Vegan Cheese Pizza in Memphis!

One year ago, I'd have laughed in your face if you'd told me, in 2011, I'd be able to score vegan cheese pizza in Memphis. If you'd told me I'd be able to find said vegan cheese pizza in not one, but FOUR restaurants, I'm sure I'd have laughed so hard, I'd pee myself.

But here we are in 2011, and you'd have been right. First, there was Mellow Mushroom in Germantown, a cutesy chain joint that added Daiya to their menu last fall. It's about a 45-minute drive from my house, so I don't get there often enough. But the Mega-Veggie with Daiya is well worth the drive:

Then came the Hi-Tone Cafe, a Midtown rock club/hipster hangout that serves pizza, sandwiches, and a delicious veg-friendly brunch. They added Daiya for pizzas and calzones this past winter. The Veggie Pizza with Vegan Cheese is to-die-for, but sometimes they're out of Daiya. So call ahead to be sure it's in stock:

Around the same time the Hi-Tone began offering vegan cheese, the Trolley Stop Market added Daiya to its locally-famous pies. I've still not tried the vegan pizza from their regular menu, but this Thai Pizza with Peanut Sauce and Daiya was offered on special one Vegan Night Monday a few months ago:

They serve vegan specials every Monday, fyi. I tried ordering the vegan pizza from the regular pizza menu a few weeks ago, but they had a party dining in and pizza orders were backed up. So I ordered their Spinny Shroom Sandwich with Daiya instead (spinach, mushroom, tomato, and mozzarella).

And Imagine Vegan Cafe's super-loaded Pizza with the Works makes four! Memphis' only all-vegan cafe opened in April, and I'm working my way down their massive menu. I can't order the same thing twice until I've tried everything. Tonight, my friend Greg and I split this yummy pizza loaded with Follow Your Heart mozzarella, vegan sausage, vegan chicken, vegan pepperoni, peppers, onion, pineapple, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and spinach:

You can choose less toppings, but we went "The Works"-style with every topping they had. The crust was soft and flavorful, and my slice was so heavy, I had to eat it with a fork! I love that Imagine uses Follow Your Heart for something a little different. I love both Daiya and FYH, and it's nice to have a choice.

So if you live in Memphis or you're visiting here and craving a pizza, you know where to go. You can find more info, like addresses and phone numbers for these places, in my Memphis Vegan Dining Guide.

Vegan Thai Pizza at the Trolley Stop!

I've done a Bluff City Vegan Eats post on the Trolley Stop Market's weekly Vegan Night before, but in case you missed it, this is just a reminder. If you're vegan and living in (or visiting) Memphis, please get out and support the Trolley Stop on Monday nights! Each Monday, this kitschy Medical District eatery features a vegan special, which can range from vegan TVP sloppy joes and eggplant biryani to shephard's pie and bean & grain burritos.

Around 4:30-ish on Mondays, the Trolley Stop posts the vegan special on its Facebook page. On the nights I plan to eat there, I check their page compulsively every 30 minutes or so from 3:30 p.m. on. I like to know what I'm eating as early as possible so I can fantasize about what dinner will taste like. At 4-something this afternoon, this was posted on the page:

"Tonight we have Thai Pizza - a layer of fresh sliced tomatoes, covered with a base of red onion, peanuts, garlic, ginger, galangal, soy sauce, lime juice and sassy serranos. Baked and topped with green onion, cilantro, mint, and basil. (You can ask to add daiya cheese!) Served with a mango-cucumber salad topped with a house ginger vinaigrette."

Oh yea, so I was all over that! Here's the delicious pizza, which by the way, was big enough for at least three meals:

The Trolley Stop recently started offering Daiya vegan cheese on their locally-famous pies, and this was my first time trying their pizza. Normally, I'd have liked more Daiya than what you see pictured above, but this was the perfect amount since it didn't overwhelm that delicious peanut sauce.

Though Vegan Night doesn't always involve pizza, you can order a Daiya cheese pizza from the Trolley Stop anytime!

Bluff City Vegan Eats: Trolley Stop Market

I apologize for posting two restaurant reviews back to back, but I've been eating out a lot lately. I promise to get back to cooking for the rest of the week. But I couldn't miss an opportunity to try the food on Vegan Night at Trolley Stop Market.

The Trolley Stop Market is a new-ish cafe run by one of my favorite farmin' couples — Jill and Keith Forrester. They've been selling their fresh produce (and delicious heirloom tomatoes) at the Memphis Farmers Market for years under the name Whitton Farms. I've even had the pleasure of touring their farm in a nearby Arkansas town.

Earlier this year, the couple opened a Medical District restaurant featuring fresh food made with local produce from their farm. The market also sells local products like Memphis-roasted Ugly Mug Coffee and pecans treats from Delta Pecan Orchard. They even sell some of their fresh produce right out of the store.

On most days, they only offer a couple of vegetarian/vegan options. But Monday night is Vegan Night and the entree special is totally cruelty-free. I kept meaning to go and finally found time tonight. The special was Trolley Stop Biryani with Roasted White and Sweet Potatoes:

Yum! The biryani featured traditional eggplant, summer squash, spinach, onion, and tomato over brown rice, and the whole dish was seasoned with homemade garam masala. On the side were some super-tasty taters, also seasoned with a blend of Indian and Middle Eastern flavors.

Though I wish the Trolley Stop would offer more veg options all of the time, the Vegan Night idea is pretty impressive for Memphis. Though most places in Memphis offer a few vegan items, many are "accidentally vegan" and they don't feel quite as special. I love that the chefs at the Trolley Stop go out of their way to cater to vegans at least one night a week. It makes me feel pretty special.

If you're reading this and you live in Memphis, please support Monday Vegan Nights so we can keep it around. Even if you're not vegan, this food will impress. Promise.

The Trolley Stop Market is located at 704 Madison Ave. Call 901-526-1361. Check out their Facebook page for daily specials. Vegan Night begins at 5:30 p.m. every Monday and runs through 9 p.m.