Oh, Ike's

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Ike's Place

The Menu: A freaking delicious Vegan Womanizer: breaded vegan chicken with marinara sauce and vegan cheese on Dutch crunch bread, served with chips.

The Goods: You know what? Friday is fan-freaking-tastic. First of all, it's Friday before a three-day weekend, so that's a pretty good start. Then, for lunch honorary VN staffer Peter volunteered to go pick up sandwiches for everybody from Ike's. You know what makes any day better? An Ike's sandwich, that's what. We got to enjoy said sandwiches on our gorgeous deck in the sun with puppies (see below). And then we were lucky enough to receive a delivery of the highly delightful No Whey Chocolates! We are spoiled rotten. Here's hoping that your weekend is off to an equally awesome start!

Getting some quality time with Khane yesterday. We had more sun and good times on the deck today!

Pasta Two Ways

The Chefs: Jennifer and longtime VN friend Peter

The Menu: Spaghetti in tomato sauce, a baked version of spaghetti with a layer of spinach and topped with Daiya cheddar cheese, and a side salad, covered in Parma!

The Goods: It's a good day, my friends. First, I give you our canine editors, Cal and Khane, who just gave us notes on our May+June issue (my article came back with quite a few red marks). Second, I present you with pasta two different ways. VN friend Peter, who is also the guardian of our canine editors, made us a homemade tomato sauce then served it over spaghetti and then a baked version with spinach and Daiya cheddar cheese. Third, we got in samples of Follow Your Heart's new Vegenaise flavors! We're talking vegan tartar sauce, pesto, horseradish, barbecue, chipotle, and roasted garlic. Life is good.

KALE 4EVER

The Chefs: Hilary and Herbivore

The Menu: Herbivore's raw kale salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, onion, carrots, and soy chicken.

The Goods: Our old mainstay Herbivore has just rejuvenated its extensive menu with tons of new fodder, but my at-least-weekly dates with my beloved kale salad will never cease. On my to-do list for future visits, however: the quesadillas, grilled "beef" and tahini vegetable salad, and coconut ramen noodle soup. This weekend, I got to indulge my foodie-ism in Brooklyn with treats such as the lemon-lavender doughnut from Dun-Well Doughnuts and spicy Cubano sandwich from Champs, so although it may appear that I munch on a lot of leafy greens, trust me—I know how to self-indulge, good and proper. 

Glorious Vegan Valentine's Day Lunch

The Chefs: Rashida, Lyndsay, and longtime VN friend Peter

The Menu: Negimiso hot dogs topped with miso sauce, crunchy cabbage, and fresh scallions; wasabi fries; cheesy vegan pizza; and a fresh veggie salad

The Goods: Maybe it’s the sun, which is finally shining after days of rain, or maybe—just maybe—it’s the vintage Alanis Morissette (who, might I add, is vegan!) playing on our '90s Pandora station, but this Valentine’s Day is shaping up to be as sweet as can be. Love and romance are great and all, but the real cause for celebration is today's amazing lunch spread, which includes both a heart-shaped vegan pizza and VN columnist Terry Hope Romero's take on New York latest culinary sensation Japadog (a franchise from Vancouver), as prepared by Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig using an upcoming recipe from our May+June issue. Whether you’re getting into the holiday spirit today or not, these incredible facts about farm animals are sure to put a smile on your face. For example, did you know pigs are as good at video games as primates? Me neither! And if picturing a pig kicking butt at video games isn’t enough to get you giddy, I have three words for you: red panda embrace. Consider that a Valentine's gift from us to you!

Kale Salad + Quinoa

The Chefs: Anna and Herbivore

The Menu: A kale salad with cherry tomatoes, carrots, onion, cucumber, and avocado, plus a little leftover quinoa for bulk

The Goods: A week ago today I embarked on a three-day juice cleanse, so I think I speak for all of us when I say it's a good thing I didn't post on CVN (otherwise it would have been nothing but "I'm hungry" and "aloe water is disgusting," because, well, that's all I really said). The good thing about my juice cleanse, however, was that I came out of it feeling clean and ready to stay focused on eating healthier. Cue: kale salad! Despite the fact that our favorite lunch spot revamped its menu (cheesesteaks! meatball subs!), I managed to resist temptation and go with the greens. Two boxes of truffles just arrived to the office, however, so ... there's that. Want to get in some cleansing without going all-liquid? Make sure to add these top 10 detox foods to your meals!

