Posts tagged Pizza
Pizza That’s Good For You? – Naked Pizza
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Ya’ll already know I LOVE pizza, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m reviewing yet another pizza restaurant here in Arizona. What’s even funnier? I already have another to review after this one!
While driving around our new location here in Arizona I came upon a place called Naked Pizza. Unfortunately it was not yet open but I was intrigued enough to do some research.
The concept behind their pizza is that it’s all natural. For instance, their Ancestral Blend dough contains prebiotic agave fiber and probiotics. There is no added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oil. With that being said, they are forthcoming and say it is not a “diet pizza”.
Sadly the location near us had already opened and since closed. The good news: there’s another location within 45 minutes our home. Even better: they offered Daiya cheese. I definitely wanted to give it a try.
We decided to head to Naked Pizza on a Friday night and found the location to be in a strip mall. We soon found that the restaurant wasn’t really a restaurant but more of a storefront where you placed and picked up your order, with the exception of several small tables just outside the door.
Upon entering the location was open and bright with their menu posted largely on the wall.
Basically you choose the size of the pizza, crust thickness, choice of sauce, choice of cheese. and additional toppings. As with most pizza places there are “specialty” pizzas to choose from too.
Within 15 minutes of ordering our pizzas were ready and we chowed down.I definitely noticed a difference versus regular ol’ pizza in the crust alone. The ancestral blend was definitely grainy in texture and different than what I was used to. With that being said, it was pretty darn delicious. As always, when vegan cheese is an option I’m pretty happy about it.
I think Naked Pizza could grow in many ways if a few ideas were considered. Have a more spacious area for dine-in eating and provided plates and utensils for those interested in dining in. We literally had to eat out of our boxes since no plates were provided. Lastly, nothing to do with their food….I’m not sure what the deal is with their website being a “.biz” instead of “.com” I’m sure there’s a valid reason for this but I would say this cannot help with their exposure.
Considering their location is so far away from our home I highly doubt we’ll make any special trips to visit Naked Pizza, but it is nice to know that I have one more vegan friendly pizza option in the Phoenix area.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
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Looking for more vegan food in Phoenix? Check out the rest of my adventures.
Vegan Pizza At Picazzo’s
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After reading several of my reviews from Italy and here in Phoenix, something you may pick up on quickly is that I love pizza. Funny thing is I HATED it as a kid. I remember my parents being flabbergasted by my choice to avoid pizza. Obviously I’ve overcome that aversion and have since fallen in love with the pie. With that being said, you shouldn’t be that surprised that this week I’m sharing another vegan pizza experience with you.
As with almost all of my restaurant finds I happened upon Picazzo’s Organic Italian Kitchen via Yelp and VegGuide. They drew me in with their focus on organic and gluten-free options. There were also several reviews of people being able to choose vegan cheese for their pizzas. However, with multiple locations I was unsure if all locations offered the cheese. I finally came across the review of someone who was able to choose a “Create Your Own” option so I thought we’d give it a try. If worst comes to worst I’d just go cheese-less as usual.
The Picazzo’s we checked out is located on Bell Road in Surprise, AZ. It was very easy to find in a new, modern looking strip mall. When we arrived we found ourselves entering a bar area that then made it’s way into a full dining area. With top to bottom wall windows it was plenty bright. The restaurant ambiance wasn’t the your typical pizza pub as it was a bit more clean and upscale with art and all.
From first glance at the menu I was concerned. There was no “Create Your Own” option, let alone vegan cheese listed. Speedy thinking lead me to ask our waiter who non-chalantly said, “Yeah. Soy cheese is available and you can build your own.” Whew! He gave me the order sheet to fill out on my own.
Our small pizzas soon arrived and were gobbled up. No complaints from either D or myself.
Unfortunately I have some negatives, which normally isn’t the case with my reviews. But you know I keep things real, so here they are:
The waiter was for lack of better word, different. I can’t put my finger on what the deal was but the whole situation felt awkward.
Why isn’t the soy cheese listed on the menu? If you have it, offer it. Not to mention, I’d like to know what vegan cheese they use, just for my information. Unlike regular cheese there is a vast different between vegan cheese options….trust me on this. I still have no idea what brand they use.
Same thing with the “Create Your Own” option. If you have it, make sure you offer it or make it known that it’s available.
Lastly, the price for the pizza was crazy expensive. I am willing to pay a higher price for vegan options and a quality meal, but $30+ for two 10 inch pizzas and one soda. A bit much, right?
Although the pizzas were mighty tasty and we’ll probably revisit Picazzo’s, I don’t think it will be my pizza place of choice due to these reasons.
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
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Looking for more vegan food in Phoenix? Check out the rest of my adventures.
