I don't miss cheese. Truthfully, I was never a cheese lover before I discovered my lactose intolerance...I know, I hear the shock!  However, when Daiya Foods came out with a dairy-free, soy-free and gluten-free cheese alternative...how could I not get it?  

Plus, there are a few things where cheese is typically the main ingredient that makes the dish.  To name a few...pizza, lasagna, and casseroles.  Since I am good with my cheeseless pizza (or so I thought) ... I chose to start on a different route with my new dairy-free friend.  I liked Daiya on my grilled vegetable panini the other day, so I decided to step it up a notch and make a cheesy squash casserole this time.

Not a plane jane one though...nope, I wanted to add a little spice to it.  My favorite spice as of late...turmeric.  I really just kind of went with some vegetables we had around that needed to be used up. This combination is yellow squash, carrots, onions, garlic, turmeric and Daiya Mozzarella-style ...

Q: Gwen – I recently cut out dairy for health reasons. I am feeling so much better and really want to stay on this path, but the two vegan cheeses I purchased are poor substitutes. They don’t melt and one has a funky taste. Why is it so hard to find a good a good dairy-free pizza cheese? Does a good one exist?

A: Alisa - I certainly understand the demand for dairy alternatives – something to douse on your cereal, some bold flavor to sprinkle on pasta, and creamy goodness for that satisfying mouth feel. But, the truth is, no single food is exactly like any other food. Creating replicas to mimic the tastes and/or textures of a certain food is a true art (and in some cases, a science), but expecting them to be identical is asking for the impossible.

Though I offer numerous recipes and product recommendations for cheese alternatives in my book, Go Dairy Free, I also recommend tryting to step away from the alternatives when first going dairy-free. If you switch straight from a hunk of dairy cheddar to store-bought vegan cheddar-style “cheese,” there is no doubt that your taste buds will detect the difference, and in many cases, you will be disappointed. But cleansing your palate and enjoying cheese-free dishes for a while will allow you to overcome most if not all of your dairy cheese cravings and appreciate new flavors and textures rather than trying to find an imitation. At that point, you may even prefer several of the alternatives to their dairy-laden counterparts. Seriously ...

Sweet Sundays: He worked hard to support our family and raise my sister and I in a good community. But it is the little gestures I remember most about my father growing up ... the way he cheered louder than anyone (for ALL of the kids) at every one of my soccer games, the library trips when we both needed an escape, the cinnamon toast. Oh come on, you knew it would all come back to food didn't you?

The truth is, I obtained my food obsession from my father. He has always been in pursuit of ultimate health, following nutritious fad after fad based on the latest studies. I will never forget how badly the house smelled every weekend during his "liver is healthy" phase. Thankfully, that didn't last too long. And the one rule he always held onto was to eat breakfast. I liked that rule, and adopted it whole-heartedly, but somedays my stomach just didn't want to cooperate. These days I have good control over my gut, but back then was a different story. When I felt unsettled, and it was time for breakfast, dad would make me cinnamon toast ... always on whole wheat bread and with just the right mix of cinnamon and sugar of course.

If you follow Go Dairy Free, then you are probably familiar with Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese (please reach for the yellow label which is non-hydrogenated!), and you may be familiar with some of their other products too ... including sour cream alternative, vegan cheese slices, "ice cream," frozen novelties, and even frozen pizzas and blintzes. Yes, it is all dairy-free, and this big list is preparing for further expansion.

Tofutti has just announced that they are introducting three new products:

• A non-dairy and gluten-free ricotta cheese alternative
• A dairy-free and sugar-free frozen dessert than incorporates Stevia as the sweetener
• A re-formulated version of their frozen pizza, now with a dairy-free AND trans fat-free "cheese" topping