Rice and Bean Salad

The Chef: Brooke

The Menu: Savory salad! Brooke whipped up a lovely rice and bean salad by throwing together seasoned basmati rice, black beans, kidney beans, romaine, tomato, and bell pepper, all marinated in a buttery, zesty olive oil and lime dressing.

The Goods: No, we're not complaining about our satisfying lunch of rice and bean salad, and yes, we're now requiring that all salads consist largely of perfectly cooked basmati rice. Sorry about that, lettuce. In other news, Colleen, Joseph, and Lyndsay are back at the VNHQ after a four-day weekend spent in Chicago—and they've reported back with all the details! Aside from working the fantastic, two-day VeggieFest Chicago show in Naperville, Ill., they enjoyed meals at The Chicago Diner and Karyn's on Green and toured the Vegan Essentials headquarters. Are we jealous? Maybe. It's okay though, because we remaining staffers will take any excuse to enjoy a leisurely trip to the Windy City.