Mexican Posole Soup

The Chef: Colleen and Gracias Madre

The Menu: A hearty bowl of posole soup from Gracias Madre brimming with hominy, cabbage, avocado, fried tortilla strips, cashew creme, fresh lime juice, and Mexican spices.

The Goods: The perfect antidote after a week of being sick (no fun), this rich homestyle posole was just what the doctor ordered. VN Managing Editor, Elizabeth Castoria, turned me onto this soup a few years ago (her family hails from the Southwest), and I have been loving it ever since. When Gracias Madre opened in the neighborhood more than a year ago, my dreams of a go-to source for a vegan version came true, and I seriously can't get enough. I walk into the restaurant and order a cup to go, but what I really want is the whole darn pot. And I'll pay for it—it's seriously that good. Speaking of posole and the Southwest, we're proofing our May+June issue today (weddings! ramen! banana cream pie!), and we have a terrific piece on traveling to Santa Fe. Yes, a handy guide to a veggie weekend trip to this eclectic and stunning city. Happy travels, everyone, and stay dry!

Business Lunch @ Gracias Madre

The Chef: Colleen and Gracias Madre

The Menu: Cream of beet soup made with a cashew cream and topped with fresh cilantro, alongside a pair of pan-fried potato cakes with lettuce, cilantro, and vegan sour creme

The Goods: I love business lunches in the Mission. Let's see, will it be Gracias Madre, Herbivore, Cha Ya, Cafe Gratitude, Udupi Palace, and the list goes on. Today, we took our (non-vegetarian) out-of-town guest to a high-powered lunch at Gracias Madre, what may be the nation's only all-vegan Mexican restaurant and our 2010 Restaurant of the Year. Yes, we talked business, numbers, trends, etc., but, frankly, it's the food that matters most. This bright-pink soup tasted even better than it looks, and the potato cakes were flat-out divine. After four days in Anaheim at the Natural Products Show (check out photos here!), it's great be back in the groove in San Francisco. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Millennium Meets Gracias Madre

Millennium Restaurant's Larry & Ann Wheat at Gracias Madre

The Chefs: Joseph and Gracias Madre

The Menu: Today, we went all out. We ordered guacamole and tortillas; Brussels sprouts topped with cashew cheese and garlic breadcrumbs; mole enchiladas with steamed greens; butternut squash, seared cauliflower, rice, beans, with house made blue corn tortillas; and finally seasonal fruit cobbler (apple) served with coconut milk ice cream.

The Goods: Two "Restaurants of the Year" met for lunch today when I invited Ann and Larry Wheat, owners of San Francisco's renowned Millennium (five-time Veggie Award winner), to lunch at 2010 Restaurant of the Year (and Café VegNews local favorite) Gracias Madre. Ann and Larry had not been to the almost-one-year-old restaurant yet, and both enjoyed the delicate flavors and perfect spiciness of our dishes, which we cheerfully devoured family-style. Larry then ordered dessert, a ginormous bowl of cobbler topped with a mountain of GM's signature coconut ice cream. And though I had requested "two spoons" since I was already full, three spoons materialized, and I sampled the sweet treat while my tummy expanded.

Gracias Madres' Seasonal Fruit Cobbler

Gracias Madre will soon be a whole year old. How did we ever survive without it?

Colleen's Friday Salad

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: My favorite lunchtime salad—organic greens, English cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, shredded carrot, green onion, avocado, fresh garlic, and grilled Gardein "chicken", all tossed in an orange-balsamic vinaigrette.

The Goods: I am a creature of habit, what can I say. I'll do my best to change up my go-to lunchtime meal, but you'll most likely be seeing some variation of this (delicious) salad every Friday. Don't get me wrong—the food in the Mission is as good as it gets (vegan Mexican, Japanese, comfort food, raw food, fresh-baked pies, and so much more literally exists all within a two-block radius of the new VNHQ), but I enjoy bringing my own lunch. I like to eat as much organic as possible, I like to know where my food comes from, and it just tastes good. For some major homemade-food inspiration, have you seen the just-released VegNews Holiday Cookbook? VegNews' editors have armed you with everything you need this Thanksgiving to create an unforgettable vegan feast. Get your copy now! And have a wonderful weekend.

