• amy’s mac and cheese with daiya: frozen dinner heaven

    49
    February 11th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, locali

    i have never tasted a frozen dinner that brought me back to my pre-vegan days as much as today when i tried amy’s vegan rice macaroni and cheeze. this stuff is brand new, it’s made with daiya cheese, and it tastes so much like the stouffer’s i remember eating as a kid.

    right now, the only place i’ve been able to find amy’s new vegan mac and cheeze is at locali. i’ve checked several different whole foods locations including weho, 3rd/fairfax, and beverly hills…all no dice. so head on over to locali ASAP and buy some of this before it’s all gone. if you miss the taste of quick & easy childhood mac and cheese, this will really hit the spot. just be sure to read the labels on the back and look for the phrase “(VEGAN)” located right next to the printed word “INGREDIENTS.” they also namedrop “DAIYA” in the ingredients section, if that’s helpful. i’m not trying to talk to you like you are a 5 year old, but seriously, amy’s stuff can be confusing. they sneak honey and casein into products like none other.

    oh, and one more little coup to add: this new amy’s mac and cheese is also gluten free and soy free….so pretty much anyone on earth can eat it! go get some and lemme know what you think. ALSO, please lemme know if you see this at any other stores other stores; let’s get the word out!

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46 responses to “amy’s mac and cheese with daiya: frozen dinner heaven” RSS icon

  • MUST BUY. MUST EAT.

  • Don’t want any thing to do with those sneaky bastasrds…

  • I got mine at Locali too. Still sitting in my freezer for a quick lazy meal…

  • Like all frozen food, the picture on the box looks nothing like the reality of the cooked meal!

  • OH EM GEE! Amy’s macaroni and cheese was my number one comfort food when I was vegetarian. This is the best day ever.

  • Damn, I’m going to have to look for this!

  • Can’t wait to see the nutritional label on this one… Amy’s makes the most unhealthy meals on the planet. I seriously don’t think there is one product that isn’t laden with copious amounts of fat. They even have the nerve to put an Amy’s weight loss diet on their website… good luck.

  • At 22 grams of fat per serving, this is a very unhealthy product. A full day’s worth of fat according to the only people to reverse heart disease (Ornish, Esselstyn), or a third of a day’s worth of fat for a full grown man according to the Feds:

    http://www.amys.com/products/product_view.php?id=43

    Just awful…

    Try this recipe for the same, with near 1/5th the added fat:

    http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/10/easy-macaroni-and-cheeze.html

  • Omg, I have to try this!!! Will go on a hunt for it around NYC.

  • Thanks Anon for finding the Nutritional Label! What makes me jump on this product is that if most people were like me when they discovered Amy’s they are eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Amy’s is probably near a billion $ corporation. Nothing they turn out gives two shits about your health, they want you to buy buy and buy and the easiest way to do that is fill food with fat and salt to keep you addicted. Plus they put cow puss in a ton of their garbage. An Organic label doesn’t make things healthy… 77% organic at that…. I’m sure that fatfreevegan.com one tastes just as good, and you can actually feel good about yourself after eating it.

  • Even though this is likely an unhealthy product as the two commentators pointed out, I am looking forward to trying this, especially as it appears to be gluten-free. I am not someone who eats much packaged food at all, maybe a few times a year at most, so I’m not too bothered by the nutritional profile. It’s not like this stuff needs to be hyper-consumed. 🙂

  • Jesus H Christ – you fat-free freaks are really annoying. Nobody is suggesting you eat this stuff at every meal, but a little indulgence a couple of times a month hurts nobody. Besides, studies have shown that the stresses of strict dieting and calorie counting far outweigh a lifestyle of sensible food intake and regular exercise.

    Oh, and that fatfreevegan.com recipe tastes awful. Worse than Mac and Shreeze. There’s no comparison to this.

  • i will admit, for the size, that is a fuck of a lot of calories.

  • F the haters. Amy’s is a godsend for working stiffs that don’t work in an area with vegan-friendly eateries. I’ve relied on their “hot pockets” on MANY an occasion, and I don’t care about calorie-counting. Wah Wah.

    As for “sneaky bastards”… Amy’s products say Dairy-Free in big bold letters right on the front for the vegan products. They’re far from a Morningstar Farms.

