Pizza Today - January 2022 - 45

Given climate change, an epidemic of
diet related illnesses and issues relating
to exploitation hitting the current
social conversation, many consumers
are re-thinking their approach to food.
Plant-based dining will only grow
in the future, as many consumers are
now demanding these plant-based
options. On November 2, New York
City just elected its first " vegan " mayor.
Restaurant and pizzeria owners should
take note. Will it ever completely
replace animal product-based diets?
Probably not. But the positives of the
plant-based movement are undeniable.
We are going to talk about
the best five vegan side items
for your pizzeria. Salads are an
obvious given so we won't talk too
much about them as they are one of
the five vegan sides you should have.
There are so many salad combinations.
The one thing about salads is you
should replace any meat and dairy
with their vegan substitutes, such as
vegan ranch dressing, vegan Parmesan,
vegan bacon and chicken, etc. In
2014, when I started in this business
there were pretty much zero options
for vegan cheese, meat, sauces and
salad dressings. In 2021, it's very easy
to obtain plant-based products for
your pizzerias. Contact your food
distributor to see what they have with
regards to plant-based products.
The first side item I recommend
would be a hot vegan meatball
sub sandwich. At the 2021
International Pizza Expo, I counted
at least eight or nine plant-based
booths offering vegan meats and
cheeses. One particular both piqued
my interest with their jackfruit based
vegan meatballs. All that's required
of this side item is a good Italian
roll or baguette, the meatballs, pizza
sauce and vegan mozz shred and/or
Parmesan. The meatballs come frozen
and they just need to be heated. Keep
the meatballs in a warmer with sauce.
Place the meatballs and sauce in the
sandwich, add your cheese and then
toast the sandwich in your pizza oven
on a screen until the bread is lightly
toasted. Wrap and roll with foil and
the customer now has a delicious
sandwich to take with them on the
go or to eat in. It's that simple! I
recommend making the hero about
eight inches long. However, you
could do six inches as well. The most
important thing that I cannot stress
enough is do not use day-old bread.
Always make the sub with bread
made that day. Otherwise the bread,
even toasted, will be chewy. This is my
number one pet peeve when I get a
sandwich. Often, I can easily tell that
the bread is at least a day old.
The second vegan side item I
recommend is vegan hot wings
with buffalo sauce and a vegan
ranch dipping sauce. These just
require defrosting and heating up
to order. I don't recommend trying
to make them yourself. There are a
few plant-based companies offering
these wings. I do recommend making
your own vegan buffalo sauce. You
can find numerous vegan buffalo
sauce recipes online by googling the
keywords. Sometimes you can find
buffalo sauce in the store or from
your supplier that's vegan as well.
Again, just ask your distributor. With
the wings offer a side of vegan ranch
dipping sauce. This can be purchased
or made yourself. I know there are a
few companies making vegan ranch.
To make your own just combine raw
cashews, water, apple cider vinegar,
salt, onion powder, garlic powder,
dried parsley, chives and dill. Then
blend to desired taste and texture.
The third vegan side item is
vegan garlic cheesy bread. Just
use your existing dough for pizza.
Make the disk a little smaller than
your normal pizza (so the bread
is a little thicker.) Spread olive oil
and garlic heavily. Add a little good
quality mineral salt. Then add a vegan
shredded mozzarella cheese and vegan
Parmesan or nutritional yeast. You
can use fresh garlic, chopped garlic or
even garlic powder. Put lots of cheese
on the pizza and then top it off with
some chili flakes or chili oil. Bake like
a normal pizza (It may take longer).
Cut in long rectangular strips. Serve
with a side of your red pizza sauce for
dipping. Customers love to dip their
bread in a marinara sauce.
The fourth vegan side item is
roasted green olives. I recommend
green castelvetrano olives, but any
good quality olive can be used. Do not
used canned! Toss olives in olive oil,
garlic, salt and red pepper. Roast in
your pizza oven in a portioned castiron
skillet. Make them to order. Have
a bigger cast iron pan for multiple
orders at once.
Lastly, Salads are always a no
brainer but I recommend a vegan kale
Caesar. Kale holds up really well and
doesn't get soggy or go bad quickly.
First rub the kale lightly with olive
oil. Top with sunflower seeds (can be
toasted) toss in vegan ranch dressing
with added vegan Parmesan and vegan
bacon bits. Crutons are optional. This
is a simple, healthy, delicious salad that
will be really popular.
On a side note. a vegan cookie is
also a great option. The best thing
to do is find a local vegan baker to
buy your cookies. These days there
are many vegan bakers with online
ordering or with a storefront.
As you can see there are plenty of
great plant-based side items you can
add to your menu. These items serve a
triple purpose. These options provide
non-vegan diners with different takes
on classics and new flavors and at the
same time show your openness and
sensitivity to the plant-based market.
Lastly, they make you more money
and of course we all like money!
SCOTT SANDLER is owner of Pizza
Head in St. Louis, Missouri and a frequent
speaker at Pizza Expo and Pizza and Pasta
Northeast.
Pizza Today - January 2022

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