Lunch on the Cheap

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Baked potato with roasted red pepper hummus, Pesto Vegenaise, and ribbons of spinach

The Dish: Okay, I'll admit it. All I brought to eat at work today was a potato. My fridge at home is running on empty, and this morning on my way out, I discovered one lone Russet potato lurking amongst the root-growing garlic and onion in my pathetic produce basket. So thank the heavens for random condiments in the VegNews fridge! At 11:30am, I popped the potato into our convection oven, and one hour later I topped it off with Cedar's new fat-free roasted red pepper hummus, a dollop of Pesto Vegenaise, and some chiffonaded spinach leaves. It just goes to show that a healthy lunch doesn't need to be expensive or complex. That said, would I rather be on a food tour of one our five under-the-radar great vegan cities? Absolutely. Until then, I'll be eating potatoes in preparation for what I am sure would be excellent vegan eats.

Paella Monday

The Chefs: Colleen and Peter

The Menu: A sumptuous Spanish paella with artichoke hearts, Italian bell peppers, pepperoncinis, olives, celery, and broccoli

The Dish: Our dear friend, Peter Ryan, dropped by today with a freshly made skillet of vegan paella that we obliterated in what seemed like minutes. But it was so good! Peter, a talented chef whom I predict will one day have a very successful vegan restaurant, is always whipping up delicious food for VN staffers, and since he lives just a few blocks away, we see his friendly face often, which is wonderful! It's a gorgeous day here in San Francisco, and enjoying this perfectly seasoned dish immediately transported us to the coast of Spain. In other news, our entire team is heading to Anaheim this week for the annual Natural Products Expo West (hello, new products GALORE!), and a few of us will be at the Exceptional Women in Publishing conference on Wednesday where I'll be speaking. Happy Monday, everyone!

The gorgeous skillet-baked paella before we dug in on our sunny rooftop deck.

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!

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. 

South Indian Staff Lunch

The Chefs: Colleen and Udupi Palace

The Menu: The amazing Spinach Masala Dosa with a bowl of sambar soup and trio of housemade chutneys (coconut, ginger, and spicy tomato)

The Goods: There isn't a single person at the VNHQ who doesn't love South Indian food. Heck, we could probably eat it every day if we had to. And the best South Indian restaurant in the city is just around the corner from our offices, so our entire team ventured over for a delicious lunch of dosas, uthappams, idlis, and curries. The occasion, however, was bittersweet, as today marked the final day of our wonderful Editorial Assistant Joni Sweet's internship with VegNews. Joni actually studied abroad in India during college and can often be found diving into a dosa during the noon hour, so it was a fitting place to toast her amazing contribution to VegNews. Immediately following lunch, we headed back to the VNHQ for the official judging of our 2011 VegNews Holiday Cookie Contest (hundreds of entries! 10 finalists! incredible vegan cookies!), for which we'll be announcing our three prize winners on Monday (hello, KitchenAid mixer). We were all in a bit of a food coma due to the excessive sugar intake, but we need to shake it in time for tomorrow night's annual VegNews Staff Holiday Bash. We'll be shakin' up this town if you need us!

Plain Ol' Soup & Salad

The Chefs: Lyndsay

The Menu: Some homemade tomato soup, salad greens, and a persimmon

The Goods: I've gone out to lunch almost everyday this week, so today I decided to keep it simple and cheap. The tomato soup is courtesy of VN contributor Jesse Miner, and the salad and persimmon is courtesy of my Farm Fresh To You produce box. I've never tried a persimmon before, so I am grateful to my produce box for sharing such a delicious, natural treat with me. At first, I wanted to do something really fancy with them, but my busy life got in the way, so I decided to eat them just as is, and I'm happy did. Here at the VNHQ, we're gearing up for the Thanksgiving holiday next week, about which we're very excited. Hours remain for you to win your own feast in our Thanksgiving giveaway, so get on it!

Lemongrass Tofu Lunch Special

The Chefs: Lyndsay and Sunflower Restaurant

The Dish: The  lemongrass tofu lunch special, which included Vietnamese hot and sour soup, a vegetarian imperial roll, and a salad.

 
The Goods: Editorial Assistant Joni Sweet and I wanted a lot of food for cheap when it came to be lunchtime, so I suggested Sunflower, which is one of my favorites. As you can see, there's a whole lot of food on this plate, and it cost us less than $10 each. That's a total success, in my book. It's a beautiful Friday, and we're looking forward to a fun-filled Halloween weekend. Just in case you're not stocked up on candy for this festive holiday, be sure to pick up a bag of Dandies, which are on sale at the VN Store. Happy weekend!