  • I could not agree more, Greg. I’ve never counted calories in my life, eat pretty much what I want and don’t need no fat-free freak (I love that term!) to tell me what I can and can’t eat.

  • Whole Foods Sherman Oaks (the one near Hugo’s) has this product! I bought 2 this morning…but yeah, when I saw the label – it was a bit of a wake-up call. 520 calories, 22 grams of fat…hoooleeee shit! I’ve gained 10 lbs since Daiya hit the scene (and was already 20 lbs over my ideal weight). I love the stuff but I need to cut back!

  • I think I’ve seen that at Huckleberries before too, in the freezer section.

  • calories are for consuming, not counting. eat the rich.

  • @tamara, I love you for saying this:

    “the stresses of strict dieting and calorie counting far outweigh a lifestyle of sensible food intake and regular exercise”

  • Regarding the fat/calorie content, well, we all know that regular dairy mac & cheese has a ton of calories and fat too.

    So calories or no calories, I think the point here is that Amy’s is offering a dairy-free, soy-free option for mac & cheese lovers that actually tastes good. A win, in my opinion!

  • I’m not a big calorie counter, but I agree that this is a lot for a frozen dinner. Based on that high calorie count, I wouldn’t buy this product. If i want a whole day worth of fat in one meal, I’ll go to Pure Luck and eat some fried pickles! Mmm.

  • Fried pickles @ Pure Luck – now you’re talking! I think my lunch plans just solidified…

  • I purchased a box the last time I stopped at locali, just one, cause I was almost positive I wouldn’t like it. I was very wrong. The taste and texture were just perfect!
    Regarding the fat & calories, Of course it’s gonna have crap in it. would anyone really purchase a man n cheese product with healthiness in mind? It’s fuckn mac n cheese, not veggies and protein.

  • Add Whole Foods in West LA (Barrington & National) to the list of places that carry this.

  • I’d like to try this, I will be checking the Whole Foods near me for it for sure.

  • “no fat freak” chiming in again, thanks for the name calling Tamara. For fellow on the go no time to cookers you can get healthy meals to go now at Whole Foods under the label “Health Starts Here” in the Meals to Go section. They are 5.99$ and you have to make sure they are vegan, a few of them are not, but the 5 or 6 that I’ve tried repeatedly are pretty damn good, especially the yam salad and the plantains/beans and rice. If you like fat Tamara keep on eating it!

  • I’m one of what appears to be a small number of people who get stomach cramps (and worse) after eating Daiya.

    Bummer, because I think it’s the best tasting ‘fake’ cheese out there. Well, aside from Dr. Cow’s.

    Thanks for the tip on “Health Starts Here” meals at Whole Foods, lex.

  • I was surprised it wasn’t at all oily. I gotta say, this has to be the tastiest, creamiest, gooeist, heart-clogging, “traditional American tasting” vegan mac and cheese I’ve had so far. Beats Veggie Grill and Native Foods hands down. The vegan soul food joints still have it though with their spice and greasy factor you can’t find anywhere else :p

  • Lex: I like fat, in moderation! It’s perfectly OK when consumed regularly in small quantities. That’s my entire point.

    It doesn’t need to be removed from a diet completely.

  • locali is out 🙁

  • They sell them at the Whole Foods in Thousand Oaks, California. I just bought one today and it tasted amazing. It might not be the healthiest choice but it’s a great treat to have once in a while 🙂

  • I, for one, like Amy’s and most of their frozen vegan samplings. They are a quick and convenient and I appreciate them like no other when I am sick or on the occasions I’m really tired and can’t muster the strength to cook for myself. And they aren’t sneaky. You should be turning over every product you buy to see what’s in it, even if it is labeled vegan on the front or where-ever. As for the fat and calories, while 520 is a lot, it’s not the end of the world. It also surprises me that no has pointed out that this product only contains 5 grams of saturated fat, which, in my humble opinion, matters more than total fat in a product. Fat isn’t bad. You just have to know what type of fat you’re eating and consume in moderation (plus exercise, it’s good for you!). Raw nuts and avocados are full of fat too….and delicious. 🙂

  • i definitely ran to whole foods to buy this yesterday [the one in valencia has it, but shhh!] and i bought three, i tasted it and it was THE BEST MAC N CHEESE EVER, you were absolutely right!! i was sceptical at first but after tasting it, WOW!!!!!!!

    i am out already… i need to go STOCK UP BEFORE ALL YALL GO TO VALENCIA AND THEY RUN OUT!!!

    mmmmmmm so fucking delicious.

