Vegan Sushi Lunch

The Chefs: Anna and We Be Sushi

The Menu: A classic seaweed salad and a veggie tempura-mango roll.

The Goods: After a morning spent looking over the touching, exciting, and fun applications for this year's wedding feature and chowing down on some sauerkraut-spinach dip I brought to the office, I needed a walk and some lighter fare for lunch. I convinced Associate Editor Jennifer Chen to accompany me on a short walk to our nearby sushi place, and she gladly obliged (I mean, come on. It's sushi). The tempura veggie and mango roll was admittedly not light, but the scrumptious and healthy seaweed salad created the perfect pairing. In other news, I would like to wish you a very happy National Peanut Butter Day! As I nurse my overly full stomach (and dream of vegan fluffernutter sandwiches), head on over to our Facebook page to let us know how you love to eat the tasty spread.

Media Lunch over Burritos

The Chef: Colleen and Taqueria Cancun

The Menu: Grilled burritos filled with rice, black beans, onions, tomatoes, and guacamole—plus chips, two kinds of salsa, and melon agua fresca

The Dish: This week couldn't be busier here at the VNHQ, but we love it! Today, VN Publisher Joseph and I dined with friends/media colleagues Mike, Thea, and Maire from Next Steps Marketing. They hadn't been to our new digs, so we finally had them over for the grand tour plus lunch from our favorite Mexican taqueria. If you're ever in San Francisco's Mission district and need good food fast (and cheap), Taqueria Cancun is the place to make it happen. So tasty, so fresh, and always a hit. It's a gorgeous day in the city, but I am still dreaming of my vegan weekend in Salt Lake City—the veg scene there is off the hook! Check out our just-posted Vegan Food Tour of Salt Lake City for all the evidence you'll need (think vegan quesadillas, chocolate-dipped vegan soft-serve, and two vegan bakeries). Plus, several members of the VN staff will be in Los Angeles this weekend for the Animal Rights Conference. If you're going, be sure to stop by and say hello!

Spinach Salad & Pozole Soup

The Chefs: Jennifer and Flacos Tacos

The Menu: A spinach salad topped with mango, walnuts, and Annie's Natural Goddess dressing. Pozole soup filled with hominy in a spicy broth.

The Goods: After attending a Forks Over Knives screening last night with VN Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria, I went home and opened my produce drawers. The movie was a wake-up call to me that even though I'm vegan, it doesn't mean I'm eating healthy (hello, soy ice cream). My family has a history of cancer and diabetes so Forks Over Knives was a real reminder that what I put in my body is important. Hence, the spinach salad topped with fresh mango and walnuts. The pozole soup is from the wonderful vegan Flacos Tacos in Berkeley, Calif. My husband and I ate there a few nights ago and we love it. Everything there is delicious and freshly made. If you've seen Forks Over Knives or want to go, we're giving away an amazing prize pack over on our Facebook page just by answering a question about the movie. Here's to your health!

VegNews Signature Mac 'n' Cheese

The Chefs: Jennifer and VegNews

The Menu: VegNews' signature Mac 'n' Cheese recipe

The Goods: I just moved to Berkeley, and after unpacking what seemed like a billion boxes, my kitchen was finally organized. My first meal to make in my new home? Why, the VN signature mac 'n' cheese of course. If you haven't made it, I suggest you run home right now and whip up a batch. If you have made it, then you understand why this vegan version makes grown men weep and non-vegans want to get with the program. Have I oversold it? No way. I even posted up the recipe on my friend's Facebook page, ordered her (suggested nicely) to make it, and she did. Her response: The cheese sauce is amazing! And it is. That's why I always double the ingredients for the sauce.

Friday Feast

The Chef: Chas

The Menu: A little Friday roundup of on-hand veggies. Chas provided us with the delicious leftovers from his chili yesterday, along with a signature Chas salad, bread, and a stir-fried eggplant-carrots-chickpea mixture. As per always, everything was fantastic.

The Goods: In case you couldn't join us for the Lyman v. Niman debate last night, there's a little recap on Press Pass. If you happen to be in Chicago this weekend, come by our booth at the Green Festival, and say hello to our very own Savvy Abby! Oh, and if you need a little something sweet to kick off your weekend, we are giving away a huge collection of goodies from some of the country's best bakeries over on Facebook. Enjoy!

