QuesaDANG TASTY

The Chefs: Hilary and Herbivore

The Menu: A melty-hot whole-wheat quesadilla stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, and onions, and laden with pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. 

The Goods: Our pals over at Herbivore just unveiled a newly revamped menu that includes gems such as the above, a toasty creation of Daiya-oozy goodness. Associate Editor Jennifer Chen and I basked on the deck in the ridiculously warm weather (I'm talking  in the 80s, people!) and pretending that we were on a Mexican vacay, especially since Publishers Joseph Connelly and Colleen Holland are undoubtedly enchanted on the VegNews Great Adventure to India as we speak. No worries, though—we'll be getting wild in their absence at SF Vegan Drinks tomorrow night! I am going to be getting so down with some beer-battered fried pickles, not to mention the libations. Party on, Wayne! (Party on, Garth.)  

Raw Vegan Pad Thai

The Chef: Jennifer

The Menu: Raw Pad Thai with kelp noodles, red pepper, red cabbage, and cilantro in an almond butter tamari sauce.

The Goods: It's safe to say that I'm obsessed with VN columnist Gena Hamshaw's raw Pad Thai from our January+February 2012 issue. In fact, some staffers have mentioned that I seemed to be infatuated with kelp noodles. I'll admit it. I really like them. What are kelp noodles? They're virtually flavorless, crunchy, seaweed-based raw noodles, packed with nutrients and about 18 calories per serving. But for me, it's all about the sauce—made with almond butter, tamari, fresh ginger, and sesame oil—I'm pretty sure I'd pour it on just about anything. Today, we said goodbye to VN Publisher Joseph Connelly and VN Associate Publisher Colleen Holland who just left for VegNews Vacations Great Adventure to India. Time to start the margarita machine! Kidding!

Falafel Fest

The Chefs: Hilary and Herbivore

The Menu: A hearty falafel wrap with eggplant, potatoes, pickles, hot sauce, and tahini, and a side salad of greens, cucumbers, and beets. 

The Goods: There's something about warm, rich falafel that satisfies like no other, and this week, I need to stay well-fueled more than ever. Between writing web stories, finishing up features for upcoming print magazines, and brainstorming ways to give readers the best of the best all through February, I was plenty hungry by the time lunch rolled around. Plus, with Publisher Joe Connelly and Associate Publisher Colleen Holland heading on the VegNews Great Adventure to India this Thursday, there are loose ends to be tied. Plus, I'm heading to New York that day too, and I need to expand my stomach so that I may gorge thoroughly on all of the amazing vegan food that the Big Apple has to offer. It's almost time to pack our bags! 

Vegan Spaghetti and Meatballs

The Chefs: Anna, Elizabeth, and Colleen

The Menu: Rotini with meatless meatballs and Elizabeth's dad's second best (we'll get to that in a second) spaghetti sauce, and a fresh salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, shredded carrots, and vinaigrette c/o Colleen

The Goods: Wondering about second best, I presume? Well, there's been a lot of trash (or is it smack?) talk between myself and fellow Italian Elizabeth Castoria over which one of our fathers' tomato sauce recipes reigns supreme. Throw in VN's other Italian, Publisher Joseph Connelly (and his mother's recipe), and it's a rumble between Italian factions. It's very "Leave the gun, take the vegan cannoli" and all that hullabaloo. While I maintain that one day we'll have to have a blind taste test with all three, after having tasted this batch, I must say that, well, my dad's sauce is still way better. Yes, I'm biased, but I'm also the author of this post, so you can only accept my opinion on the matter. Prego.