Cheesy Vegan Pizza In Phoenix
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Did you know that vegan pizza can be cheesy? Say what?! It’s been quite awhile since I last had pizza with any toppings other than fruits, veggies, and sauce. I’m not complaining since it’s still pizza, but when I had the opportunity to check out a restaurant that had vegan cheese as an option I was all over it.
As you know, I’ve been doing my research on all the interesting vegan eats here in Phoenix. My birthday was right around the corner shortly after we arrived in Phoenix. I had a ton of choices of where I could eat but the option of a tasty vegan pizza with cheese sealed the deal. Enter, Pizza Heaven Bistro.
The location is easy to find, right on 7th Street in Phoenix and has off street parking. Upon entering we found that there was an area to wait for take out orders and small adjoining dining area that we found dim and cozy. (Due to the dim lighting you can understand why my photos are not up to par.)
Pizza Heaven not only has Follow Your Heart soy cheese but also vegan sausage. If you’re looking for gluten free crust they’ve got you covered too. Personally I’ve never been a fan of sausage so there was no interest for me to try the vegan sausage, but I did go for my trusty stand by of double pineapple. Yum!
The pizza was truly awesome and it was nice to have a bit of a change having the cheese since it had been so long. Note: from what I could see the smallest pizza I could get was a 12 inch, which is a size D and I would usually share.
D went non-vegan calzone that was HUGE and plenty for 2 meals, but he was pretty darn happy with his choice too.
There you have it. Another win for vegan eats in Phoenix. Needless to say I left a VERY happy birthday girl!
Speaking of vegan eats: For the month of August Vega is hosting a giveaway/contest on Facebook. As you know, I LOVE Vega Products and with Vega Products and a trip up for grabs I would appreciate any votes you can send my way. You can win too, just for voting!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
How To Eat Vegan In Italy
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Since my trip to Italy several people have asked the questions, “Was it hard to stay vegan in Italy?” and/or “What did you eat?” As I stated previously, I had no idea how to present my trip to Italy here on my blog but this question has sent me in a direction that I think is complimentary of each other. Let’s talk vegan food in Italy!
Be forewarned, this is going to be a long post…..
I absolutely did NOT go hungry in Italy and STAYED vegan with no issues. I will also admit that I indulged quite a bit. I didn’t stuff my face continually or eat to the point of getting sick, but pizza, pasta, and gelato were eaten on a daily basis. Heck, most days I had gelato twice daily and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.
So how did I do it?
I wrote down phrases just in case I needed them.
“senza formaggio” (without cheese).
“Sono vegetariano” I’m vegetarian
“Vorrei un piatto di frutta” I would like a fruit plate
“Vorrei un’insalata” I would like a salad
“Posso ordinare questo senza carne o formaggio” Can I order this without meat or cheese?
“ma senze pesci” but without fish
“ma senza formaggio” but without cheese
“Ha delle verdure grigliate?” Do you have any grilled vegetables?
“Vorrei un piatto di pasta secca, non frescha” I want to order some dried pasta, not fresh (because fresh pasta has eggs in it)
“Soia” Soy
Honestly I only used “senza formaggio” once in the entire time we were in Italy. The good thing is that many Italians know at least a little English and most restaurants had their menus printed in multiple languages. This made it easy to decipher what to order.
I also kept things basic.
Mind you, I don’t eat crazy, off-the-wall type of foods to begin with so although I could’ve sought out “fancy” dishes I was quite content with basic pasta/pizza dishes.
These were my go-to dishes:
Bruschetta
Pasta al Pomodoro – pasta, olive oil, fresh tomatoes, basil, and other fresh ingredients
Pasta all’Arrabbiata – spicy tomato sauce usually with garlic and crushed peppers
Marinara Pizza – most locations actually had this listed so there was no need to ask for it without cheese. Pizza crust in Italy is made with flour, water and possibly yeast.
Vegetable Pizza – this is when the “senza formaggio” came in.
(Side note: every pizza we had was at least 12 in wide. That may seem large to us but Italians consider these ”personal sized” pizzas. Be prepared to gobble down. No surprise, but I had no issue with that!)
The good and the bad is that most every restaurant has these items and most everything else of the menu is about the same too. Good that it’s easy to find something to eat, but bad that it’s the same thing over and over. But, something to keep in mind is that every restaurant had their own sauces and dough so really every time it was like eating something different. I never once got bored with it.
(Side note: this brought up the topic between D and myself about how lucky we are to live in the US and have more food options to choose from. To be honest I don’t know if I’d ever get sick of pasta or pizza but it is nice to have options. While inItally it seemed rare to see a restaurant with anything other than Italian fare.)
