Super Cheesy

I was vegetarian for 25+ years before going vegan. I did quit eating cheese for a few years in college, but I started up again without giving much thought to it. I never thought I'd want to completely give up dairy. I loved going to Whole Foods and buying blocks of salty parmagiano reggiano or feta. I snacked on Wheat Thins and cream cheese daily during both pregnancies.

And then one day, I didn't want cheese anymore. Do I miss it now? Not really. There's Tofutti cream cheese. There's a million recipes for vegan queso. Apparently there's a way to make tofu taste like feta, though I haven't tried it yet. (There's also Daiya, but I think I kind of hate Daiya. There I said it!)

Today I made not one but two cheeses. First, Averie's "Spicy Dorito" Cheesy Dip. I didn't have sunflower seeds or hemp seeds, so I just used an equal amount of cashews. It's so awesome. Super rich, so a little goes a long way. And it really does taste like Doritos!

And then for dinner, we had pizza. I used leftover puttanesca sauce, homemade vegan pepperoni and, from The Uncheese Cookbook, "Mostarella" Cheese Sauce.

I picked up this cookbook secondhand many years ago, but I never really used it, probably because I was still eating real cheese at the time. And the way the author makes puns on the names of all the cheeses is, well, totally cheesy! But I gotta say, this sauce really does taste like creamy, melted mozzarella cheese.

My kitchen helpers were preoccupied watching the rain as it poured down all day long.

Now the wind is howling like mad -- we're about to get a major storm to welcome October! It's time to light candles, grab a warm blanket, and cuddle up on the couch with Tony and the little ones. I know the babies will want some extra kisses and cuddles when it starts thundering and lightning. Is that cheesy? Oh well, I guess you are what you eat!