Baked Tofu Rolls

The Chef: Abigail

The Menu: A dish that's quickly becoming Abigail's signature: delicious rolls. This time she wrapped baked tofu in a fantastic sesame-teriyaki sauce and rice rice paper. She also made a lovely salad with Swiss chard, artichoke hearts, lemon slices, avocado, and tomatoes.

The Goods: We dined al fresco today, which was an absolute joy. It was warm and sunny, which is just about our favorite way to eat. Oh, and maybe the food was really yummy too, which never hurts.

Quick Ribs

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Frankie's amazing meatless ribs and barbecue sauce, cumin-roasted sweet potatoes, and a side of fantastic, garlicky Swiss chard.

The Goods: This delicious, simple meal totally hit the spot for our small staff today. About half our team had already left for the Green Festival by lunch time, and those of us who were left devoured these goodies. We hope to see everyone at the festival this weekend, where we'll have a special present for you: subscriptions for just $15! For a whole year! Yeah, we're excited. Oh, and in case you were hoping to not have to cook for Thanksgiving, don't forget that we're giving away a gourmet meal featuring Native Foods and Babycakes NYC over on vegnews.com!

Mission Burger and Super Salad

The Chefs: Abby, Laura, and Mission Burger

The Menu: Um, some of the biggest, most awesome veggie burgers we've ever had. Laura was kind enough to bring us all these fantastic treats from her neighborhood. The burgers themselves are an incredibly yummy mix of mushrooms, soy beans, sweet potatoes, and other bits and bobs, served on delicious bread with a wasabi aioli and avocado. Did she also bring crispy, salty fries? Yes, yes she did. Abby, representing the Vegan Yum Yum recipe quotient for today, made a gorgeous salad complete with Swiss chard, grated carrots, red quinoa, and the Smoky Miso Tofu and Sweet Miso Dressing from the book.

The Goods: We have a new winner! Congratulations to Lorena from yesterday's comments. Lorena, send us an email and we'll send your copy right out! For today's copy, we're going back to our roots. Well, kinda. Since Vegan Yum Yum was a blog before it was a book, and, you know, this here is a blog, tell us in the comments your (non-Café VegNews, of course) favorite blog.

Bangin' Brunch

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: A scrumptious and healthy brunch assortment. Alongside tofu baked in Maya Kaimal's Vindaloo Coconut & Chile sauce, Abby whipped up perfectly roasted onion and garlic potatoes. No brunch is complete without a lil' something sweet, so kicked-up kamut pancakes drizzled with syrup made for a healthy dose of both sugar and grains. To cleanse the palate, a clean Swiss-chard salad topped with raw corn and cherry tomatoes did the trick.

The Goods: The mood is a bit lighter here at the VNHQ, as we're still reeling from wrapping up the September+October Big Food Issue! Oh yeah, and it happens to be Friday. Lunch was full of delicious food and tons of laughter, but it just isn't the same without Elizabeth around, who jetted off to DC for TAFA this morning. We wish her safe travels, and everyone a fabulous weekend!

Chowd-ish

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: Yep, it's soup and that's it. OK, it was sort of supposed to turn out like a green chile-corn chowder, which, well, it didn't quite. But that idea sounds good, right? Since the actual meal was like a chowder, but not really thick enough, we're going with "chowd-ish," which we're pretty sure Rachael Ray is kicking herself for not thinking up yet. Elizabeth topped her creation with some lightly marinated Swiss chard. The end.

The Goods: You know, good intentions are really important in the kitchen, but something even more important is actually having groceries with which to cook! VN has recently discovered a whole new cleanse, for those of you at home who need to change up your regular eating habits. Here's our patented, fail-proof cleanse that's sure to break you out of your delicious-food-eating routine. Step one: don't buy groceries for a couple of weeks. Step two: make chow-dish with whatever's left. Presto! You're already eating less and feeling great! Tell us all about how fabulously this plan has worked for you, right after you finish filling out the Veggie Awards Survey.