Thanksgiving—Round 2

The Chefs: Jennifer and Native Foods

The Menu: A slice of vegan Wellington from Native Foods, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cornbread stuffing 

The Goods: It's Thanksgiving, round 2. Thanks to leftovers from Publisher Joseph Connelly, the VN staff had yet another lunch eating the amazing Native Foods' Wellington. Personally, I'm a Tofurky gal, but now that I've tried this stuffed Wellington (kale! turkey seitan! sweet potatoes!), I know there's room for more on my Thanksgiving plate next year. Now that Thanksgiving is over, I can't wait for the holidays. Specifically, Christmas cookies. My mother-in-law and I bake up a batch together every year, and if I could enter the VN Holiday Cookie Contest, I would veganize her almond and raspberry jam thumbprint cookies. But since I can't enter (hello, KitchenAid mixer), I hope you will. 

Eggplant and Sundried Tomato Sandwich

The Chef: Hilary and Herbivore

The Menu: A hearty eggplant sandwich with tangy sundried tomatoes, herbaceous pesto spread, and fresh side salad with avocado and mustard dressing. 

The Goods: After Publishers Joseph Connelly and Colleen Holland were generous enough to bring in a smorgasbord of bagels for the staff this morning (complemented by Office Manager Lyndsey Orwig's amazing butternut squash butter—like apple butter, but to reiterate, butternut squash!), I didn't foresee my appetite springing back into action for hours. However, due to a lively brainstorming session for the cover of the November+December issue, which will contain the eagerly awaited results of the 10th annual Veggie Awards, I needed something majorly nourishing by lunchtime. Sorry to brag, but having an all-vegan café right around the corner comes in really handy sometimes. Keep San Francisco in mind when you plan your next road trip, as we're launching our own Ultimate Vegan Road Trip on VegNews.com this month. Follow us as we cruise the country finding all of the best veg eats that America has to offer. 

On the Road: Veggie Grill

The Chefs: Jennifer and Veggie Grill

The Menu: Buffalo faux chicken wings, mac and cheese made with quinoa pasta, All Hail Kale salad, sweet potato fries, Sante Fe Chickin' sandwich, Bayou Chickin' sandwich, and for dessert, carrot cake and chocolate pudding.

The Goods: Today, I bring you Café VegNews on the go! I'm with a few members of the VN staff—Publisher Joseph Connelly, Associate Publisher Colleen Holland, and Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig—in sunny Los Angeles for the Animal Rights Conference 2011. Mere moments after we landed, we rushed to Veggie Grill to dine on some of our favorite eats. Lyndsay and I made the best decision possible by ordering the Sante Fe Chickin' and Bayou Chickin' sandwiches and sharing halves of our avocado and spicy mayo-topped faux chicken. The buffalo "chicken" wings were quickly devoured (complete with ranch dressing) before I indulged in the All Hail Kale salad (a favorite of July+August cover gal Portia de Rossi). Veggie Grill Co-founder Kevin Boylan joined us, and it was great to talk with him about how everything on the menu is made on the premises, including the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Let's just say that plant-based eating never looked and tasted so good. We'll be in LA until Sunday, so here's hoping we can make another trip to Veggie Grill. And if you're headed to the conference, drop by our booth to say hello!

Our Veggie Grill feast was just as amazing as it looks.

Vietnamese Crêpe on the Run

The Chef: Colleen and Sunflower

The Menu: A crispy Vietnamese crêpe—filled with tofu, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, all wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves with mint, shredded carrots, and sliced cucumbers and a sweet soy dipping sauce

The Goods: VegNews Publisher Joseph and I had to run a few errands for the office during lunch, and then squeezed in a quick meal at Mission staple Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant. Thankfully, they have lunch specials that are turned around fast, and I was able to indulge in one of my all-time favorite Vietnamese dishes, the Vietnamese crêpe. Made with rice flour (so it's gluten-free!), turmeric is added to the batter to give it an egg-like appearance, and then it is filled with tofu, mushrooms, and bean sprouts. To serve, you slice off a piece of the crêpe, place it into a lettuce leaf; sprinkle with carrots, fresh mint, and cucumber; and then drizzle on a spoonful of soy dipping sauce. It's a refreshing, healthy lunch that always satisfies. And Joseph's meal was just as delicious (see below). He had the curried vegetables with rice lunch special, which was quickly devoured so we could get back to the VNHQ. Speaking of the VNHQ, we have lots of exciting things happening today! First, we announced our VegNews Sizzling Summer Giveaway, where readers have a chance to win vegan burgers and ice cream for a month. Check it out! Second, we're gearing up to announce our 2012 VegNews Vacations next Tuesday, so if you're not a subscriber and haven't seen where we're going yet, get ready. Finally, I just received word that VN staffers are meeting at 4pm for a very important task: to make vegan s'mores. I have no complaints. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Joseph's colorful curried vegetables with steamed rice at Sunflower in San Francisco's Mission district.