Pre-Party Kale Salad

The Chefs: Lyndsay and Herbivore

The Menu: A kale salad with grilled tofu and avocado

The Goods: We've been screaming it from the rooftops for the past month now, and it's finally here—the VegNews Book Bash with Spork Foods! The event is now sold out, and we are just bustling around the VNHQ to get everything done before the fun begins. Hence, the salad, which I ate within five minutes—I literally scarfed it down. And later, I will be scarfing down appetizers inspired by the Spork sisters' new Spork-Fed cookbook, as well as mini cinnamon rolls from Cinnaholic. It shall be a delicious and fun time!

Mexican Torta & Garlic Chard

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A Mexican-inspired torta sabrosa—a toasted tortilla wrap filled with potatoes, onions, eggplant, and spices—plus sautéed organic Swiss chard with sliced garlic

The Goods: A local company, Las Cascada, sells these sabrosas at my neighborhood market, and they make great lunch fare at the office. I also brought in a head of chard, sautéed it up in our handy electric wok, and voila: Lunch is served. I find it hard to eat any meal without a fresh salad or cooked greens, as both give me the balance I want during a meal. Too bad the pound of chard resulted in a tablespoon of greens! It's going to be a busy week here at the VNHQ, as we've got our Isa/Terry Twitter Chat tomorrow night, our big Spork Foods party Friday night, our November+December Veggie Award issue arriving to subscribers everywhere, and lots of design and editorial meetings in between. We hope you'll join us somewhere along the way!

Veggie Pizza

The Chefs: Lyndsay

The Menu: A slice of pizza topped with red onion, olives, mushroom, green pepper, and Daiya, with a side salad made with romaine lettuce, slow-cooked beets, and Parma—actually, there's Parma on everything.

The Goods: After having some issues with a recipe last night, my partner and I had to make a decision, and that decision was pizza. An hour later, our local pizzeria delivered our cheeseless pie, which I quickly topped with my own supply of Daiya. Sometimes you do what you gotta do, I say. I also say that you should hurry and purchase your tickets to the VegNews Book Bash with Spork Foods before they sell out. Happy Friday!

Bountiful Bowl

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: Some salad greens topped with tomato, avocado, quinoa pasta, and the slow-cooked eggplant casserole with cashew ricotta dish from The Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester

The Goods: Lately, I've been obsessed with my new slow cooker. Actually, I have three. I recently acquired these appliances in preparation for my recipe testing for Robin Robertson's new slow cooker cookbook coming out in the not-too-distant future. Kathy Hester's new book is also superb, and this casserole was the first recipe I've cooked from the book—it is delicious, to say the least. It made a wonderful topping for my salad, which I enjoyed on the sunny and breezy deck at the VNHQ, where we will be holding the VegNews Book Bash with Spork Foods on October 21. Be sure to secure your ticket before they sell out!

Trifecta of Salads

The Chef: Hilary and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Generous helpings of three tasty vegan salads: Kale and tofu salad, white bean salad with celery, and pesto pasta salad (sort of) with sun-dried tomatoes. 

The Dish: All's quiet on the Western front. With two of our comrades out of the office today (one for her birthday; feliz cumpleaños Anna!), my stomach rumbles were loud and mournful in the quaint editorial room. Not one, not two, but three delicious varieties of salad were needed to hit the spot. After yesterday's amazing Chocolate Peanut-Butter Bomb Cake extravaganza and the subsequent aftermath (overindulgence, tummy aches, and sugar highs/crashes), I decided to err on the nutritious side. Now I just need to yoga retreat in Mexico a la VegNews Vacations to balance my tendency towards decadence with a little bit of healthy exertion. 

Doing the Dosa

The Chefs: Lyndsay and Udupi Palace

The Menu: The Spinach Masala Dosa, served with ginger, tomato, and coconut chutneys.

The Goods: I've been on an Indian cuisine kick for the past several days—I'm hoping the spices will help clear up my sinuses. I have leftovers from a decadent Indian-inspired dinner I made last night from Appetite for Reduction, but I was invited to Udupi Palace to eat dosas with editorial assistants Hilary Pollack and Joni Sweet, and I couldn't resist. My meal was delicious as always, and I still have my leftovers from last night to look forward to—win win! We have now come to the final 10 days of our Veggie Awards Survey. Be sure to vote before it comes to a close, and get in the running to win some awesome prizes.

Curry Meatless Chicken

The Chefs: Lyndsay and Family Garden Chinese & Japanese Cuisine

The Menu: The Curry Meatless Chicken, which has onion, zucchini, red and green pepper, and rice, in a delicious curry sauce.

 
The Goods: I've been doing a lot of cooking these past couple of weeks, and last night I really needed a break. So I did what any sane person would do, and ordered Chinese from my favorite local spot. I'm never disappointed with their meatless chicken dishes, and I was very happy to not have to lift a finger in the process—unless you consider opening the door for the delivery guy. Once again, after a busy and speedy week at the VNHQ, it's finally Friday. We wish you all a merry weekend!

