pizza

PDX Eats | Virtuous Pie

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Months ago I was watching an Instagram story that featured Virtuous Pie in Vancouver BC. I was seriously salivating over all the pizzas that were featured and then at the end the person made mention that they would be opening a location in Portland OR. Well months went by and I just completely forgot all about it until we happened upon the Portland location when we tried The Baker’s Mark a sandwich shop just next door at SE Division and 12th. Since that day I have been anxiously waiting for Virtuous Pie PDX to open and that day has finally come! This week they had a soft opening and tomorrow June 10th they will have their grand opening starting at 8am with coffee and pastries from Shoofly Bakery. 

Tonight we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to stop by and try out a few pizzas and ice creams. I should note that everything is 100% plant-based.The 100% plant-based pizzas combine unique flavor pairings using three-day dough and house-made nut cheeses, including cashew mozzarella, almond ricotta, and non-GMO tofu feta. The full menu can be found here.  If you are gluten-free you’ll be in heaven because most of their pies can be made gluten free and they even have gluten-free waffle cones for their ice cream. 

We struggled to narrow down which pizzas to order for our first visit but initially settled on the Meatball & Chevre and the Stranger Wings. To go with the pizza Neil chose one of the local beer offerings and while I wish I could have joined him I decided to start with water. Now I maybe a total geek but I was so excited to see that they had both still and sparkling water for you to serve yourself. 

We chose a table outside and within a matter of 6-8 minutes our pizzas were ready and after getting my Instagram shots we dived in and those pizzas were gone in about the same amount of time it took us to wait for them. At first bite we were a bit underwhelmed with the Stranger Wings but the second slice completely changed both our minds and we were sold. It had a bit of spice (although could maybe have used a touch more for my personal taste) and the blue cheese sauce was seriously amazing. If you are from Maritime Canada I would closely relate the blue cheese sauce here to donair sauce. Neil couldn’t get over how close he thought it tasted and we are considering buying up a few sides to have with homemade vegan garlic fingers (again a Maritime thing).

Stranger Wings | Bianca, Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower, Crisp Fried Shallots, Blue Cheese Drizzle, Scallion

Our second pizza was the Meatball & Chevre that came out with a vegan parm that not only looked like freshly grated parm but SMELLED like parm as well. This pizza was packed with so much flavor and we instantly fell in love. The meatballs were so flavourful and lemon herb chevre was like nothing I’ve ever had. Seriously amazing.

MEATBALL + CHEVRE | San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Baerlic Brewing Chorizo Meatballs, Creamed Spinach, Lemon Herb Chevre, Basil, Fresh Parm.

Once we finished these two pizzas we opted to go for a third for one out of pure curiosity and also because neither of us had really eaten much all day. We narrowed it down to three options and ultimately went with the Kim-Jack a Korean inspired pizza. I have to say this wasn’t the one I would have chosen just based on the description alone because while I love Korean flavors I’m not big into jackfruit but it was suggested so I agreed. The pizza came out and it was love at first bite. The jackfruit on this pizza was incredible and combined with the cashew mozza it was even more incredible and ended up being both Neil and my favorite of the three pizzas. 

KIM-JACK | Hoisin Crema, Cashew Mozzarella, Kimchi, Gochujang Braised Jackfruit, Roast Brocollini, Scallion

We ate most of the Kim-Jack before deciding to pack up the remainder to go and switching gears to something a bit sweeter. Since we really wanted to full experience we decided to go with an ice cream flight. I left the flavor choices up to Neil and he chose the Double Chocolate & Salted Caramel, Coffee & Donuts and Lavender & Meyer Lemon. All of these ice creams had really great flavor and out of the three my favorite was the Lavender & Meyer Lemon. Next time I’d love to try the Turmeric & Black Pepper and the Marionberry Cheesecake. 

The Verdict? If you live in Portland (or Vancouver BC) you need to drop everything and head to Virtuous Pie. One of the best food experiences I have had in awhile and I already have plans go back tomorrow morning for a mug of Heart Coffee and Shoofly Pastries and again next week for a mamas night out so I can try another pizza and more ice cream (assuming this baby doesn’t come first). 

Have you tried Virtuous Pie? Which is your favorite pie and/or ice cream?

[Dining Out Plant-Based] California Pizza Kitchen

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Many years go when I was a student living in Boston I would go to California Pizza Kitchen on a semi-regular basis. Back in those days I was vegetarian so eating at CPK was super easy for me. Back in those days my go-to menu items were the Tuscan Hummus, Margherita Pizza and Chinese Chicken Salad (obviously hold the chicken). 

