Guest Corner!

Last week I had the most amazing discovery. I was reading an interview with Jason Ferrugia that Craig Ballantyne had put up (I'm a fan of Turbulence Training, yeah), and Jason was mentioning some vegan things he recommended. What caught my eye wasn't that he was talking about vegan food (since it seems like just about every fitness expert guy I've heard of has gone through a vegan/vegetarian phase), but rather that all his vegan recommendations were soy-free as well. Soy is usually the main protein replacement for people who don't eat dairy or eggs, so it was unusual to see someone who wasn't allergic actually go vegan and soy free.

SO! The amazing discovery? Jason mentioned a cheese substitute called Daiya. Now, usually cheese substitutes have casein in them (despite their claims of being dairy-free, the liars), and those that don't almost always have soy.

But not Daiya. It has no corn, no soy, no casein, no milk, no egg.

I know! I was shocked too! And then once I recovered I made a gluten/wheat-free egg-free milk/dairy-free soy-free corn-free pizza. And it was GOOD. (But more on that later.)

So today's guest post is from my sister-in-law, Liz Dubon Orwig. She's vegetarian. She's done vegan for a while, and she's totally down with the whole allergy thing, since she also is struggling with avoiding food allergens. She has a huge head start on the wonder that is Daiya, since she found it a while ago, and she doesn't mind rubbing it in just a teeny bit. :)

She's been experimenting with Daiya for a while, and has some good recipes to share. Like these vegan nachos. Mmmmm.

So read all about it on her blog! It'll make you hungry! It'll make you cheesy!

And most of her recipes can be adapted for non-vegan-friendly allergies (like wheat allergy or gluten intolerance), as well. For example, there are a lot of rice breads in grocery stores that can be used to make grilled Daiya sandwiches. And I actually found brown rice tortillas today in a local grocery store (yes, they actually exist), so quesadillas are totally do-able.

So enjoy our ode to the happiness that is Daiya. Just remember, though, that Daiya is definitely NOT nutritionally equivalent to real cheese, and is more of a fat source than anything else. So if you're on a weight loss diet, make sure to take the calories, fat, and carb content into consideration, and enjoy responsibly!