Vegan day 8: Pizza party VIVA HERBAL Pizzeria
PIZZA PARTY!!!!
For my incredible staff and co-workers for such as amazing job the last few months! They love pizza.. I love pizza.. who doesn’t really??
PIZZA is NOT VEGAN!! Well, for sure the cheese isn’t! Some places may make the crust with eggs and dairy– I’m not really sure! I know some definitely do not– so I’m guessing it’s best to ask.
PIZZA is NOT HEALTHATARIAN either! Most pizza is made with white flour– and that’s that! White flour AND white sugar– the two of them really need to take accountability for the decline in the health of Americans: nutritional deficiencies, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and so on!
If you want options, then you have to seek them out like the ones that make it on WHOLE WHEAT CRUST!
Jack pot– I found just the place!
1st I will say that I ordered half traditional PIZZA… (from one of the best NYC pizzerias: JOE’s PIZZA) on Carmine Street, NYC..
AND 2nd
I ordered the other half from an organic, vegetarian, vegan & kosher place.. also famous: VIVA HERBAL PIZZERIA on second avenue NYC/ by 12th Str.!!
I lived in the village for 10 years– loved it! I was only a few blocks from Joe’s pizza so it’s safe to say that I had consumed a zillion or so slices. Not sure if I mentioned “TRIGGER” foods yet. It’s basically a concept that only those on the addictive side of life will understand. I may have shared the secret in my very first blog a whole two years ago– that I was a “pastaholic”! Well it may have sounded funny– but it really wasn’t. Anyway– pizza is my number 2 trigger food or perhaps it is just cheese. In any case– there is a reason I cut it from “my” healthatarian code over the last 2 years. I have made it quite difficult for myself to eat pizza, however, this place VIVA HERBAL PIZZERIA broke me lol!
VIVA HERBAL PIZZERIA
They have 4 choices of traditional pizzas for those of you afraid of the word “vegan” and they have 25 choices of alternative pizzas on various crusts such as whole wheat, corn meal, spelt and brown rice! Pretty cool!
They accomodate the vegetarians, the vegans and the gluten free people!
Today I chose three VEGAN OPTIONS:
(1) CANJA— veggies roasted in hemp oil, roasted hempseed, hemp herbed basil pesto, olives, chopped temph and tofu, tomato sauce on spelt crust
(2) SEITAN DREAM— seitan, carmilized red onions, sundried tomatoes and artichokes on spelt crust
(3) GLUTEN FREE— Broccoli, tomato sauce, daiya cheese on brown rice crust
My favorite by far is still the SEITAN DREAM! I was so tempted to try the gluten free but I like to avoid cheeses of any kind– vegan or not.
Bottom line– I’m sure the Joe’s pizza was a favorite to many but at least my friends experienced something different. In the end, there were 2 slices of vegan pizza left and 8 regular. lol
NOTEs for today:
** If you are trying to lose weight or eat healthy– make a commitment to avoid your “trigger” foods!
** If you know how to cook– try out some alternative crusts. It is generally a better bet to make your own food. You never know what really goes fully into the ingredients or cooking procedures. Pizza is a fun food that you really can make healthy! I would make it an occasional thing though– it’s still somewhat processed carbs and somewhat caloric!
If I haven’t said it yet: the true health comes from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouts, legumes, grains and lean proteins! Enjoy!
Recipe for vegan whole wheat pizza crust
Recipe for dairy-free, egg-free and gluten-free crust
The pizza was sooooo so delicious, i need to mater there recipe. I don't think ill be going back to regular pizza anytime soon =) thank you lisa
I still have to bring you the Seitan Dream– that one is even better! Thanks for reading– if you want to make them for us that's always cool too– hint hint lol