Cheese Week: Black Bean Soup

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A stellar soup! Ms. Colleen blended black beans, sweet potatoes, and a tempting array of spices in this thick, filling soup, which she topped with ribbons of sautéed collard greens. She also toasted up some delicious sunflower-seed-crusted bread onto which she melted a little Follow Your Heart mozzarella—this is the last day of Cheese Week after all—with a light dusting of chopped cilantro for garnish.

The Goods: It's Friday! Maybe that's a bit of an obvious one, but it feels good to say it nonetheless. It's always satisfying to get to the end of the week after we've gone to press on Monday—it makes the last issue feel really, officially done. In addition to the joy of being at press, we got to share lunch today with the lovely Ms. Melissa, who'll be starting as an editorial assistant come Monday. It's very exciting to welcome a new member of the VN team, and we're thrilled to have her here!