Cancun

The Chef: Colleen and Taqueria Cancun

The Menu: Two vegan tacos—complete with black beans, seasoned rice, chopped onion, cilantro, and hearty strips of avocado with soft corn tortillas—and a side of chips and freshly made salsa.

The Goods: Today, I needed to eat lunch fast, as it's just been one of those days. Two blocks from the new VNHQ is one of San Francisco's three locations of Taqueria Cancun, a local taqueria that is full of character and vegan options. For $4.60 ($2.30 each), I filled up on two scrumptious (and healthy!) tacos and a basket of (unhealthy!) tortilla chips. Oh well, we do our best. I was in and out in 15 minutes, ate for less than $5, and enjoyed a delicious meal. So what do we have on tap today? First off, we launched the VegNews Holiday Cookbook and can hardly wait to start cooking our holiday feasts. We're also prepping for this weekend's Green Festival, right here in San Francisco, of which VegNews is a long-time sponsor. So if you're heading to the Green Festival, stop by the VN booth to say hello and pick up a subscription!

Mexican Mash-Up

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A Mexican-food inspired mish-mash of tofu, black and pinto beans, tomatoes, tortilla strips, potatoes, and spices. A fresh green salad with spinach, grated carrot, avocado, and halved cherry tomatoes finished off the plate.

The Goods: Today we enjoyed the lovely company of Noelle and Rebecca from PCRM, who are in town for this weekend's Green Festival. It should be a fantastic event, so if you're in San Francisco, come by the VN booth and say hi!

Free-up-the-Fridge Friday

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A Mexican-inspired mélange of sautéed spring veggies, roasted potatoes with molé, hearty black beans, and gorgeous guacamole. In honor of the fact that it is Friday and we need to make space in the fridge for Monday's produce delivery, Colleen approached today's lunch with her signature "take-no-prisoners" 'tude and rounded up just about every perishable comestible in sight. She had us oohing and ahhing over her simple yet oh-so-tasty zucchini, broccoli, and celery. The secret? She first toasted some cumin seeds in olive oil to release their delicate flavor and then gently tossed in the vegetables. The result? A vibrant and verdant, fragrant and flavorful, healthy and heavenly lunch that had us nearly licking our plates and definitively declaring that we'd be using more cumin seeds in our cooking henceforth.

The Goods: As you are well aware, today is Friday, which never ceases to put us in a good mood, although today we're feeling a bit slighted by the gray and drizzly weather. However, our spirits are buoyed by the excellent turnout and good times had all around at last night's SF Vegan Drinks, though you don't have to take our word for it. We actually have photo proof of this stellar evening. We certainly don't believe in coercing people into doing things they don't want to, but we would strongly, strongly recommend that you set aside Thursday, May 28, from 6 to 8pm. We're just saying ... And if you happen to be in the Denver area this weekend, be sure to stop by our booth the Green Festival and say hi. Or, find us gorging ourselves at WaterCourse Foods. Let us know if you have any other favorite Denver hot spots!

Cheese Week: Muy Mexi Casserole

The Chef: Stacy

The Menu: A super-delicious Mexican-cuisine-inspired casserole, complete with melted cheese all over the top. Ms. Stacy wowed us with her combination of rice, black and pinto beans, corn, and a perfectly spiced tomato sauce, which she layered under melted Cheezly Nacho and Mozzarella Styles. She also served up crispy corn tortillas and Native Kjalii salsa, and a beautiful, leafy salad.

The Goods: Today's lunch utterly delectable, the kind of meal you'd expect if you went over to a good friend's house for dinner and she'd had all day to prepare. Instead, Ms. Stacy busted out this culinary gem in just an hour using our modest test kitchen and ingredients she found on hand. Iron Chef, eat your heart out.

Burritos Sin Carne

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: After stuffing our faces at Millennium's Southern Comfort extravaganza last night, we surprisingly wolfed down Colleen's warm tortillas packed with a melange of rice, carrots, and beans for a south-of-the-border inspired lunch. Fresh sprouts, cherry tomatoes, olives, and a dab of guac topped off the veggie-licious entree. A lightly dressed, green salad doused in Eat In The Raw's Parma accompanied the dish.

The Goods: Graduated VegNews intern extraordinaire Christine "Tine" Petrozzo graced the VN headquarters with her presence today after a long-waited return. Heading back to her old stomping grounds, Tine happily eased back into the VN lunch routine. She's overjoyed to be back for a vacation, and her tummy couldn't agree more.