Vegan Pizza in Point Pleasant?!

We travel down to Point Pleasant, NJ on a regular basis to visit my partner’s mother and husband. When we travel to either of our families, we usually always travel with a goody bag of our basics: a carton of soy milk, package of tofu, Earth Balance butter and then whatever else we might want to prepare ourselves to eat. It saves our families a little bit of stress when we visit, because they tend to get a little nervous about what to feed us.

We arrived today mid-afternoon… Too late for lunch, too early for dinner. But we were hungry. So, Melissa does as we always do when traveling to a city or town we aren’t familiar with – she Happy Cow’d Point Pleasant. (Happy Cow is a vegan/veg food finder that basically works globally… You start up the app, it locates you, and tells you where the closest vegan/veg friendly places to eat). Our eyes about bugged out of our heads when it returned the result of Jason’s Organic Pizza Cafe. Could this really be true?! Vegan pizza in Point Pleasant?! Indeed, vegan pizza in Point Pleasant.

My mother in law took a ride with us over to their location at 1314 Richmond Ave, a short ride over the bridge in a cute plaza full of Italian specialty stores and a random taco joint. Not only do they cater to vegans, but offer gluten-free options as well. And, of course, everything is organic. Their brochure states, “We believe that all natural foods help you feel better. At Jason’s our wish for you is to eat good and feel good.” I couldn’t agree more!

We took a look at the menu, which is full of wonderful options for vegans and omnivores alike. Specialty pizzas, salads, appetizers, and sandwiches, I felt like they really made a conscious effort to include the vegan and gluten-free crowd, which was worlds away from your typical pizza parlor. I opted for a “Create Your Own” pizza, selecting a whole wheat crust, organic spicy tomato sauce, Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese, topped with organic crimini mushrooms and Field Roast sausage. Melissa got the same crust and cheese, topped with basil, red pepper and crimini mushrooms.

While we waited, the owner, Jason himself, treated us to a sample of his homemade vegan meatballs. I thought this was extremely kind and generous, and before I even had told him about Jerseycityvegan.com! The meatballs were delicious, made from veggie protein, had a perfectly seasoned Italian flavor exactly like what you’d expect from a meatball! My mother in law even gave them a taste, and she was thoroughly impressed. That’s kind of a big deal, in my book – An omnivore giving a seal of approval on a vegan meatball.

And I’m sure you’re wondering how the pizzas were? Well, have a look…

The cheese was perfectly melted, toppings were full of flavor, and the crust was crispy. I was absolutely delighted. I would love it if Jason’s opened a location in Jersey City, but for now I will settle for it being my Jersey Shore go-to for pizza. Summer is coming, so trips to the shore will be plentiful very soon… As will my visits to Jason’s Organic Pizza Cafe!

Vegan Like Me No. 2

Vegan Like Me aims to profile fellow vegans, from all walks of life from everywhere in the world!  We’ve all been beginners and I think its important for folks to hear people’s stories in order to motivate themselves to keep going. This feature is intended to do just that.  If you are vegan and would like to participate, get in touch with me and I’ll be sure to send our questionnaire along to you.

Stacy De-Lin, Vegan for five months

Name:  Stacy De-Lin

Where do you live?  New York City

How long have you been vegan?  Five months!

What inspired you to take on a plant-based (vegan/vegetarian) diet?   I’ve been a vegetarian for years, since my teenage years. I’m Italian-American and getting rid of meat was difficult, but I always thought to myself the old adage, “I could never give up cheese!” Truthfully though, I think that for a lot of years, I tried not to read things about the egg and dairy industry as a way of keeping it out of sight, and out of mind. Then last winter, my husband and I took a trip to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Once we saw the battery cages and the cows that would have been taken from their mothers and sold as veal, we couldn’t put it out of sight anymore. We took the plunge after that trip and never looked back.

Additionally, I am a physician, and I work with so many patients whose health problems are nearly exclusively diet-related, like Type 2 diabetes and obesity. When counseling my patients on nutrition, all of the evidence points towards a vegan diet as the most healthy. Meat, dairy and eggs are high in cholesterol and saturated fat. It’s hard to ignore.

What do you love most about being vegan?  So many things! I love to cook, and being vegan has opened up a whole new realm of cooking and baking to me. I love being part of a vegan community– knowing that there are so many great people out there who are compassionate and caring too. And of course, there’s the old Franz Kafka quote: “‘Now I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you any more.” It’s very, very true.

What three items do you always have in your pantry?  Only three??  Ok…. Daiya Mozzarella, Gardein chicken, Raw Ice Cream Company’s mint chocolate chip flavor.  (Don’t worry, I’ve got some vegetables in there too.)   🙂

What is your favorite vegan comfort food?  People always say brunch is the hardest thing to give up when vegan, but some of my favorite vegan foods are brunch foods!  My top comfort food is tofu scramble with potatoes and Field Roast sausage.  I love starting my weekend mornings with some hearty scramble.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about taking on a plant-based (vegan) diet?  After putting off a transition to veganism for some time, taking the plunge was so much easier than I thought.  Find a good community– online or otherwise– to help you with the transition and give you support.  You will feel better, more healthy, with a freer conscience.

Do you find anything difficult about being vegan?  Surprisingly, the food part for me isn’t hard at all. The most difficult part has been the social aspect. My family has had a hard time adjusting and friends don’t always understand. But being a new-ish vegan, I know that in time the people who love me will adjust, and in the future will always make a dinner reservation where there are vegan options! 🙂

Any other comments you or words of wisdom you would like to add?  I love being a vegan! If you haven’t taken the journey already, there’s no time like the present. 🙂  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns!

Thanks Stacy!  I love to hear about other vegans who have been inspired to go vegan by the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary – just like me!  If you’d like to get in touch with Stacy, feel free to contact me and I’d be happy to get you in touch with her.

Field Roast Frankfurters

One of the most fun things about being a vegan these days is that it seems like every couple of months, a new vegan product comes out on to the market!  Such is the case with Field Roast’s new Frankfurter.

As Field Roast produces my favorite vegan italian sausage, it was exciting to hear that they were coming out with a dog.  Field Roast’s products are made from “grain meat” – grain meat (its origins are from waaaaaay back in 7th century China) is formed by the kneading of wheat flour dough until the starch totally comes out (known as Mien Ching – Buddha’s Food).   I’m sure there’s a more scientific way of explaining this, but I think that description serves our purpose.  Its kind of in the seitan family, if you’re familiar with that.  Anyway, Field Roast has mastered the grain meat and their products are full of flavor and are honest to goodness deliciousness.

I have tried other vegan dogs before, most reminding me of the “soft” hot dogs that you get from the hot dog vendor.  Those are all well and good, but I used to LOVE those really chewy ones, the kosher ones, the ones that popped when you bit into them (you know the ones!)… and the rest of the dogs always just fell flat.  Enter, Field Roast Frankfurters.

Vegan Chili Cheese Dogs with Daiya Cheese and an unremarkable canned vegan chili.

So they might not have the pop, but the texture is there.  They are hearty, you can really sink your teeth into them, and taste really yummy.  The texture was one that if I didn’t know it was vegan, would probably worry once I took my first bite.  It was that similar!  These would be a killer addition to the pantry of someone transitioning into a plant-based diet.  I wish I had thought to take a photo of the dog after having taken a bite, but alas I didn’t — next time I eat one I will try to remember to do that.  I am excited to see how these guys fare on the open flame and summer is just around the corner to give them the ultimate test — the grill!

All in all, I would definitely buy these again (they run around $7-8 bucks in my area) and recommend them to fellow vegans.  Have you tried these doggies?  What did you think?