Bean Burger and Salad

The Chefs: Lyndsay

The Menu: A homemade bean burger, served with a sandwich roll, and topped with all of the good fixings—Vegenaise, mustard, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, and sliced jalapeños. Don't forget the salad on the side.

The Goods: These burgers are the Better Bean Burgers from VN columnist Robin Robertson's Vegan On the Cheap, which is one of my favorite cookbooks. The recipe calls for black beans, but I only had kidney, and I also switched the red onion for shallots. Luckily, the results were quite good, and I was so happy to have such great condiments in my fridge to top it off. I've been cooking up a storm this past week, because I am actually recipe testing for Robin's new cookbook. It's my first time running a test kitchen, and I am having a ton of fun. You may just be seeing some of leftovers in the near future, but for now I'll just say happy Friday!

Quesadillas and Salad

The Chef: Hilary and Gracias Madre

The Menu: Sweet potato and caramelized onion quesadillas with cashew nacho cheese and pumpkin seed salsa; plus a salad of farm lettuce and stone fruit tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette, topped with toasted hazelnuts and served with grilled Acme bread and vegan queso blanco

The Dish: After a late night at Homestead celebrating a friend's birthday, my friend Kris and I decided to meet up mid-workday and take the Tuesday afternoon edge off via the ever-delicious culinary stylings of Gracias Madre. I needed something light due to my Cinnaholic hangover and vegan Japanese feast last night at Cha-Ya, so we decided to share a couple of the smaller dishes and call it a lunch. Every time I dine at Gracias Madre, I pray that they'll start selling vats of their incredible cashew cheese so that I can drench everything that I eat in it. They won the 2010 Veggie Award for Restaurant of the Year, and I can't wait to see who takes the top honors this year. Don't forget to vote! 

Kris loves vegan quesadillas and voting in the 2011 Veggie Awards.

Bagel, Tofutti, and Tomato

The Chefs: Lyndsay and Javalencia

The Menu: A classic BTT—sesame seed bagel, Tofutti, and Tomato.

 
The Goods: It's been a crazy day, and unfortunately, I forgot to eat breakfast, which I never do. So by lunch time I was completely famished, so I picked up this satisfying sandwich from our local café, Javalencia. A smaller lunch than I'm usually used to, but definitely tasty. We at the VNHQ are very happy to see the weekend arrive, and we hope everyone has a good one. Monday will be a crazy day as well when we launch the 2011 Veggie Awards Survey—make sure to vote!

Dining at Radish

The Chef: Lyndsay and Radish

The Menu: A tofu sandwich with avocado, shredded carrot, and vegan spread on sourdough bread, with a side of root chips

The Goods: We had a long meeting discussing the upcoming 2011 Veggie Awards, and once done, we were famished. Luckily, it was lunchtime, so we decided to venture to a newer restaurant in the area, Radish—we heard that they had some good vegan options. I decided to get this sandwich because it sounded tasty, and I like tofu, so I thought it was a good bet. I was not disappointed—the sandwich was delish, and I ate it up in record time. We also dined on some complimentary gazpacho and amazing hash browns. All in all, it was a satisfying lunch, and a good way to end the work week. We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Falafel Feast

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: A tremendous lunch consisting of falafel from Le Petit Marchet, the Everyday Quinoa and Chickpea salad from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, some Kettle Chips, a bright red tomato from my Farm Fresh To You produce box, and some homemade vegan sour cream.
 
The Goods: I realize that this is a huge lunch, and my eyes were definitely too big for my stomach, because I was unable to finish it all. What I did finish was delicious, and I still have another falafel half to feast on tomorrow. Unfortunately, my salad—one of my favorites from Isa's wonderful book—was nearing its end, due to the fact that I made it early last week, but it was still tasty. We can't believe it's already July in just a few days, but we're excited about SF Vegan Drinks this coming Thursday. Speaking of which, this great event received some coverage from the San Francisco Bay Guardian—be sure to check it out!

Picnic Party

The Chef: Lyndsay, with the help of Jennifer and Frankie

The Menu: Frankie's homemade ribs, with a side of roasted potatoes and beets (per Jennifer), and Abby's Biscuits, which I had the pleasure of baking this morning.

The Goods: So it's officially summer in San Francisco—at least for the time being—and when I say summer, I mean hot! San Franciscans are actually not used to this type of heat, and even though it may be a little much for me, most of the VN staff are enjoying it. We received some of Frankie's fantastic vegan ribs earlier last week, and we couldn't wait to bust them out. VegNews Associate Editor Jennifer Chen had the wonderful idea of doing a picnic, so we all pitched in with the goods, and made our way to Dolores Park to eat, and to enjoy the sun for at least a little while. We finished our lunch with some cold, fresh-fruit popsicles from Power of Fruit, and they definitely helped to stave off the heat. We're looking forward to a gorgeous week!