No-Chicken Noodle Soup

The Chefs: Rashida and Amy's Kitchen

The Menu: Savory vegan noodle soup with a splash of OrganicVille Foods Sriracha hot sauce

The Goods: A humble bowl of soup may not the most glamorous lunch, but the weather is crummy and the trek out into the land of delicious veg food (aka the Mission) seems completely unbearable. What better to warm me up than a delicious bowl of Amy’s soup? The No Chicken Noodle soup was soothing and filling—especially after devouring the raw veggie burrito Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig prepared using an upcoming recipe from our May+June issue, hitting newsstands in May. Sadly, the summer months feel a world away, but there are plenty of great things on the horizon this spring. For one thing, our March+April Man issue will be hitting newsstands March 1. Can’t wait that long? You can preorder an advance copy from the VegNews Store today! While you wait for it to arrive, take a cue from me and stay warm with one of Robin Robertson’s internationally inspired soups!

Raw Vegan Pad Thai

The Chef: Jennifer

The Menu: Raw Pad Thai with kelp noodles, red pepper, red cabbage, and cilantro in an almond butter tamari sauce.

The Goods: It's safe to say that I'm obsessed with VN columnist Gena Hamshaw's raw Pad Thai from our January+February 2012 issue. In fact, some staffers have mentioned that I seemed to be infatuated with kelp noodles. I'll admit it. I really like them. What are kelp noodles? They're virtually flavorless, crunchy, seaweed-based raw noodles, packed with nutrients and about 18 calories per serving. But for me, it's all about the sauce—made with almond butter, tamari, fresh ginger, and sesame oil—I'm pretty sure I'd pour it on just about anything. Today, we said goodbye to VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland who just left for VegNews Vacations Great Adventure to India. Time to start the margarita machine! Kidding!

Lotsa Leftovers

The Chefs: Elizabeth, Gracias Madre, and Emmy's Restaurant

The Menu: A delightful spinach salad with grated carrots, cherry tomatoes, and avocado, served with sides of refried black beans from Gracias Madre, vegetarian ham fried rice, eggplant with garlic, and salt and pepper tofu from Emmy's.

The Goods: How does one person come into the possesion of so many delicious things to eat? Pure, dumb luck. Well, that and having awesome coworkers, such as one Hilary Pollack, who order too much Chinese food and share the spoils with you. Our publishers leave in the morning on the VegNews Great Adventure to India, so our office has been abuzz with preparations. It's days like today when leftovers really come in handy, especially ones as delectable as these.

Falafel Fest

The Chefs: Hilary and Herbivore

The Menu: A hearty falafel wrap with eggplant, potatoes, pickles, hot sauce, and tahini, and a side salad of greens, cucumbers, and beets. 

The Goods: There's something about warm, rich falafel that satisfies like no other, and this week, I need to stay well-fueled more than ever. Between writing web stories, finishing up features for upcoming print magazines, and brainstorming ways to give readers the best of the best all through February, I was plenty hungry by the time lunch rolled around. Plus, with Publisher Joe Connelly and Associate Publisher Colleen Holland heading on the VegNews Great Adventure to India this Thursday, there are loose ends to be tied. Plus, I'm heading to New York that day too, and I need to expand my stomach so that I may gorge thoroughly on all of the amazing vegan food that the Big Apple has to offer. It's almost time to pack our bags! 

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

The Chefs: Colleen and Herbivore

The Menu: Grilled eggplant sandwich on toasted focaccia bread with basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegan mayo with a side of organic greens, cherry tomatoes, and red onion.

The Goods: Leftovers rule, and today was no different. I picked up lunch at Herbivore before heading to the office to get some work done this weekend, so the other sandwich half came in handy with today's busy schedule. I whipped up this organic salad with vegetables I keep in our office fridge (tossed with cold-pressed olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt) for an instant meal. Our deck was warm and sunny, so it was a great day to chill with my colleagues. Speaking of, my fellow publisher, Joseph, and I are headed to India this Thursday for the VegNews Great Adventure to India with 25 readers, and we can hardly wait. We'll be back in a few weeks with photos and stories galore. Namaste!

Taco Time!

