As Earth Day approaches, vegan and vegetarian options abound in Marion

With Earth Day taking place on Thursday, those looking to reduce their carbon footprint can do so in a simple way: plant-based eating.

According to a study conducted by the United Nations, eating one plant-based meal a day for an entire year saves nearly 200,000 gallons of water. Additionally, per the study, if everyone in the United States reduced their consumption of meat by 50%, it would be the equivalent of taking 26 million cars off the road. And for eaters in Marion, there are options aplenty.

To help plant-based eaters, meat eaters and omni-eaters alike, the Marion Star has talked to a few local restaurants about their options.

Taste of Memphis BBQ

Typically, when one thinks of Memphis-style barbeque, vegan and vegetarian options don't really come to mind.

However, if you ask Taste of Memphis BBQ about this, they say why not both?

"Just because you're a vegetarian, you should be able to go out and eat too," said Shannah Turner, owner of Taste of Memphis.

While Taste of Memphis BBQ, located on 138 S. Main St., can fill you up with pulled pork, brisket and all the other barbeque favorites, it also keeps vegan and vegetarian options on the menu. And these options are continually becoming more and more popular, said Turner.

Of these options, the vegan wings are a great meet-in-the-middle for meat eaters reluctant to trying plant-based options. Instead of chicken wings, it's vegan wings in the form of cauliflower.

Turner said the cauliflower wings begin in a bath of almond milk before being breaded in corn flakes. The corn flakes are also the secret to making the wings extra crispy, she said. Once breaded, they are then deep fried until golden-brown and crispy. With many sauce options on the table, like the 24-karot tangy gold mustard barbeque sauce, diners are free to mix and match to find their favorite wing sauce companion.

For those looking to step even further in the vegetarian and vegan world, Taste of Memphis also offers a pulled jackfruit sandwich which is similar to its pulled pork sandwich. Turner said the jackfruit is even treated just like the pulled pork; it gets seasoned and smoked before being piled high on a soft bun.

Of course, eating at a barbeque restaurant means loading up on sides and Taste of Memphis has those too. Whether it's regular fries or sweet potato fries; smoked gouda mac 'n' cheese; or Mexican-style street corn, it's hard to go wrong with your choices.

House of Hunan

House of Hunan has joined the vegetarian and vegan craze with it's new menu exclusively built for vegetarians.

On this new menu, House of Hunan, located on 1583 Marion-Waldo Rd., has added 14 new entrees featuring tofu as the main protein. If you are a fan of the General Tsao's chicken, House of Hunan now offers a vegetarian version where it swaps out the chicken for tofu. Other popular menu options like sesame chicken have also gotten a vegetarian counterpart.

Frank Lo, manager of House of Hunan, said while they've always had vegetarian options, this new menu was made to house them all in one place. This was born from a former employee who was vegan, he said. Since being added, Lo said options like the General Tsao's tofu has continued to grow in popularity.

However, the new entrees being offered aren't the only new menu additions. House of Hunan has also bolstered its vegetarian options for appetizers. Now eaters are able to order the Mandarin minced tofu lettuce wraps which feature a variety of vegetables like carrots and water chestnuts; fried tofu; and lettuce wraps to place all the ingredients in.

As for those who aren't a fan of tofu, House of Hunan has you covered there too. All three of the lo mein, chow mein and fried rice options are available with just vegetables, and the popular won ton soup can be made without pork.

Sansotta's Fresh Italian

While a big bowl of pasta in tomato sauce will usually be vegetarian-friendly, Sansotta's Fresh Italian is taking it one step further with its vegan options.

Just like Kevin McCallister in "Home Alone," you can snag a cheese pizza from Sansotta's and it can even be made with vegan mozzarella. Joe Sansotta, owner of Sansotta's Fresh Italian located on 1292 Delaware Ave., said they've made changes to their sauce options to make sure they have a fully vegan tomato sauce available. And since the pizza crust was accidentally vegan, it was already ready to go.

The pizza creations are seemingly endless, too. Since Sansotta's offers a build-your-own-pasta-bowl option with numerous fresh ingredients, all of them can be topped on your vegan pizza. Whether it's olives, onions, peppers, or a combination of the three, you can get your pizza exactly how you like it.

Not only is Sansotta's vegetable bowl vegan, it's also gluten-free. Depending on preference, this can be made with zucchini noodles or cilantro-lime cauliflower rice. And just like the vegan pizza, diners are invited to add any fresh ingredient they'd like. Sansotta said the zucchini noodles continue to be a hit for vegan eaters and gluten-free eaters alike.

Story by Mitch Hooper | (740)-244-9935 | bhooper@gannett.com | @_MH16 on Twitter