The Topic: Cheap and Cheesy The Dish: First off, thanks for everyone who entered the Mother's Day giveaway! Unfortunately, there can be only one winner—congratulations to Amy! Amy's plans include gifting her Mom not only a much-loved phone chat, but both homemade jam and a handmade card. Amy, send me an e-mail and we'll get your Lush gift pack in the mail ASAP.
Moving on to the cheap and cheesy part of the post. I have three words for you: vegan cheese pizza. As we may have (extensively) mentioned in both the magazine and on the website, it has hit the mainstream in a big way. It's a reality, folks, from the East coast to the West coast, you gotta, gotta, gotta go get you some 'zaa. Whether it's thin-crust freezer varieties (I'm looking at you, Tofurky) or deep-dish pizzeria pies, it's all delicious. And guess what? PETA is running a competition right now to win two 5-pound bags of Daiya cheese (my preferred choice for melty vegan cheese). Offer to host a vegan pizza party (get additional party-planning tips here), fill out a short form, and you're on your way to bringing home 10 pounds of magic-making cheese. Now by sharing this I'm totally screwing up my odds of winning, but I like you, and you deserve a shot, too. But believe me, I have quite the cheese party planned: Hawaiian pizza, every-veggie pizza, mac 'n' cheese, cheese biscuits, and quesadillas dipped in queso dip. If I win, my apartment will be vegan-cheese heaven. If you can dream it, you can do it.
Just in case you're not the lucky winner, another affordable option is ZPizza. Across the US, vegans can enjoy this pizza place's Daiya- and Gardein-topped vegan pies. They even have a gluten-free crust! There are also classic pizza-place specials, such as the buy-one-pie-get-one-half-off bargain—Daiya included. And if you fill out this survey, you'll receive a $5 coupon good for your next visit.
The Final Word: More and more pizzerias are adding vegan cheese options to their menus, so check with your local joints and see if they've wised up yet. If they're still on the fence, VN columnist Laura Beck has some excellent advice: "Just ask!" And considering the gaining popularity of Meat-Free Mondays, giving them a slight nudge to offer a nice Monday discount for veg dishes wouldn't hurt—even 10 percent is a welcomed bonus.