Once I moved out of Boston I don’t think I visited a CPK again until this Fall when I was kindly invited to visit the Bridgeport Village CPK. One of the reasons that I never visited again was because my diet changed from vegetarian to plant-based and I had it in my head that there just weren’t enough options but I was oh so WRONG.  The team at the Bridgeport CPK was super nice and they hooked us up with so many amazing plant-based options so let’s get started. 

To start I went with a mojito mocktail however if I could have indulged in alcohol I would have gone for one of their many tasty sounding sangrias. 

We started with the Tuscan Hummus which if you remember is one of my old go-to menu items and it’s seriously amazing. I would go to CPK just to get this and only this because it’s that good. 

Next us is the White Corn Guacamole & Chips another really tasty starter. I loved the addition of jicama, white corn and black beans and both my littles gobbled up most of this guacamole and chips. 

Next up another really delicious starter that could easily be an entree – the Lettuce Wraps done vegan. These were so delicious and was one of Neil’s favorite dishes we tried. 

If that wasn’t enough food we also got two different salads – the Roasted Veggie and the Thai Crunch with Avocado (no chicken). I will put a disclaimer here that we eat honey and both of the dressings for these salads contain honey. If you do not partake in honey most of the salads can be made vegan by taking off the dairy and meat and they can do an oil and vinegar for salad dressing. 

As for these salads I was really into the roasted veggie salad and Neil was all about the Thai crunch. The roasted veggies were just so delicious and exactly what I was in the mood for at the time. The Thai crunch had amazing flavor, a nice crunchy topping and the avocado was the perfect addition. 

We were stuffed at this point but we powered through and tried a few bites of the Asparagus & Spinach pasta. Now this pasta was probably my least favorite dish because without the salty parm that normally would be on it it was lacking a bit of flavor. I would personally recommend asking for a few lemon wedges to squeeze over the pasta to brighten it up and give it just a bit more flavor and then it would be practically perfect. 

 

We also tried a few bites of the California Veggie pizza (no cheese) before packing it up and finishing it off the next day at home. This pizza was really delicious. I loved the crust and the veggies were super fresh. A great option. 

Before I wrap this up let’s not forget about the kids! At this point the kids were feeling pretty full as well but Edith was thrilled when her fusilli with tomato sauce came out and she ate about half of this huge portion. CPK can also do a simple fusilli with olive oil for kids as well if you little one isn’t into tomato sauce. 

As for Alder he went with a super simple kids mushroom pizza (no cheese) and he thought it was pretty great. I love that there are some simple and tasty kids options available. 

Overall we had a great dining experience, we really enjoyed the food and we will be back. Again we would like to thank the Bridgeport CPK for having us in and we are already making plans go come back for more of that Tuscan Hummus. 

*Disclaimer: CPK invited us in to dine on them. As always all opinions are my own. 

Recipe Of The Week: Tempeh-Brussels Sprout Flatbread

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pizza dough
  • 4-5 Brussels Sprouts, shredded
  • 1 medium red onion, caramelized
  • 1 package temeph bacon or homemade tempeh bacon
  • Garlic Sauce (mix together):
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon earth balance
    • 2 garlic cloves, grated
    • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
    • 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • Sriracha (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven with a pizza stone to 550F; place pizza stone on the bottom shelf in the oven.  Top the dough with the garlic sauce, caramelized onions, tempeh bacon and shredded Brussels. Bake for 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes before cutting. Drizzle with sriracha if desired.

Recipe of The Week: Vegan Mexican Pizza

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Ever since Neil received his two bread baking books at Christmas time he has been addicted to baking and it has been wonderful to have a baker in the house (I’m not really one). One thing we have been making lately are homemade pizzas but unfortunately we don’t have a baking stone so although the pizzas are tasty they just weren’t as crisp on the bottom as we would like. Finally last week I bit the bullet and bought Neil a new Emile Henry Baking Stone and as soon as it arrived we new we had to make pizza.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo we made a Mexican inspired pizza that was topped with Galaxy Foods new vegan Mexican Shreds (disclosure: I received the shreds free from the company to try out). I have to say I loved the shreds and the melted so well on the pizza. I am really weird about vegan cheeses and although Daiya, Cheezly and Sheese are all okay I’m still not much of a fan and often just make my own cheese sauces via nutritional yeast and nuts. Galaxy Foods has been the only vegan cheese that I actually like and so I was excited to try their new shreds, which were tasty, melty and perfect for pizza (and a baked pasta dish I’ll blog about later).

