Alternative: Papa Murphy's Veggie Pizza

So I went into Papa Murphy's Take & Bake the other day and ordered a cheeseless ($2 off!) olive, green pepper and onion pizza.  Once home, I added 1/3 package of Daiya mozzarella shreds and baked it according to instruction, but turned off the oven two minutes early and then broiled it instead.  I really, really wanted the "cheese" to brown, but became concerned about the edges of the crust getting too crispy/black!  Next time, I will try cooking it for half the recommended time and broiling it for the other half, while carefully rotating and watching it so that it doesn't burn to a crisp (that's another story there)!

1: Add raw Daiya to pizza

2: Bake/broil

3: Enjoy!  Great for leftovers too!

Review: Bread: Ener-G White Rice Loaf

A bread alternative for those who are gluten-free and vegan.

Review: Chips: Snack-O's

Trader Joe's Baked Snack-O's

A delicious gluten-free alternative to an old favorite...Funyuns!  Yum!

Review: Cheese: Oh. My. Daiya!

Yes, on my visit to Whole Foods this afternoon, I did silently *scream* over this exciting new discovery!  Oh, the recipes that are swimming through my mind... The other two flavors are Cheddar and Jalapeno Garlic Havarti (wasn't daring enough to try this one yet, but it sounds delicious).

Review: Garlic Jim's

Garlic Jim's has a gluten-free crust that also happens to be vegan.  So I ordered a gluten-free veggie pizza minus mushrooms (not a fan) and minus cheese.  Yum!  I would've added Daiya, but it was great just this way.

Review: Cheese: Daiya

Daiya Vegan Cheese Alternative

Oh, how I love thee.  You melt in a very cheese-like way, you make all of my cheesy favorites possible again...and you're so much better than soy!  <3

Review: Mayonaise: Vegenaise

Yes!!  The perfect mayo alternative!  I use this in potato salad, coleslaw, BLT and chik'n sandwiches.  Delicious!

Review: Wheat Thin Fiber Selects: Garden Vegetable

Extremely delicious with roasted pepper hummus!  You might eat the whole box...not saying that I did or anything. ;)

Review: Bread: Oroweat Health Nut

Very good, very nutty bread.  Especially wonderful for peanut butter and raspberry jelly sandwiches!  I almost always eat my lunch on the way to work (at 5AM) because I love this so much! :)

Review: Bagel: Franz Bagels

Everything bagels with your soup or as a bun for a sandwich.

Raisin Cinnamon for a quick, delicious breakfast.

Most bagels I've seen have dairy/whey in them, so watch out.  Not sure if Franz is strictly a northwest company or what, but I think Sara Lee bagels might be Vegan too.  I'll get back to you on that though...

Review: Pie: Marie Callender's Blackberry Cobbler

Yum!  Add a scoop of Purely Decadent coconut frozen dessert in Vanilla Bean and perfecto!

Some apple pies are Vegan as well, but now that I'm not in Las Vegas anymore, I can't seem to find them!  Watch those labels!

Review: Chocolate: Hershey's Genuine Chocolate Flavor Syrup

Corn syrup, anyone?

Although I don't recommend this as something regular to consume, I do love it in my morning soy mocha! And here's a little secret: many of the small coffee houses in Seattle use this very syrup to make their mochas too! :)  And I should know because I ask to see the labels/packages of everything I consume!

Review: Dough: Fillo Dough

Great for pastry sweets and spring rolls and anything you can think of to wrap in super thin pastry sheets!  I definitely have a lot more experimenting to do with these things!

Review: Chips: Lay's Balsamic Sweet Onion

Lay's Balsamic Sweet Onion

These are a great choice if an old favorite of yours was sour cream & onion potato chips.  They have a creamy texture and they're not as heavy as the standard onion chip.  These ones are great with a summertime avocado wrap!

Review: Chips: Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos

Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos

According to their website, these things are not only dairy-free, but porcine-free too (gross!). Anyway, for the junk food addict in us all (well, most of us), may I present to you the most delicious discovery I have found in my many hours of label reading while grocery shopping. This was totally an accident that I even found these, as I'd normally just passed over things I thought were cheese-filled. The "cheesy" flavor in this particular chip is all in the YEAST. :)


P.S. Super yum with red pepper hummus!!

Review: Chocolate: Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate


The semi-sweet only kind is Vegan. You can also get this in the new "mini" chip form as well.

Review: Chocolate: VeganSweets' White Chocolate Chips

VeganSweets' White Chocolate Chips

Wow, so sweet and so tasty!  I got these at my local Vegan grocery store, but you can buy them online for only $3.99.  Most white chocolate that I know of is made with milk, so this was a lucky find!  Can't wait to do some experimenting with these!  

Review: Marshmallow: Sweet & Sara Marshmallows

Sweet & Sara Marshmallows


These can be found at Whole Foods, I hear, but I found them at my local Vegan grocery store. Whoever said a marshmallow couldn't be made without boiled pig skins was out of their mind! These little mini marshmallows were perfect on my mocha (and by themselves too)! :)

Review: Egg: Bob's Red Mill Ground Flaxseed Meal

Bob's Red Mill Ground Flaxseed Meal


I used to use Ener-G for baking, but now I loooooove flaxseed meal. So easy to use and adds some extra healthiness to your baking! Simply combine 1 tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp water, mix and set aside for 2-10 minutes. The flax will completely absorb the water and the outcome equals 1 egg in a recipe!


You can add this to breads, muffins and even your morning cereal, as a 2 tbsp serving provides 6 grams of protein per serving and 8 grams of fiber. :)

Review: Ice Cream: Coconut Bliss Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Coconut Bliss Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert

Usually more expensive than Purely Decadent, I only opt for this one if its on sale. Mint Galactica and Amaretto Cherry are the best!