The Chefs: Jennifer and Gracias Madre

The Menu: Tacos filled with plantains, mushrooms, and collard greens topped with cilantro and cashew cream with a side of refried black beans

The Goods: Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria is on my list of people I love today. Mainly because she is the genius who came up with the idea of ordering lunch from Gracias Madre and then bringing it back to the office to eat it outside on our deck in the sunshine. The plantains are a rare sighting at Gracias so when they have them on the menu, I order them. I'm also obsessed with the black beans. How do they make them so dang good? I wish I knew. Someone else I adore is Ayinde Howell. Have you seen his 4 Super Bowl recipes (Quinoa Nachos! Jalapeño Cheddar Hoe Cakes!)? His recipes are so good, it even makes me want to watch football (that's for you, Anna). Go Giants!

Tempeh-Stuffed Pepper

The Chef: Rashida

The Menu: Bell pepper stuffed with tempeh, portabello mushrooms, rice, and cheddar-style Daiya, a side salad, and an apple.

The Goods: If you ask me, tempeh’s got a bit of a bad rap. Some tofu-loving omnivores won’t touch the stuff (case in point: my mom), and I’ve even seen vegans shy away from this soy-based delight. Well, I’m on a one-woman crusade to prove that tempeh is an excellent addition to any veg meal. With that in mind, allow me to present the remnants of my dinner last night: a scrumptious tempeh-stuffed bell pepper bathing in tomato sauce. Not only is the tempeh stuffing tasty enough to sway even the most skeptical, it’s also a good source of calcium, which is crucial for healthy bones. If my zealous tempeh-preaching didn’t make a convert out of you, there are still plenty of ways to increase your calcium intake without animal products. Check out our tips here!

Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs

The Chefs: Anna, Elizabeth, and Colleen

The Menu: Rotini with meatless meatballs and Elizabeth's dad's second best (we'll get to that in a second) spaghetti sauce, and a fresh salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, shredded carrots, and vinaigrette c/o Colleen

The Goods: Wondering about second best, I presume? Well, there's been a lot of trash (or is it smack?) talk between myself and fellow Italian Elizabeth Castoria over which one of our fathers' tomato sauce recipes reigns supreme. Throw in VN's other Italian, Publisher Joseph Connelly (and his mother's recipe), and it's a rumble between Italian factions. It's very "Leave the gun, take the vegan cannoli" and all that hullabaloo. While I maintain that one day we'll have to have a blind taste test with all three, after having tasted this batch, I must say that, well, my dad's sauce is still way better. Yes, I'm biased, but I'm also the author of this post, so you can only accept my opinion on the matter. Prego.

Quinoa Salad

The Chefs: Hilary and Herbivore

The Menu: Herbivore's quinoa salad with onions, kidney beans, spinach, tomatoes, celery, avocado, and soy chicken. 

The Goods: It's Twitter Chat Tuesday! In addition to the exciting Twitter chat that we have later today about healthy eating, we spent a big ol' chunk of our morning figuring out the most compelling topics and guests to grace our chats later in 2012. After all of that talk about healthy eating, quinoa seemed like a good base for today's lunch. If you're less of a health nut and more of a shopping guru, be sure to check out our giveaway (!) of a gorgeous faux-leather handbag from Matt + Nat's spring 2012 collection—Associate Editor Jennifer Chen and I splurged on bags from this cruelty-free brand last year, and we've never looked back. 

Spicy Peanut Pasta

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Savvy Savories Spicy Peanut Noodles with a side salad of romaine, kale, grape tomatoes, cucumber, orange bell pepper, red cabbage, and fennel.

The Goods: Friends, it's Monday. Finding leftover salad from Friday's potluck lunch in the fridge ensured that some greenery made it into today's lunch, and the peanut pasta added a nice warm element. If eating balanced meals is something you struggle with, even as a vegan, don't miss out on tomorrow's Twitter Chat! We have a truly awesome lineup, including Michael Greger, MD, Gena Hamshaw, and Julieanna Hever, RD, to help answer all your healthy-eating questions. The fun starts at 6pm PT, so don't be late!

Friday Staff Potluck (s'mores!)

The Chefs: Colleen & The VegNews Staff!