I researched and compiled a list of restaurants that specifically offered vegan dishes.
Although we checked out several vegan-friendly restaurants we ended up choosing regular ol’ Italian eateries for every meal. But my research wasn’t all for naught as it came in handy when seeking out vegan gelato.
I cannot speak for how good the vegan restaurant options are but I can speak for the gelato. Either way, I thought I’d share the research I compiled for those that would be interested in vegan eats.
Il Margutta RistorArte – $$$
118 Via Margutta
Rome, Italy
Not far from Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps
Gluten free pasta on request and has a great lunchtime buffet
Ristorante Taverna Vegetariana
Via Trionfale 94
Rome, Italy
Vegan-friendly
Traditional Italian vegetarian cuisine with many vegan options. Pasta and sweets are made-in-house. 15 minute walk from the Vatican. Accepts credit cards.
Il Gelatone – Gelato
28 Via Dei Serpenti
Rome, Italy
Blue Ice – Gelato
122 via Sistina
Rome, Italy
Multiple locations throughout the city but not all carry soy gelato
Il Gelatone and Blue Ice were both awesome and I highly recommend either. Il Gelatone has a few more flavors to choose from but Blue Ice has more locations throughout the city.
Dolce Vegan
Via San Gallo, 92/r
Florence, Italy
Vegan, Italian, Beer/Wine, Bakery
Vegan bakery and small restaurant with limited seating.
Open Wed-Mon 10am-3pm, 5-11pm, closed Tue.
Gusto Leo – Pizza
Via del Proconsolo, 8-red
Florence, Italy
Birrificio Mostodolce – Pizza
Via Frà Bartolomeo, 211
Florence, Italy
Il Vegetariano
Via delle Ruote, 30 r
Florence, Italy
La Fonte
Via Lucignano 15, Montespertoli
Florence, Italy
Vegan-friendly, Macrobiotic, Organic, Beer/Wine
Serves dinner only except on Sunday which is open lunch and dinner.
Closed Mon-Tuesday.
La Raccolta
Via Giacomo Leopardi, 2r
Florence, Italy
Health food store and restaurant. Menu includes tofu, seitan, and vegetarian items.
Open Mon-Sat 12:30-3:00, lunch only.
Gelateria Dei Neri
Via dei Neri, 22
Florence, Italy
My favorite gelato in Florence. Had vanilla and nocciola (hazelnut) flavors.
Perche No! – Gelato
Via dei Tavolini 19r, off Via del Calzaiuoli
Florence, Italy
Had multiple flavors to choose from but not overly impressed with the serving size
Festival del Gelato
Via del Corso 75r
Florence, Italy
Vegan options weren’t labeled so I had to ask and they only had nocciola (hazelnut) and cappuccino. My least favorite option for gelato in Florence.
Fruit is widely available.
From open air markets to carts on the streets, and of course grocery stores, you can find it easily.I tasted some of the best strawberries of my life in Italy.
I also did research of vegan Italian food products.
One thing D and I like to do when we head to a foreign country is head to their grocery store, stock up on some of their products, and try them during our stay. Now that I’m vegan I have to be a bit careful as to what products I test out but once again, that’s where research comes in.
Some vegan companies/products I sought out were:
Coop – Bene.sì line (legume ice cream), gianduia con nocciole (hazelnut chocolate bar)
Valsoia - soy gelato, soy chocolate spread, Baci di Dama (known as Lady’s Kisses 2 cookies w/ hazelnut cream)
Misura – cornetti all’ albicocca (apricot croissants)
Bianco Forno – apricot croissants
I was only able locate a few of the products but found them to be yummy.
I also took food with me.
I took a stash of Larabars, Stretch Island Fruit Co. Fruit Leathers, EcoTrek Whole Food Bars, and pretzels. I knew I would have a ton of food options to choose from but it’s habit to carry something with me at all times, and I’m glad I did. Although airlines offer vegetarian dishes for longer flights it doesn’t mean they’re vegan. Each time I passed on the offered food and opted for my own. The food also came in handy when we just needed a quick bite to eat or while on the road, traveling between the different cities.
One last thing…Charlotte wanted to know if I decided to try some wine while over in Italy. As I stated here that I stay away from alcohol and haven’t had any in well over 2 years. In that post I also stated that I was shutting myself off tasting some local wine while in Italy. So, the answer is yes, I tasted some wine during our trip. I sampled a Montepulciano Noble, Montrpulciano Rosso, Grappe, and Chianti. I will admit I wasn’t a huge fan and have no plans to drink anymore alcohol in the near future, am glad I was open minded and tried it.
Obviously it is quite possible to stay vegan while traveling and indulge at the same time!
Keep Smiling and Be Grateful =)
