Prepared Food

Wholly Veggie! Cauliflower Margherita Pizza

CATEGORY: Prepared Foods

COMPANY NAME: Wholly Veggie!

PRODUCT: Cauliflower Margherita Pizza

While pizza is — let’s face it — delicious, it can also be a minefield for those with dietary restrictions or who are trying to stay in shape. The good news is in 2020 many companies like Wholly Veggie! exist offering alternatives that taste awfully close to the real thing.

Established three years ago by two friends in Toronto, David and John, who say they’re “really into vegetables,” one of their most popular products is a vegan pizza. No, you won’t find any soy masquerading as pepperoni here, but rather just a wholesome pie featuring a crunchy and vitamin C rich cauliflowerbased crust.

The Margherita is a fun take on the classic Neapolitan-style pizza, swapping in Earth Island vegan cheese for traditional mozzarella. The pieces melt easily, possess a similar creamy consistency and are made from bamboo fibre, rice flour, corn and potato starch and other natural lactose and casein-free ingredients. A simple trifecta of tomatoes and sauce, white onions and basil comprise the rest of the toppings. Preparation couldn’t be easier: pop open the box and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes and it’s ready to eat. PRODUCT

OF THE YEAR

So why did the two founders create Wholly Veggie!, that in addition to pizzas sell vegan hamburger patties in various sizes? The duo wanted to solve the ageold problem of how to get people averse to the act of peeling, chopping and boiling to eat more vegetables. David was also a new parent at the time and wanted to help create a world with a sustainable food future for the next generation.

Aside from Margherita, there is a Kale & Hemp flavour, and for the DIY’ers they can pick up a two-pack of plain crusts to experiment on their own. For a list of retailers, and recipes, check out the website at www.whollyveggie.com. ◆