D is for DAIYA!

After weeks and weeks of stalking Whole Foods Market and local Austin natural foods grocer Wheatsville Coop via twitter, blog, AND phone, asking and asking when Daiya cheese would be available. They all said the supplier was out of stock, but that they "should be getting it soon." After reading this, I immediately headed to the ginormous flapship Whole Foods at 5th/Lamar looking for it. I heard the "dairy guy" on the walkie talkie saying that, "Wheatsville is supposed to get it tomorrow, but I still can't place my order." That's all I needed to know! I called Wheatsville immediately - they were, in fact, scheduled to receive a shipment tomorrow. I asked if they could hold "2 packs of each" for me and to call me as soon as it was in. They did.

At $4.99 a pop, these babies are not cheap, but I stocked up just in case. Problem is, now that I have it, I don't know what to make with it! Grilled cheese and pizza have been popular choices, but I'm also considering lasagna and an insanely delicious (albeit a little disgusting if you really think about it) taco casserole that involves layers of ground beef, tortillas, lots of cheese, and crushed fritos. YUM. I'm going to veganize it with lightlife smart grounds, daiya cheese, and fritos b/c guess what? Fritos are vegan! It's comfort food at its finest (and grossest).

Any other ideas?

Day 3: The Cheesies

Today started out well. I made a big batch of steel cut oats (see my genius "recipe" here) last night and put it in the fridge. This morning I spooned out a bowl, heated it in microwave, and added maple syrup, raisins and toasted walnuts. Quick, easy, and yum!

For lunch I came home (lucky, huh?) and made another Amy's veggie burger with all its accoutrements. This time I added my leftover guac on top, and it was extra delicious. I also wanted it to feel like more of a "naughty" meal so I fried up my tater tots in some grapeseed oil (not deep fry, just pan fry), and they were DELICIOUS. Way better than Sonic's tots. :P

Came home and plopped on the couch with Lola. Eventually my hunger came, and I reheated last night's tah dig and braised collard greens. And I ate them. And they were good... but they weren't enough. Suddenly I found myself wanting something more, something comforting and warm and gooey and... cheesy. I got hit by the cheesies (ya know... like the munchies?? ha!).

All I could think of was ooey gooey pizza, beautiful cheesy layers of lasagna, and even gross stuff like mozzarella sticks. I quickly walked into the kitchen to see what I had that could possibly satiate this craving (nondairy, of course). Nothing. Nothing sounded good, nothing looked good. I paced. I sweared. I asked Lola to talk me off the ledge. Seriously, I was this close to calling Pizza Hut...

And then I spotted a lone sweet potato. And so I baked it. And ate it with a dab of Earth Balance. (And a Mexican coke.) And I felt... better. Did I still want cheese? Yes. But I didn't eat any. And then I proceeded to listen to Colleen Patrick Goudreau's "Vegetarian Food for Thought" podcast on cow's milk. And I hopped on www.unhappycows.com and looked at these photos. And then I found the PETA Vegetarian Starter Kit (which you can download for free here), and just reading through it and being reminded of the realities/horrors of the dairy industry were enough. I don't want to be a part of that ever again.

So, I'm feeling better. I'm glad I didn't cave. But I still miss cheese.