Italian Overload

The Chef: Liz

The Menu: A ton of tasty Italian treats! Liz was ready to feed an army today, and we thoroughly enjoyed her efforts. First up, Liz prepared Caesar's gnocchi with Lucini marinara, which was a delicious pairing. Then an Amy's Roasted Vegetable Pizza came into play, along with some roasted potatoes and carrots with rosemary. Finally, a huge romaine salad with avocado, celery, and cherry tomatoes finished off the plate.

The Goods: Yes, this was a lot of food, and that's just what we needed to power us through the last day of this week. Here's hoping that everyone has enjoyed our publishers' virtual tour of vegan New York City on Facebook as they'll be back in boring ol' SF next week. Oh wait, we mean totally awesome SF!

Fast, Vegan Frittata

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: Remember the frittata mix we got in yesterday on This Just In? Well, in case you need clarification about how things work around here, when food comes in, we eat it. Today Abby whipped up a yummy frittata, with broccoli, bell peppers, and carrots, which she topped with salsa. What also goes with salsa? Chips, especially the Lime flavor Food Should Taste Good chips. Abby also made her signature biscuits, and a lovely salad with broccoli, chickpeas, chips, and salsa. Yes, chips and salsa are great salad ingredients, thanks for asking.

The Goods: Today we eagerly await the beginning of the weekend. We're travel weary just from looking at all the awesome photos of our publishers' trip to NYC (where they'll be next week too, more photo fun to come!), tuckered out from the excitement of our editorial schedule (May+June should be here early next week and July+August is going gangbusters!), and tired from the constant excitement of our upcoming event! Didn't hear that we're having one? Well, guess what? We are! Don't miss the humane-meat debate of a lifetime: Fourth-generation cattle rancher-turned-vegan Howard Lyman versus Niman Ranch co-founder, Nicolette Niman, in a provocative and and lively conversation you won't want to miss. Tickets will sell out quickly, so reserve your spot today! With so much going on, we're looking forward to a little R&R this weekend before it all starts up again next week!

Spicy Peant Kale Pasta

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: This delicious medley is Kristen's signature dish, and we love it. A simple pasta with tomato sauce, peanut butter, kale, and garlic. Yes, it's fantastic and we could eat it every day. Today Kristen topped her dish with crushed cashews for an extra crunch. As always, a lovely side salad balanced the plate.

The Goods: So far it's been a fairly quiet week here since our publishers are enjoying their yearly jaunt to New York City. Yes, we'll have their photos loaded on Facebook for your perusal, and until then we're working like mad on our July+August 10th Anniversary Issue! Eeeeeek!

Mighty Good Marinara

The Chef: Liz

The Menu: A lovely—and colorful—meal of gluten-free pasta topped with a delicious marinara that had chickpeas, spinach, and rosemary all thrown in for good measure. A bean salad with tons of avocado and cherry tomatoes made a multicolored side.

The Goods: This is it! The next time you hear from us we'll be reporting from LA, where we'll be at Expo West 2010, exploring the miles of booths. Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for all the haps!

Bean-tastic Chili

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: A totally filling, fantastic chili with beans galore, diced tomatoes, and the perfect blend of spices. What would chili be without Abby's signature biscuits alongside? We don't know, and we don't want to find out! Thankfully, she made up a fresh batch for us today, which we eagerly devoured. Oh, and also a salad. Woot, salad.

The Goods: This week will be fast and furious at the VNHQ, since we're heading down to LA on Thursday for Expo West 2010! You might remember Expo West from years past; it's an enormous trade show that we attend yearly to discover the hottest new vegan products on the planet, and tell you all about them. This year, we'll be reporting live from the show via Twitter and Facebook!

Pizza and Piccata

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A mish-mash of on-hand delicacies. Today's plate certainly doesn't have a theme (except maybe the letter "p"). We enjoyed, and then promptly mourned, our last Daiya pizza from Vegan Essentials, which was just as delicious as the others we've had recently. Elizabeth made a seitan piccata with mustard and capers, and finished off the plate with a big freaking salad.

The Goods: Pizza and piccata might not be the new surf 'n' turf, but with some serious time limitations it totally filled us up today. Speaking of things that might fill you up, did you know that there are Sticky Fingers goodies being given away on our Facebook page?