Detox Delights

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: Light, savory chickpea cutlets. These delicious cornmeal-based morsels were bursting with chickpeas, red onion, grated zucchini, garlic, and the perfect blend of spices. A beautiful salad made the ideal counterpart with Swiss chard, cabbage, and cucumber, all tossed in a homemade vinaigrette. After an obligatory dash of Parma, this tasty duo didn't stand a chance.

The Goods: After an indulgent Brunch Week (we’re not complaining), this refreshing lunch is just what the VN staff needed. Ms. Lyndsay took a culinary cue from Moira Nordholt, whose 21-day detox program kicks off this week. The lunchtime verdict? If detoxing tastes this good, sign us up. Before we can say good-bye to brunch, we must say congratulations to Humboldt Honey! Send us an email with your full name and mailing address, and we’ll send the last coveted copy of Vegan Brunch your way. Thanks to all who commented for making Brunch Week a success!

Green Curry Noodles

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A delicious blend of brown-rice rotini, roasted eggplant, and sautéed zucchini, kale, and bell peppers, all simmered in a savory, slightly spicy green-curry sauce. Alongside, Colleen dazzled us with a marinated-greens salad with fresh tomatoes, Swiss chard, and a homemade vinaigrette. Yes, it was yummy. And yes, we might have had to temper our enthusiasm about this awesome meal in order to leave room for dessert.

The Goods: Today we had the pleasure of dining with Lyndsay's parents! The adorable duo—aka Bev and Randy—drove out from St. Louis as a 30-year anniversary trip, and has been exploring San Francisco and Northern California for the last week. Of course, no such trip would be complete without a lunch at the VNHQ, and we were thrilled to have them here.

Southern-Inspired Casserole

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: Um, wow. Aurelia busted out an incredible three-course treat for lunch today, which we happily devoured. The main attraction was a casserole with black beans, corn, green chiles, chopped meatless ribs, and sautéed Swiss Chard, which she topped deliciously with baked polenta dotted with cheddar-style Teese and spices. If you are thinking, "oh my god!" right now, you have the appropriate thought going through your head. In addition, we had the most smoky and delectable sautéed kale on the planet, and a light, fresh salad with shaved red onions, carrots, cucumber, and avocado.

The Goods: This outrageously yummy meal made the perfect base for what was to follow: a belated birthday cake for Lyndsay, who took advantage of our take-your-birthday-off policy. Yes, we've eaten more cake in the last week than any office should ever be able to, and the 3pm sugar pangs are getting stronger by the day. Today's fabulous meal was also a bittersweet occasion, as it marked Aurelia's last turn in the VNHQ kitchen. Thanks for all the amazing lunches, Aurelia!

Ultra-Good Upside-Down Pizza

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An utterly delicious casserole-style, upside-down pizza. Yes, Aurelia is just as creative in the kitchen as she is in our editorial meetings, for which we are all very, very thankful! This dish featured potatoes, Swiss chard, zucchini, and onions, all simmered in Frankie's barbecue sauce and baked under a pizza-dough crust. Savory and satisfying, we all went back for seconds of this one! Aurelia also busted out a fantastic salad of butter lettuce, grated carrots, kidney beans, and avocado.

The Goods: We've been eating outside all this week, though to varying degrees of success. Today was the first day that we didn't clutch our jackets super-tightly and hope for the wind to subside, as it was actually sunny, and, dare we say, warm! Of course, since this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous here in SF, the majority of us will be out of town, either attending the Chicago Green Festival or WorldFest. Go figure! Also, have you been grinding your teeth hoping for recipes to accompany the lunches you see here on Café VegNews? Now's your chance! The entries in our first-ever Café VegNews Showdown that receive the most votes will have recipes printed in our September+October edition! Go! Vote!

Plenty o' Polenta

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A big pile of polenta, topped with a wine-infused tomato sauce with simmered garlic, onions, raisins, and Swiss chard. A simple spinach salad turned into something spectacular with the addition of huge, ripe, delicious, amazing strawberries, which were hand-delivered, fresh from the farmers' market. They got tossed in with some cucumber, avocado, and pumpkin seeds, and topped with a cherry-balsamic vinaigrette.