Vegan Mexican Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 pizza dough
  • 1/2-3/4 cup salsa
  • 1 portobello mushroom cap, thinly sliced and sauteed
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced and sauteed
  • 1/2 bell pepper, thinly sliced and sauteed
  • 1/2 cup defrosted frozen corn or fresh
  • 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos
  • 1 cup vegan cheese shreds

Directions:

Preheat your pizza stone in a 550F oven for 30 minutes.  Roll out your dough and top with salsa, veggies, beans, corn, jalapenos and cheese shreds.  Place on the pizza stone and bake for 8-10 minutes until browned and bubbly.

To serve top with a sprinkle of baby arugula or shredded lettuce, fresh chopped tomatoes, more pickled jalapenos and vegan sour cream.

{Recipe} White Bean Pesto Pita Pizza

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Last night for dinner we had White Bean Pesto Pita Pizza <–try saying that 5 times fast. It was amazing, one of my favorite new recipes.  This recipe makes 4 mini pita pizzas and trust me it is really difficult to resist eating them all.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups loosely packed flat leaf Italian Parsley
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • Juice 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1-15oz can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 whole wheat pitas
  • 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 5-6 button mushrooms, sliced and sauteed until soft

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place parsley, pumpkin seeds, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse to coarsely chopped.  With the food processor running slowly drizzle the olive oil through feed tube of the food processor until fully incorporated and smooth. Divide the pesto into five parts; use to top the four pitas and toss the remaining pesto with the white beans.  Divide the white beans amount the four pitas, spreading into an even layer and then top each pita with 1/4 of the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Bake for 6 minutes. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes until edges of pita are lightly browned.

Pizza is For Lovers

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Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. 

-Rumi 

Neil and I have had a wonderful afternoon together that started with a late lunch at Stone Soup where we shared a vegan roasted tofu sandwich (to die for) and the salad bar.  We then took a quick pop into Isabean, a children’s clothing and toy store, where I feel in love with a few baby items but I restrained myself from buying anything (today anyways).

After our lunch we came home and I relaxed for a bit and Neil finished up working. Once he finished it was time to get our walk on, it was beautiful out so we did our favorite 2.5 mile loop.  We were hopping to get a few nice sunset shots but unfortunately the clouds where in our way.

Mr. Photographer then decided to do a little photo shoot…

and of course I had to get one of him too before the sun went down.

Now we are back from our walk and I’m sipping a seltzer and orange juice, I know I’m wild, and am patiently waiting for the Hubz to prepare things so we can make this delicious pizza below.

This photo is from last week because trust me I am so hungry right now there is now way that I am taking the time to take new photos of the same type of pizza. The one above taste like artichoke dip on pizza and it is mouth-wateringly delicious.

On the Pizza:

Dough- homemade whole wheat olive oil

Garlic Infused Olive Oil from The Filling Station

Mushrooms

Sauteed Spinach (this won’t be on tonight’s pizza because we’re out)

Artichoke hearts

Nutritional Yeast

Neil is also making a second pizza with arugula, garlic olive oil, cherry tomatoes and finished with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Pumpkin Beers for Bourne

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Over the past few months Neil and I have been working on watching the Bourne Trilogy with our good friend Laura who is obsessed with  has all three of the movies. Since Neil and I had never seen any of the moveis we  decided to do a series of movie nights with drinks and dinner.

Saturday night we finally were able to get together to watch the final movie, The Bourne Ultimatum. We were going to just do popcorn and pumpkin beers but Neil and I ate a late lunch and then both ran so we were hungry for something more substantial than just popcorn. We decided to pick up a vegan pizza from Leonardo’sto have with our popcorn and beer. The pizza was super tasty but unfortunately my stomach didn’t agree, as good as it tasted I ended up with a stomachache by the end of the night due to all the soy cheese.

THE VEGAN SALVATION- Olive Oil Garlic Sauce, Vegan Soy Cheese, Fresh Chopped Spinach, Freshly Sliced Red Onions, White Mushrooms, Plum Tomatoes, Black Olives

Along with our movie, pizza and popcorn we also tasted a variety of Pumpkin beers. Below are the ones we tasted starting with my favorite to my least. Sorry Blue Moon you were awful.

Tasting Beer- Giving it a good sniff first

Now that we’ve finished the Bourne Trilogy we need to think of new movies to watch …hmmm any ideas?

What is your favorite pumpkin beer?