  • We don’t even have taste buds on our tongues for fat (carnivores do) so I don’t know why so many vegans stand behind an obvious poison! Or why food companies such as Amy’s load up so much of their food with it. We don’t have taste buds for protein either, but carnivores do! We taste salt and sweet (bitter to avoid poison) and that’s all we need!

  • After seeing this I grabbed a box myself while at the market today. Actually, my husband spotted it. We were lucky enough to find it at Dierbergs which is a localish market in the Southern Illinois/St. Louis area.

    I completely agree. This stuff was all kinds of yummy. I couldn’t believe just how good it was. And filling too! My non-mac-and-cheese-liking husband LOVED it.

    For the people complaining about the calories and fat… it is a lot of calories and fat, but it’s not so bad if you share it. Plus it’s not like it’s something you eat every day. It’s at least good to have on hand for those lazy days, I think.

  • bought some over the weekend at my local whole foods in pasadena for $3.99. mixed in some roasted broccoli and it was a perfect side dish for two. i’m sure it would be great with a bit of truffle oil as well. mmmmmm.

    like ANY mac n cheese, it’s gonna be loaded with fat! no one is forcing you to buy it or eat the whole thing!! i’m just glad options like this are available to make the transition to a vegan diet easier on most folks!! let’s appreciate what products and companies like this are doing for the cause, instead of knocking them for not fitting within the constraints of your PERSONAL diet guidelines.

  • I am halfway through my first box of this. Tastes GREAT and consistency is incredibly good.

    Only complaint is I was stirring it up and oil squirted onto my shirt! I expected to make a mess of my waistline with this fatty mixture…but not of my clothes! HAHA.

  • This may sound like a bit of a troll, but when I was in the natural foods industry, a buddy of mine met Amy herself at a trade show and said that she was pretty hot. What can I say, added bonus?

  • I gotta say I’m with Tamara here … fat’s not poison. It’s an important part of your diet, and in moderation it’s not worth freaking out about. If you’re eating vegan, you’re basically foregoing cholesterol and most trans fat anyway, so I think you can afford to splurge as long as you don’t do it every day. Besides, it tastes AMAAAAAAAAZING.

  • I’m sure it has already been reported, but the Whole Foods at 3rd & Fairfax has it!

  • The Whole Foods in Westwood carries this too.

  • I picked up a couple at WF in Woodland Hills this morning.

    You people whining about the fat need to quiet down. If someone was to eat this at every meal, along with other crap during the day, they will get on the fatty train. But a little indulgence once in awhile is good for the brain. As it is now I take in so little fat per day, one of these once in awhile ain’t gonna do shit other then put a smile on my face.

    BTW…Stoffers, which btw was like food of the Gods when I was vegetarian has…drum roll please.

    680 Calories
    32g of Fat
    1640mg Sodium
    50mg of Cholesterol

    Amy’s

    520 Calories
    22g of Fat
    740mg Sodium
    0mg Cholesterol

    So having a product for vegans to enjoy once in awhile is a good thing.

  • This is my followup to the above post….So I couldn’t wait and ate one of these for lunch. Holy Shit Batman! This is freakin scary good. It tastes 95% of a Stouffers Mac and Cheese…very rich in flavor.

    Since my diet is very low in fat, this was almost a shock to my system…I mean I was seriously on a fat buzz.

    Overall, I do see these as unhealthy if eaten on a regular basis, but feel I could fit one in now and again.

  • Got this at whole foods venice…awesome! Love the Daiya.

  • I thought these have cassein in them…

  • The Whole Foods in West Hollywood carries these, holy guacamole they are delicious!

    And in case anyone is in the area, they are also available in Las Vegas at Whole Foods on Las Vegas Blvd and at the Tropicana location of Sunflower Market.


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