The Goods: Not only were today's strawberries outrageously good, they were also a thoughtful gift from our lunch guests! We had the highly enjoyable company of Melissa's parents, Dave and Sue, which means that we have now met the entirety of la familia Feineman. Our guests lucked out on getting a very sunny day here in SF, which just might have thrilled us slightly more than it did them, since they are currently visiting from Texas, where the daily temperature hovers somewhere around 8 bajillion degrees.

Gaga for Greens

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: An absolutely amazing Asian-food-inspired meal! Colleen was intent on using all the greens in the fridge before the weekend, and we think she might actually have done it. Her scrumptious stir-fry included Swiss chard, zucchini, cucumber, leeks, green and white onions, and gobs of garlic. Served over perfectly fluffy basmati rice and topped with toasted sesame seeds, this meal was the perfect end to another hectic week here at the VNHQ.

The Goods: Today's lunch was the ideal combination of great food, plenty of sunshine, and the general glee that tends to overtake us on Fridays. If there's anything better than eating something delicious in the company of fun people while simultaneously absorbing your vitamin D, we don't even want to know about it. Just to add to the aforementioned general glee, make sure to weigh in over on This Just In, where we're giving away a goodie bag from this year's Genesis Awards!

Greens Galore

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: Today brings you yet another installment of the ongoing "What Do We Have in the Kitchen" challenge. Thankfully, when the fridge is packed with lovely romaine lettuce, plump tomatoes, red onion, and Sunergia Soy Feta, the salad practically makes itself. Bright rainbow Swiss chard just needed to be chopped and lightly tossed in a hot wok with big chunks of garlic, and a pile of hearty red potatoes got a cheesy infusion when Elizabeth mashed them with an amount of Garlic-Herb Sheese that will remain classified.

The Goods: Do we leave for Expo West tomorrow? Yes. Does that mean that things around the office are just about bat-sh*t crazy right now? Yes. We don't want to sound weird, but cheesy mashed potatoes are just about as close as you can come to sanity at times like these, and we happily devoured them today.

Superb Slices

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: Yummy Kashi's Sicilian Veggie pizzas, which Ms. Lyndsay topped with a creative blend of chopped garlic, black beans, corn, and mozzarella-style Teese. On the side she busted out a beautiful salad of multicolor kale, vibrant Swiss chard, and—you guessed it—a combination of black beans and corn that was remarkably similar to that found on the pizza. With a dusting of Parma, this meal was as delicious as it was quick to put together.

The Goods: We've got an abbreviated week at the VNHQ as we'll all be headed south to Expo West come Wednesday night. Does that mean taking a couple days off at the end of the week before the craziness that defines this annual trade show? To put it succinctly, no. In fact, it means somehow cramming a full week's worth of work into just three days—so suffice it to say that in addition to the tasty flavors, we appreciated the ease of today's lunch.

Come 'n' Get It Curry

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A comforting, couldn't-be-tastier curry courtesy of Colleen. Coconut, ginger, peanut butter, and other spices combined in an absolutely delicious curry sauce, which topped butternut squash, Swiss chard, and red onions. Served atop a bed of fluffy, lovely couscous and aside some of the best roasted Brussels sprouts we've ever had, this curry called our names.

The Goods: Yes, we ate more cake after ravenously devouring today's curry. After an altogether awesome evening last night at the inaugural SF Vegan Drinks (check out the photos!), it was right back to work at the office today, and Colleen's curry certainly sustained us through our tasks. Thanks to all who came out and had a drink with us last night, and make sure to check out Press Pass for a full recap. See you again next month!

Valentine Curry

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A subtle, and subtly themed, Valentine's Day curry. See those tasty little red chunks of Swiss-chard stem dotting the curry? In combination with the red-skinned potatoes the chard made for a veritable Valentine's Day card, in food form, of course. Colleen also added some lovely purple potatoes, baby corn, and tofu to the mix, served everything over rice, and topped it all with some fresh cilantro. She also whipped up a bright salad of romaine, grated yellow beets, and blue-cheese-flavored Sheese.

The Goods: Sometimes eating such a lovely meal can put you in a certain mood—namely the mood for love. Since a certain holiday is tomorrow, and we thought you might enjoy a little foray into the world of veg dating. And remember, whether you're happily married or happily unmarried, chocolate affects your brain in much the same way love does, so don't forget to cover something delicious with it!

