Vegan Pasta Day!

The Chef: Anna, Colleen, and Lyndsay (really just Colleen and Lyndsay) 

The Menu: Pasta day! Fresh spaghetti from Mama Sue's Gourmet Pasta covered with sauce from Victoria Fine Foods, salad, garlic bread, and a wedge of beet burger

The Dish: I am happy to be reporting from the front lines—of deliciousness, that is! (Yes, cold medicine will make you say things like that.) The VN staff decided to start cooking up a weekly pasta day, and I must say, it's one of our best ideas yet. But what's that beet burger doing in there, you might wonder? Wonder no more! Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig is testing recipes for our upcoming July+August issue, and that ridiculously tasty patty is one of them! Want to make sure you get the recipe (plus our latest vegan city showdown, vegan weddings 2012, and more)? Subscribe today!

The delicious lunchtime spread! Hello, garlic bread. 

Pre-Thanksgiving Greens

The Chef: Anna and Herbivore

The Menu: The ever-constant, ever-tasty green salad, topped with beets, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, avocado, cabbage, onions, tomatoes, mint, and a healthy dose of grilled soy chicken.

The Goods: I'm not sure about you, but I always think about Mondays as a fresh start to both the work week and to healthy eating: hence, the salad. This healthy week, however, is to be short-lived, and by that I mean will end today. Why, you ask? Tomorrow marks VN's annual Thanksgiving luncheon, where we will be stuffing ourselves with Native Wellington, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, apple pie from Babycakes, and tons of other stuff that I'm so excited to eat, I will most likely wake up three hours early tomorrow morning, à la a kid at Christmas. Speaking of the holidays: Do you have a holiday cookie recipe that blows people's minds? Then enter our first-ever Holiday Cookie Contest for your chance to win a KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

Many thanks to Lyndsay for this photo—I was too distracted by hunger to capture my lunch! 

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!

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!

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. 

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!

Burrito Party!

The Chefs: Jennifer and Taqueria Cancun

The Menu: A burrito stuffed with refried beans, avocado, rice, pico de gallo; a melon agua fresca, two spicy salsas, tortilla chips, and Beanfield's Pico de Gallo chips.

The Goods: Don't worry. I didn't eat all of this by myself for lunch. The VN team and I chowed down on delicious burritos from our local taqueria after we wrapped up our stellar September+October issue. We can't wait for you guys to see it. VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig taught me an important trick to making an awesome burrito even better; Stuff it with tortilla chips! Genius. This launched into a discussion about stuffing potato chips into PB&J sandwiches and French fries into veggie burgers. Needless to say, we were all pretty stuffed from our delicioso lunch. But I'm not too stuffed to dream about a VeganTreats dessert party or a box of Premium Chocolatiers' 30-truffle boxes, which y0u could win simply by voting in our 10th annual Veggie Awards. I already voted (even though I can't win amazing prizes). Have you?

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!

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.

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!

Beer-Marinated Seitan Fajitas

The Chef: Jennifer

The Menu: Homemade seitan marinated in Lagunitas IPA and red onions served up on a tortilla topped with homemade vegan sour cream, and a bowl of peaches.

The Goods: I think it's safe to say that I am in love with VN Columnist Robin Robertson's cookbooks. I always make her recipe for homemade seitan—it's so dang easy, trust me—and then my husband marinated it in some locally brewed Lagunitas IPA for some seriously juicy fajitas this past July 4th weekend. Both recipes came from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig kindly offered me her leftover vegan sour cream (recipe in Vegan on the Cheap by my above favorite cookbook author) to top these savory leftovers. The sweet peaches are fresh from Monterey Market where stone fruit is abundant. In fact, I think I'll be moving on to our VN.com cover story, Summer Recipe Spectacular, to make this week's Strawberry Ricotta French Toast with Strawberry Rhubarb Syrup while daydreaming about going to Bali on the VegNews Vacations (just announced!). If that's not enough excitement for you, we're giving away the perfect summer giveaway on Facebook (a dozen Gardein beefless burgers, two jars of Vegenaise, and a month's supply of So Delicious ice cream). Isn't summer awesome?

Tofu, Stir Fry, and Cookies

The Chef: Anna and Lynsday

The Menu: Baked tofu, mixed vegetables in a tamari-peanut sauce, a peach, and chocolate chip cookies

The Goods: After almost two weeks of nothing but sunshine and skirts, it's raining and chilly here in San Francisco. Major bummer, to say the least. To cheer myself up, I packed one of my favorite meals for lunch: my own recipe for baked tofu plus veggies and a just-perfect peach. After lunch, Managing Editor Elizabeth, Associate Editor Jennifer, Publisher Joseph, and I played a few spirited and competitive rounds of office favorite Bananagrams. To top it off, Office Manager Lyndsay brought in homemade chocolate chip cookies to cheer us all up. Okay, so maybe my mood was lifted a bit! Check out Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance to make Lyndsay's cookies yourself. Can't get enough of Isa? Make sure to watch for our September+October issue ... it's to pie for!

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!

Cauliflower Tagine and Salad

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: Cauliflower Tagine and a salad with green leaf lettuce, red radish, green sweet pepper, heirloom tomato, and non-dairy Caesar dressing from Organicville.

The Goods: I was ultra-satisfied with my lunch today, which was made up of leftovers from last week. The Cauliflower Tagine is from The Urban Vegan cookbook by Dynise Balcavage, and hit all of the right notes with its Moroccan-inspired ingredients. The salad is made up of vegetables from my Farm Fresh To You produce box, which has been a lifesaver this past month. To make my lunch even better, I relaxed with a great book, The Book Thief, in which I totally recommend to anyone and everyone. For another great read, check out this week's discussion of Fear of the Animal Planet over at the VegNews Book Club!