Even if we are a household without dietary restrictions, I still like to mix things up a bit. Eating the same way is just utterly boring no matter how good the food can be. To not get in a meal rut means I need to introduce new foods and start weeding out the things we want to take a break from.
Daiya Foods Pizzas, is a leap of many kinds for us. For one, we rarely eat frozen prepared meals and/or side dishes. I do freeze meats in raw form and that is as frozen as we get, along with frozen veggies and fruits. You just can’t grab something from the freezer and nuke it……yeah, that comes back and bites me, so I made some tamales and the such for those days I want to actually use the microwave beyond just softening butter in it. Secondly, I have tried gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, to meatless but never really ventured into non-dairy, unless it’s a fruit based gelato or some kind of sweet treat. This means Daiya foods is eating a way for us that is entirely new because it’s taking everything we have tried before, but all in one dish and at the same time. I’m game!
I was offered to try out the pizzas and no one had ever tried anything from Daiya Foods, except for a faux cream cheese style spread. Some of my group admitted to seeing the cheezes in the dairy alternative aisle at Sprout’s, but never actually tried it. Okay, this is now an entire new experience for us all.
Daiya Foods makes 6 Pizzas to choose from and they all sound delicious and tempting:
- Supreme Pizza, which includes a meatless sausage topping from Beyond Meat
- Pizza Bianca Pizza, featuring a white bean sauce that has mushrooms and spinach toppings
- Cheeze Lover’s Pizza, a simpler non-topping pizza, which features Daiya’s version of cheezes, like Mozzarella and Cheddar
- Margherita Pizza, a traditional twist on a classic and comes with tomato chunks and basil
- Fire-Roasted Vegetables Pizza, Daiya did not skimp and you have three bell pepper varieties, onions, garlic, tomatoes and even a dash of basil
- Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Pizza, even when it comes to mushrooms, Daiya makes sure you get something beyond the button kind. You have shiitake and crimini in a blanket of roasted garlic and all nestled on their tomato sauce
I purchased two of the selections available, the Supreme and the Fire-Roasted Vegetable to try out. This was what was available at Sprout’s and they were redoing that section when I was shopping and I grabbed the ones that looked more tempting. I grabbed to of the veggies kind and one of the supreme. First, one up to cook and see how well it is received is the Fire-Roasted Vegetable:
The pizza was easy to cook and even though the instructions stated to cook directly on the rack, I just got a new range and it’s less than a week old. A few of the cheeze shreds were dangling off the crust, which I like when eating but not when cooking, so I opted to cook the pizza on my pizza stone just like I would any pizza.
The pizza was cooked and ready in 13.5 minutes! You have the option to use the standard bake and convection instructions were listed, so I went with that cooking option.
Verdict:
By the seven minute mark, you could smell the vegetables and they smell as good as they look. Daiya did not skimp on toppings and that is always a plus in our book. The crust is crisp and upon slicing, you hear it cut just like a normal pizza crust would. The dough has a darker tint that can be described as almost wheat-like in color. It also tastes like a wheat crust but a good one! Daiya nailed it when it came to how the crust tasted, broke apart when eaten and this made the eating of the pizza enjoyable. The vegetables are out of this world. We all agreed the freshness and texture makes you wish Daiya sold the veggies by the bagful. They are roasted but not soft and a mushy mess from being frozen. There is still texture and they are so good, plus the tang you get from the tomato sauce provides a nice balance of flavors. The sauce is light and not super sweet, you just taste fresh tomatoes and a touch of basil. Now, the only small negative is the cheeze. The browned portions we all agreed tasted better than the whiter ones, so toasted on top is the way to cook the pizza if you desire this flavor profile. The cheese does not melt and or string apart like normal dairy versions, it’s almost a little too soft in texture and one guest felt it was like sour cream in taste. I did not feel the sour notes were present but I can see where the comparison in texture can be made. This was the only downer but because the crust and everything else was top-notch, it would not prevent me from buying it. It’s a pizza that I would say has that “rustic” taste but think of it more as a flat-bread pizza with superb toppings and cooks in 15 minutes or less!
The other positive is that 2 pizzas and I had boneless chicken wings to pair with it, filled us! I still had dessert to serve and when it came to putting the third pizza in the oven (The Supreme), we were full. I thought that is a good thing because 8 people were fed very well and we were satisfied with what we ate, so we opted to give the third pizza to the guest that is always late. She also brought a third extra guest, so she could enjoy the pizza for dinner (versus lunch) when she got home. Okay, I’m thinking if I give free meals away, people will start showing up late now 🙂 I’m also eye-ing those cheezecakes they sell and they have a Key Lime one……oh’ yummers!
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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Daiya Foods. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.
WOM-derful 