Tasty Tuscany

The Chef: Stacy and Kashi

The Menu: A lovely Tuscan Veggie Bake, courtesy of Kashi, which Ms. Stacy expertly heated. This lasagna-type dish featured a nice tomato sauce and some chunky veggies. Stacy roasted her own mixture of Brussels sprouts and Romanesco broccoli, which made for a visually impressive side dish. She also sautéed some delicious Swiss chard and topped it with tomato-garlic soy cheese.

The Goods: There may be a subtle theme to today's lunch: Romanesco broccoli, Swiss chard, Tuscan bake. Seeing a pattern here? Maybe some hard-hitting investigative journalism is required to look into what is clearly a burgeoning trend—European-inspired ingredients. If anyone has an extra round-trip ticket to Europe that you don't plan on using, feel free to send it our way.

Bountiful Bibimbop

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A totally killer Korean-ish meal of bibimbop. Okay, this might not technically be the most authentic dish ever served, but it was pretty palatable nonetheless. The rice blend—including black-eyed peas, green peas, and pinto beans—made a lovely base for sesame-marinated Swiss chard, roasted acorn squash, sautéed butternut squash, and a sweet red chile paste sauce.

The Goods: These days, we're using squash any way we can around the VNHQ, and couldn't be happier about it. While it might seem like two varieties in one meal would catapult us into squash-overload mode, it was actually lovely to get to compare the flavors of the butternut and acorn squashes in today's lunch. Wait, have we said squash enough times in this post? Squash, squash, squash. Now go out and squash someone you love—culinarily, of course.

Rockin' Roasted Chowder

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Maybe the best chowder that's ever been made. Seriously, Colleen blended up a savory delight that had us all over the moon with how tasty it was. Sweet potatoes, roasted eggplant and peppers, hearty amounts of garlic, and just the right spices came together in this thick, satisfying chowder. Oh, and that bright, lovely salad? That would be a marinated swiss chard salad, complete with fresh garlic dressing. Of course, no meal is complete without open-faced quesadillas, and thankfully we had some Teese just waiting to be melted over tortillas.

The Goods: Today, pretty much everything is "the goods." The sun is out, the food was awesome, and we're wrapping up another busy, bustling week here at the VNHQ. If looking forward to a well-deserved weekend is a crime, lock us up!

Crazy-Good Curry

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: As the title subtly implies, today's dishes were extra delicious. Aurelia made what might have easily been the yummiest curry-infused tomato sauce ever, in which she simmered carrots, potatoes, and Swiss chard. Added to the savory main was a serving of rice and lentil pilaf, which soaked up the tomato sauce and served as a vehicle for big dollops of vegan sour cream. On the lighter side of the plate, Aurelia's fresh salad of romaine and grated carrot was perfectly dressed in a homemade garlicky vinaigrette. Did we say yum already? Because, yum.

The Goods: Holy crap it's election day tomorrow!! Not eight months from now, not three weeks from now, not even 10 days from now, but tomorrow, as in the day that directly follows this one. That's pretty much the only topic of conversation here at the VNHQ today, as we hope is true all over the country. Oh, did we mention that maybe there's a slight chance that we're super excited/nervous about the election? Go ahead and consider our nails bitten, and then go vote tomorrow!

Chardy Colcannon, Cheesy Chili

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A rustic menu of Swiss chard-packed colcannon, and Southwestern Black Bean Chili from Amy's Kitchen. Elizabeth made extra-fluffy potatoes with a potato ricer, and then mashed them together with sautéed Swiss chard for this homey, comforting main course. Chili was a great fit for the menu since it's decidedly overcast outside today, and if there's anything better than a warm bowl of chili, it's one that's topped with grated cheddar-flavored Teese.

The Goods: If you are of the opinion that it looks like this meal was thrown together in a hurry, you just might be right. Since a little something that we like to call the relaunch of VegNews.com yesterday, maybe we are all a little on the extra-busy side, which is only complicated by the fact that we're having a hard time prying ourselves away from the new site. We hope you love it as much as we do!