The Menu: Vegan mac 'n' cheese, kale and fennel salad with a poppyseed vinaigrette, biscuits, white chocolate chip cookies, s'mores, and satsuma oranges

The Goods: It's Friday, we've gone to press, Vegan Drinks kicked off for 2012 last night at a fab new location, and it's gorgeous outside. Time for a VegNews staff potluck!  It all started when Associate Editor Jennifer noticed that a box of dark chocolate bars had arrived to the VNHQ, and immediately thought "s'mores." S'mores then turned into s'mores plus one of Jenn's new favorite mac 'n' cheese recipes, and before we knew it, several staffers were on board to bring in food for lunch today. Voila! A full-fledged staff potluck. And since it's 70 degrees in San Francisco today, we enjoyed our meal al fresco on our sunny rooftop deck. Have a great weekend, everyone!

We pulled together a quick batch of s'mores using MI-DEL Ginger Snaps, Dandies air-puffed marshmallows, and Nibmor 72% dark chocolate.

Celery Soup and Spinach Salad

The Chefs: Hilary, Whole Foods Market, and Gracias Madre

The Menu: Cream of celery soup, with a side of spinach salad studded with red onions, walnuts and crispy shiitake mushrooms. 

The Goods: As we trudged through the final trenches of the editing process for our mind-blowingly, brain-meltingly, hair-fryingly, skull-pulverizingly cool March+April Issue, wacky California's indecisive late-morning sun emerged, then hid, then winked from beneath a sky-wide pallor of wispy clouds. Unsatisfied with my initial feast of spinach salad, I had no choice but to seek warming soup from cashew-cheese quesadilla palace extraordinaire Gracias Madre. While filling, my lunch was still light enough to not interfere with this evening's inaugural SF Vegan Drinks event at its brand-new location, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, a boozy top-shelf pub a mere half-block from our headquarters. Beer-battered fried pickles, sweet potato tater tots, my heart is aflutter in anticipation of our union after dusk falls. 

Kale-Edamame Salad with Vegan Lemon-Herb Dressing

The Chefs: Rashida and Trader Joe's

The Menu: Kale-edamame salad with lemon-herb dressing, almonds, tomatoes, and dried cranberries, topped with some Garlicky Green Parma.

The Goods: Kale salad seems to be a lunchtime fixture here at VNHQ, so it was only a matter of time before I hopped on the kale-salad train. This one from Trader Joe's was a healthful midday meal that tasted especially delicious covered in a heaping spoonful of Parma. Admittedly, my tummy was rumbling soon after the meal was over, but that may have more to do with my failure to eat breakfast this morning than the salad's level of satisfaction. If you're looking for a satisfying read this afternoon, check out 10 Reasons We Need Dennis Kucinich in Congress!

Vegan Sushi Lunch

The Chefs: Anna and We Be Sushi

The Menu: A classic seaweed salad and a veggie tempura-mango roll.

The Goods: After a morning spent looking over the touching, exciting, and fun applications for this year's wedding feature and chowing down on some sauerkraut-spinach dip I brought to the office, I needed a walk and some lighter fare for lunch. I convinced Associate Editor Jennifer Chen to accompany me on a short walk to our nearby sushi place, and she gladly obliged (I mean, come on. It's sushi). The tempura veggie and mango roll was admittedly not light, but the scrumptious and healthy seaweed salad created the perfect pairing. In other news, I would like to wish you a very happy National Peanut Butter Day! As I nurse my overly full stomach (and dream of vegan fluffernutter sandwiches), head on over to our Facebook page to let us know how you love to eat the tasty spread.

Coconut Noodle Soup

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Herbivore

The Menu: A delicious bowl of coconut noodle soup, with spinach, grated carrots, tofu, pineapple, and broccoli, all topped with Organicville's Sriracha Sauce.

The Goods: It's cold. Though I managed to escape to Los Angeles this weekend and dodge most of the torrential downpour that took place in the Bay Area, today's chill meant that there was only one option for lunch: soup. I pretty much love anything that involves rice noodles and Sriracha, so this bowl from Heribvore was perfect. Continuing the theme of perfection this week, we'll be editing the final proofs of our March+April issue on Thursday (so help me, they had better be flawless!), and directly after that we'll be heading out the door and down the street to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem for the first SF Vegan Drinks of the year! I'm really stoked about the new location, and here's why: the owner, Mark, is super nice and awesome; the drinks specials (vegan White Russians!) rock; and these four life-changing little words: sweet potato tater tots. Yeah.