Vegan Pozole and Greens

The Chef: Alexandra and Gracias Madre

The Menu: A bowl of pozole filled with spices, beans, and cabbage, and topped with crispy tortilla chips and cashew nut sauce. Plus, a large side of kale.

The Goods: VN Publisher Joseph Connelly offered to take me out to lunch, and let me pick the dining spot. I haven't been to Gracias Madre in a couple months and thought it would be the best way to ease into a sunny, beautiful weekend. The pozole was exactly what I needed, a belly warming and filling soup. It was also the perfect amount of food, which is surprising since I usually tend to eat enough for two or three. I even got a box (I honestly cannot remember the last time I had leftovers to take home) to keep my kale for later. Perhaps this is me turning a new leaf. Less indulging + more saving = savvy vegan. Or maybe I'll just go eat a Sjaak's candy bar in a couple hours. Who knows?

Vegan Mexican Food and Confusion

The Chefs: Anna and Gracias Madre

The Menu: The torta-and-Caesar salad lunch special and olive oil-roasted potatoes topped with spicy cashew-nacho cheese

The Goods: I hadn't been to Gracias Madre in more than a month (blasphemy, I know!), so when my friend asked me where we should go for lunch, I knew just what to say. I decided to venture away from my typical order of tacos and instead noshed on the sandwich-tacular lunch special. The combination of creamy black beans, avocado, and cashew cheese with spicy pico de gallo and crunchy lettuce was heavenly, and the potatoes my friend and I shared didn't hurt, either. On my way home, I ran into VN Publisher Joseph Connelly at a nearby pizza place. I could have sworn it was a Gracias Madre-induced food coma (it's happened before), but Joe was noshing on a slice with decidedly non-vegan cheese topped with decidedly non-vegan pepperoni and sausage. Joseph said he was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi's redefining of vegetarianism to include fish, and "just wanted to remember what pig tastes like." I can't really judge. I bake with refined sugar, after all. We might have lost Joseph, but at least we gained Paula Deen!

Psst...it's April Fool's!

Vegan Pizza, Muffins, and Tarts!

The Chef: Alexandra, Paxti's Pizza, and Candle Cafe

The Menu: A vegan feast of Paxti's California Chicago "Stuffed" pizza with Daiya Mozzarella, a variety of Candle Cafe Vegan MiniMuffins, and Candle Cafe Tarts in both Chocolate Peanut Butter and Raspberry Linzer.

The Goods: After a three-day weekend, the VegNews staff was spoiled once more! New York's Candle 79 and Candle Cafe owners Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza visited the VNHQ, bringing with them plenty of amazing tarts and mini muffins (check out the photos at This Just In). My personal favorites: the sweet carrot mini muffins and the raspberry linzer torte. But really, everything tasted incredible, the company was great, and all our bellies were filled with sweetness. As Editorial Assistant Anna so accurately put it, "We have the best job ever." Oh, and let's not forget that our publisher, Joseph Connelly, also ordered a Paxti pizza full of red onions, spinach, and vegan pizza necessity—Daiya cheese (for all you pizza lovers out there, make sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming VegNews.com how-to pizza guide!). I'd never had Paxti's before, and I'm usually more of a thin-crust pizza fan, but this delectable deep-dish definitely had me on its side. And to think that I was originally going to have a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch...