Spaghetti & Vegan Meatballs

The Chef: Liz

The Menu: A molto bene Italian spread including whole-wheat spaghetti with vegan meatballs, toasted Daiya cheesy bread, and an arugula, spinach, and mushroom salad. Liz took the semi-homemade approach to pasta sauce by combining Lucini Tuscan Marinara with diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and roasted red peppers and crafted vegan meatballs by rolling dollops of Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix in bread crumbs. No, that's amore.

The Goods: This gluten-licious lunch was the perfect perk-up after a particularly chilly San Francisco morning. While dining on our Italian feast, we discussed a few of our favorite things: cake, Mad Men, and the 2010 Veggie Awards! The competition is fierce, and nominees and fans alike are launching world wide web campaigns to rally for their favorite vegan people, places, and products in our annual reader poll. We're thrilled to see all of the healthy competition spreading, and we're even more thrilled to tally up the winners when the polls close on August 31. Haven't weighed-in on your vegan top choices for 2010? Do it! Right now! Then tell all of your friends—in this election, every vote really counts!

Egg-Free Frittata, Romaine Salad

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: An egg-free frittata chockfull of tangy green chiles that Elizabeth prepared with one part Lucini Italia's line of Cinque e' Cinque Traditional Frittata mix, and one part, well, green chiles. Elizabeth paired this perfect brunch main with a crunchy salad comprised of chopped romaine, cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, and pinto beans.

The Goods: You may have noticed that we're sort of obsessed with Lucini's frittata mixes, as evidenced by the fact that we are constantly eating them. We're not sure why these mixes—free of dairy, soy, and gluten—taste so so fantastic, but from their spicy, punchy flavor to their fluffy, satisfying texture, we fear our beloved tofu scramble has officially been replaced. Oh, and if you were wondering, each serving—42 grams per VN staffer, give or take—packs a whopping nine grams of protein, officially trumping its animal-product counterpart.

Vegan Frittata Time

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: A spicy, highly delicious Tuscan Fiery Chili Frittata whipped together from a super simple mix from Lucini Italia's line of Cinque e' Cinque Tuscan Chickpea Frittata line. Lyndsay paired this zesty main with a mixed greens side salad including kale, spinach, grated carrot, avocado, and cucumber, and rounded the meal out with slices of crunchy bread topped with We Can't Say It's Sour Cream.

The Goods: We were already big fans of Lucini's frittata mixes, but this new, spicy variety was especially tasty; perfectly capturing the flavor of scrambled eggs with 100-percent vegan ingredients. Additionally, we love having breakfast for lunch whenever possible. Yep, this lunch has sufficiently crushed any case-of-the-Mondays that we might have been feeling.

Fantastic Frittata

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: Just about the best Friday spread we've ever seen. Abby busted out a lovely rosemary frittata, a very colorful salad, steamed broccoli, and sautéed greens with tomatoes and spices. Yes, everything was just as tasty as it looks!

The Goods: With a meal this colorful to kick off the weekend, we're pretty sure that good things are in store.

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!