Solo Salad on a Sunny Monday

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: Choosing to come into work on a national holiday has its advantages and disadvantages. For starters, there's nothing quite like a zen office environment for boosting productivity. (Just 257 unread emails to go!) But the downside is there's no one to eat with, which can make for a lonely lunchtime. But guess what? When you invite Dr. Cow to lunch, it's less lonely than you might think. The VN staff's new favorite cheese made an appearance on today's menu when it was added to a salad made with fresh baby greens, shiitake mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and cooked squash tossed in a light vinaigrette. (Thank goodness the guys at Organic Express didn't take the holiday off, either.)

The Goods: To further take the edge off the loneliness, dessert was a must. Luckily, in the way, way back of the freezer, buried beneath a bag of frozen artichoke hearts and a block of fake meat, sat an almost-empty pint of Roxanne Klein's contribution to the vegan ice cream world, Rox Kreme. Just a couple of scrapes to get the freezer burn off and a few bites of chocolate bliss were mine, all mine.