convey her report to you.

Over the course of the last few weeks, I’ve sampled all kinds of faux cheeses to see how they measure up to the real thing. And maybe it’s because I don’t have a physical ailment that prevents me from eating them — but most of them aren’t very good at all.

There are exceptions, however. At Yoke’s on Argonne and at Huckleberry’s (at the Y and on the South Hill), you can get your hands on a sizable bag of Daiya cheese in either cheddar or mozzarella. Vegans are going nuts for Daiya, a fairly new brand, because unlike so many faux cheeses it melts and stretches and gets all goopy for nachos and things like that. We used the mozzarella in a veggie lasagna, and the Daiya acted just like the real stuff — adding body and a creaminess when intermingled with our homemade marinara, whole-wheat pasta, mushrooms, spinach and spices.

And a week later, a friend threw Daiya in a bread and-mushroom panade — again, I was impressed. The cheddar was a little more over the top in the flavor department, delivering a surprising punch that tasted like Velveeta. We made a Mexican pizza with it and it was a little much — but would have been great in a mac ’n’ cheese.

In searching for good cheese alternatives, creamy, spreadable “cheeses” seemed to be a safe bet. I was shocked by how addictive all of the We Can’t Say It’s Cheese spreadable cheeses were. I picked up their Cheddar-style Spread and Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread at Rosauers on 29th and was totally shocked at how tasty they were on everything. Crackers. Sandwiches. Tortillas. Chips. And, oddly, all of spreads are made from oats. And they taste like cheese. Weird. If for some reason I couldn’t eat cheese any more, this stuff would definitely become a cornerstone of my diet. Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream were both spot-on with the flavor of the real stuff — I’m sure I could sneak either of them to an unwilling vegan cheese consumer and they’d have no idea.

...

Though not vegan (it contains a milk product called casein), the Lisanatti Almond Garlic & Herb style cheese alternative surprised me with its peppery flavor and toothsome texture. You’ll see it as often as the Tofutti brand in stores, and it’s definitely superior. I ate a few pictures by it self — and wasn’t blown away, but didn’t throw it in the garbage like the Follow Your Heart stuff. However, on the way back to the fridge, I dropped it and was slightly grossed out by how high off the ground the block bounced. Ew.

The brands don’t end at the grocery store: Online, you can find Dr. Cow Aged Cheeses made from cashews, the Daiya-like Teese Cheese, and the Edam, Gouda and Cheshire-style Sheese.

She really didn't like the products from Follow Your Heart at all. Bad odor.

She's still on the trail of the perfect cheesy substitute. She just hasn't found it.

Daiya Vegan "Cheese"

Daiya is a vegan cheese substitute that is making inroads into restaurants and stores. It's big distinction is that instead of soy or rice or the usual bases, Daiya uses tapioca* and/or arrowroot flours. They claim that this makes it unusually allergen-free.

What is Daiya?
Daiya is a revolutionary new dairy-free vegan cheese that tastes, shreds, melts and stretches like dairy based cheese. Daiya is not made with casein, the protein found in dairy products or soy, common to many other non-dairy cheese alternatives. In fact, Daiya does not contain any common allergens, animal products or cholesterol. Daiya is made with nutritious planted-based ingredients and is:

▪ 33% less fat than dairy-based cheese with equivalent[sic] attributes
▪ Cholesterol free
▪ Trans Fat free
▪ Dairy free
▪ Free of all animal products (Vegan and Parve)
▪ Free of common allergens including:
▪ Soy, Casein, Lactose, Gluten, Egg, Wheat, Barley, Corn, Whey, Rice, and Nuts
▪ Free of Artificial Ingredients
▪ Free of Preservatives
▪ Free of Hormones & Antibiotics
▪ An excellent source of a naturally occurring vegan vitamin B-12 as well as an excellent source of B vitamins in general

The pizza chain is adding Daiya cheese to its menu to complement its gluten-free crusts.

You can also buy it at selected Whole Foods stores as well as online. Check their where to find Daiya page.

*UPDATE: That used to say cassava flour but the ingredients now [11/27/2011] say that tapioca flour is used instead.

Rice Vegan "Cheese" Blocks

Galaxy Nutritional Foods is one of the major names in the alternative "cheese" market. They make both soy-based cheese alternatives and rice-based cheese alternatives. These came in two varieties, by the way, one vegan and one non-vegan.

Why is this? The stumbling point for most vegan attempts to make a cheese substitute is that is doesn't melt properly. You need milk proteins to do that. The non-vegan alternatives from Galaxy have casein proteins added to give them the cheesy properties that many people prefer.

That makes these alternatives taboo for those with milk protein allergies, even though they are still lactose free and therefore acceptable for those of us with lactose intolerance. This is the correction I made of a newspaper article the last time I wrote about Galaxy.



Galaxy's big new news is that in addition to offering their Rice Vegan cheese slices in three flavors - American, Cheddar, and Pepper Jack - they are also introducing Rice Vegan blocks.

From the press release:

For the first time, vegan consumers now have a soy- and dairy-free block option in the cheese alternative section of natural foods stores – and they won’t have to sacrifice melt or taste. Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Inc., with leading cheese alternative brands Veggie, Rice, Vegan and Rice Vegan, is continuing to redefine the category with the introduction of Rice Vegan blocks – a rice-based alternative perfect for vegans or those with soy or dairy allergies.

While many vegan foods tend to be high in soy, Rice Vegan blocks offer an easy way for vegans to moderate or avoid soy in their diets and still enjoy a cheesy taste and melt. Not only are Rice Vegan blocks soy- and casein-free, they are also free of gluten, preservatives, cholesterol and trans fat. These blocks feature 55 percent organic ingredients, a smooth melt and are available in Mozzarella and Cheddar flavors.

And that's not all. The rest of their lines are New and Improved! (The press release actually uses that fantastically old and derided cliché "new and improved." Imagine. Press release writers get paid for their work. It's almost unbelievable.)

As a result of the overwhelmingly positive feedback received from consumers surrounding the recent relaunch of Galaxy’s Rice brand products with new ingredients and an improved taste, Galaxy began to similarly update all of its cheese alternative products. With this update, Galaxy’s Vegan and Veggy brand products now feature a new organic-soy base, and Rice Vegan Slices now have an organic-rice base. Galaxy also just relaunched its Veggie brand products, the No. 1 soy-based cheese alternative available in grocery stores, with similar improvements.

To support Galaxy’s new and improved product launches, GalaxyFoods.com has been redesigned. The new Web site incorporates the Galaxy brands’ new look and feel, and is coupled with increased functionality, as well as a focus on additional content including recipes, company news and healthy eating tips.

The new Rice Vegan blocks and other new and improved Galaxy products will debut with newly designed packaging later this year. Galaxy’s cheese alternatives can be found in the cheese alternative section of natural foods stores nationwide.