Sandwich Week: Elena Ruth

The Chef: Jenny

The Menu: Straight from Cuba, today we had traditional Elena Ruth sandwiches. In case you haven't been to the island recently, an Elena Ruth is composed of faux turkey, vegan cream cheese, and strawberry jam. Okay, to be totally traditional this would have been served on fresh-baked Cuban bread, but we had to make do with what Trader Joe's had to offer. In addition to the awesome kick off to our second-ever theme week's main course, we enjoyed a simple spring-mix salad, shoestring fries, and soy strawberry shakes. Yes, Jenny spoils us.

The Goods: In addition to getting sandwich week off to an auspicious start, we have a little announcement. Today marks the 100th post on Café VegNews! Remember all the way back to last October's Inaugural Post? And who could forget the Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck? There have been too many fond memories to link to all of them (in fact, you could just go back and read all the entries—there's not a stinker in the bunch!), but we hope you've enjoyed reading our daily posts as much as we've enjoyed eating the amazing lunches.

Rice, Beans, and Love

The Chef: Jenny

The Menu: Cuban comfort food. Spiced basmati rice with peas and red bell pepper, pinto beans in a savory sauce with handfuls of fresh parsley, enchiladas—made from frozen vegan taquitos, a slightly sweet homemade enchilada sauce, and, of course, more Teese—and chunks of perfectly ripe avocado filled us up today.

The Goods: Can you tell the plates are bigger today? On some days, it's fun to use the smaller plates and pile 'em high with salads, but not when Jenny cooks. For meals like this, it's key to get out the larger vessels and fill them full. Poor Ms. Jenny has been under the weather, but was feeling well enough today to get back in the kitchen. This meal, she said, would at least help her feel better psychologically, if not physically as well. Love is always the most important ingredient! For more on the subject, check out VN Publisher Joseph Connelly's "Whole Lotta Love" in our current issue.

Thai Food Thursday

The Chef: Jenny

The Menu: Where to begin? Jenny sharpened her cooking chops while living in an ashram, and let me tell you, those monks ate well. For her debut blog lunch she made three fantastic dishes: rice with toasted mustard seeds, curried coconut lentils with tomato, and potato, eggplant, and acorn squash curry. Basically, it was a religious experience in a bowl.

The Goods: Jenny is our resident Cuban, which means when she cooks we could feed a small army. Suffice to say that we really, really like that about her. Every week she comes up with something new and wonderful, and makes the best use of coconut milk out of anyone in the office. While the dishes she made today weren't traditional Cuban fare, she describes them as "Thai food Cuban style." We describe them as "gone."