Have it your way – a quarter pound burger, loaded with grilled onions, lettuce and tomato, oozing with faux melted cheddar in a sesame seed bun.
Or, how about a boneless chicken breast coated with Italian flavored bread crumbs, topped with marinara and shreds of faux mozzarella. Yes, classic but now kosher chicken parmigiana.
How does this kosher magic happen? With Daiya, the newly OU certified, parve cheddar and mozzarella vegan cheese alternative.
Daiya Foods Inc. is a Canadian company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Daiya manufactures Vegan cheese alternatives that taste, perform and have the texture of dairy-based cheese. The story began with a love of pizza and a family kitchen. Inventor and vegan, founder Andre Kroecher wanted to create a topping that would satisfy his craving for pizza with a gooey melt and great flavor! In 2005 ingredient experiments began! After a few accidents and ingredient disasters, Andre began testing his creation to both vegan and non-vegan friends alike. By mid 2007, with the help of friend, and co-founder Greg Blake, Daiya was born.
The company exhibited at the 2009 Natural Foods Expo West in Anaheim, California, the largest natural products show in the world. It was the right timing, for the right product! Within hours Daiya was a hit! All were astonished by the taste and texture. Consumers phoned, blogged, texted, and tweeted friends raving about Daiya, a revolution in the vegan and allergen market. (KosherEye was one of these –After hearing about the product, we eagerly awaited the announcement of kosher certification)
Daiya Foods is now on the "A" list for both vegetarians and kosher users. The cheese alternative is a delicious dairy free vegan product that melts, stretches and tastes like cheese! It is cholesterol free, trans fat free, dairy free (parve), gluten free, with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
Daiya is a healthy alternative for vegetarians and now, the kosher consumer. Think about Daiya on pizza, lasagna, tacos, nachos and more. Enjoy these KosherEye Signature recipes - Quarter Pounder "Cheeseburger" and Chicken "Parmigiana".
A note from the company:
Daiya can be frozen and re-heated. Baking with Daiya: Use Daiya as you would Dairy cheese. For best results (as a topping such as the top layer of a lasagna) add Daiya in the last 5 - 10 minutes (depending on temperature) when baking. This will yield smooth melting properties without excessive browning.
For product information or store locator, please visit DaiyaFoods.com.