Vegan Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

Right before Daiya hit the grocery store shelves, I was about to give up on vegan cheese all together because the other products out on the market do not have the same texture and taste that you associate with real cheese. It just felt like empty calories to me, and took so much time (and patience) for the cheese to actually melt. There where many break-downs in the kitchen... not a good scene. Then along came Daiya. I was skeptical at first, but with a friend's urge to try it, I gave it a shot. Oh man... life changing and the possibilities are endless! I thought to myself, "vegan bar food here I come!". There is so much you can do with this cheese: Mac and Cheese, Quesadillas, Grilled Cheese, and of course Mozzarella Cheese Sticks.

INGREDIENTS
1 block of Daiya Mozzarella Cheese, cut into 3-4 inch long sticks.
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup italian flavored bread crumbs
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. dried basil
1 cup water
vegetable or canola oil for frying

METHOD:
1. Get out three medium sized bowls to work with. In the first one, fill it with water. The second, mix together the flour and cornstarch. In the third, mix the panko, italian bread crumbs, and dried herbs.

2. Dip each mozzarella stick one at a time in the water and then the flour mixture. Let the sticks rest on a cutting board or a plate to dry for about 5 minutes.

3. Take the floured sticks and dip them (quickly) in the water again. Some flour mixture will come off, but don't worry. After a quick dip in the water, toss them in the breadcrumb mixture and let sit and dry for about 3-4 minutes.

4. Repeat step 3 for a second time, letting dry longer for about 5-6 minutes.

5. While the sticks are drying for the finale time, prepare your frying pan. I didn't measure the oil for mine, but fill your frying pan up with oil so that it looks like 1/2 to 3/4 up the side of the sticks will be submerged. Get the oil nice and hot (the temp will be about 350-375 if using a thermometer).

6. Place the sticks in the oil with enough space between them so they are not touching each other. Fry on one side until golden brown (for me it was about 5 minutes or so). Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown.

7. Take out of the frying pan and put on a paper towel lined plate to cool. Serve with warm marinara.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant parmesan was never a favorite of mine because I always had it smothered in sauce and cheese which made the eggplant turn soggy. This recipe uses Daiya mozzarella cheese and the eggplant ends up turning nice and crisp!

INGREDIENTS
2 eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds
sea salt
1 cup soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/4 cup chickpea flour
3/4 cup flour
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (or more depending how much you like) italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
1/2 a bag of Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut for garnish

METHOD
1. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with sea salt and let sit in a colander for 30-45 minutes allowing the excess water to drain.

2. Transfer the eggplant to a clean kitchen towel and lay flat. Using another clean kitchen towel, lay on top of the eggplant slices and press down to release anymore excess liquid from the vegetable.

3. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

4. Using 3 pie pans (or big bowls) start putting together your flour mixture, "egg" mixture, and breadcrumbs. In the first plate, combine the flour and black pepper to taste. In the second combine the soymilk, cornstarch, and chickpea flour by mixing with a whisk. Put the breadcrumbs in the third plate.

5. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Next, coat each eggplant slice in the flour, then the "egg" mixture, and then in the breadcrumbs. Transfer to the baking pan and lay each slice flat so that they are not on top of each other.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, and flip the slices 15 minutes into baking.

7. In the meantime, coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with a 1/4 inch of pasta sauce. When eggplants are done baking, transfer them to the glass dish by layering and overlapping the slices to fit.

8. Cover with desired amount of sauce and sprinkle on the Daiya cheese. Cover with tin foil and let it bake for 30 minutes.

9. When the dish is done baking, take out of the oven and let it cool for about 7-10 minutes. While the eggplant is cooling, chiffonade your basil by taking the leaves and then rolling them away from you as tight as you can. Keep rolling until you reach the opposite end of the leaves and you have a tight little package. With one hand holding the rolled leaves tightly, start slicing as finely as you can until you have nice little ribbons. Sprinkle the basil on top of your dish.