A Kitchen Sink Salad

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes atop a salad of corn, carrots, fava beans, hummus, dried cranberries, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, and some other stuff I can't remember.

The Dish: I wasn't really hungry when lunchtime rolled around today, so I figured I might as well try to get some greens in there. Sure, pesto pasta isn't necessarily the "green" I went to the store with the intention of buying, but at least I got some of the leafy stuff in, right? My stomach was mostly filled with taro fries that we taste tested earlier in the day, and just so happens to be one of the seven delicious, taro-based recipes in our July+August feature. Want to get your hands on a copy before it hits store shelves? Order a subscription today!

Super-Sized Salad

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: An enormous salad of mixed greens, spinach, chickpeas, grated carrots, kale, avocado, tofu, and a Health is Wealth Mushroom and Onion Sprout Burger.

The Goods: It's Friday, and that's pretty good. Whether you're already at Coachella (like one of our lucky editors!), heading to a cabin for a weekend of city-living detoxing, or just enjoying a break from the rain, there's something we're sure you'll enjoy: and Anderson Cooper giggle fit.

Vegan Sausage Sandwich

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: The highly addictive vegan sausage sandwich with marinara, hummus, and avocado on foccacia, served with a big jumble of a salad including pasta salad, lentils, grated carrots, tomatoes, and greens.

The Goods: Holy moly! Still fresh from the insane-o excitement that was Expo West, we are now right up against our deadline for the May+June issue! That's right, we're putting the finishing touches on our spring issue, which seems appropriate as the heaves have decided to open and douse us with a very springy amount of rain. Yes, friends, it's crazy times in crazy town here at the VNHQ, which means that it's the absolute perfect time for a solid lunch of trusty, standby dishes. VWF doesn't disappoint!

Veggie Sausage Sandwich

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Veggie sausage sandwich with hummus and avocado on a focaccia roll

The Goods: You've probably seen this sandwich before, as it's one of our favorites from Valencia Whole Foods (not the chain) right around the corner. They make this baby in-house, and it's nothing short of divine. And what you see above is only half of it; I ate the other half for lunch yesterday! So it's a great deal at just $6.50. If you find yourself in San Francisco and want a guide to some of the best vegan eateries around, don't miss either our gorgeous veggie food map in the January+February issue featuring all the must-try meat-free fare within a two-block radius of the VNHQ, or our own Hilary Pollack's brilliant story on VegNews.com, "The 20 Best Vegan Dishes in the Mission District." We have you covered, friends. In other news, we're going to press today with our March+April "Man" issue. Get ready, because it's AMAZING! We're all pretty excited around here (and exhausted), but we can't wait for this very-special edition to start hitting mailboxes and newsstands. Have a great weekend!

Pesto Pasta

The Chefs: Jennifer and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Savvy Savories Vegan Pesto Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes

The Goods: I blame Editorial Assistant Hilary Pollack for my addiction to this pesto pasta. She bought it all the time, and she made me try it to understand her obsession. Now, I'm hooked. The roasted cashews add a nice cheese-like taste to this pesto. I could eat it every day. Stop me. Immediately after eating this savory dish, all I really want is something sweet. So it's a good thing I'm baking up the Chocolate Sugar Cookies Iced with Crushed Candy Cane Topping recipe from our Holiday Cookie Contest. I'm not the world's best baker so I'm glad I'm chatting with some of the best vegan bakers tonight at 6pm PT during our VegNews Twitter Chat to get some help.

Spicy Peanut Noodles

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: What started out as just a salad, but turned into a salad of mixed greens, olives, carrots, tofu, kale, and sunflower seeds, served with a side of Savvy Savories Spicy Peanut Noodles.

The Goods: Who can resist the siren song of awesome pasta tossed in a spicy peanut-butter sauce? Not this gal, and not today. As someone who's been stricken with the freaking stupid cold that everyone I know seems to currently have, today marked the first time in more than a week that I was actually hungry for lunch, which made these two yummy dishes even more enticing. I'm just hoping that my appetite returns full-force before Friday, when we'll be testing the 10 finalists in our first-ever Holiday Cookie Contest!

Vegan Avocado Rolls

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Delightfully avocado-filled spring rolls with extra avocado, cucumber, shredded carrot, and romaine.

The Goods: After spending last week in Mexico for the utterly phenomenal VegNews Vegan Yoga Retreat to Mexico, I am just beginning to come to terms with the fact that I can no longer just show up at the retreat's gorgeous restaurant at meal times and wait for a stunning plate to magically appear. The readjustment has been trying, at best. Thankfully, our trusty corner store came to my rescue by putting even more avocado in the fresh spring rolls. Extra avocado perks up any day, but today was made even brighter by the fact that it's Bestie Day, and I was the extremely lucky recipient of these awesome flowers from my very own bestie. Gah! So many great things are happening all at once! It's almost enough to make a gal forget to mention that entries for the VegNews Holiday Cookie Contest are due by Saturday. Almost!

A Little of Everything

The Chefs: Hilary and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A conglomo-salad of mixed greens, Kalamata olives, beets, couscous, hummus, white beans with sun-dried tomatoes, kale, and tofu. 

The Goods: After a highly nutritious (...) breakfast of a So Delicious coconut-milk ice cream sandwich, greenery was in order for lunch. My salad-bar strategy is to take a scoop of every single vegan thing and then throw some lettuce on top in attempts to aesthetically homogenize everything. The result is a salad that's like seven salads in one. Yippee! I've also got to start saving up my eating mojo for our holiday Thanksgiving table—if it's half as mouthwatering as the VegNews Holiday eCookbook, I'm going to be full for a week. Salad today, Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla Buttercream next week. 

Pizza, Pasta, and Salad

The Chefs: Elizabeth, Valencia Whole Foods, and Amy's Kitchen

The Menu: Amy's new vegan margherita pizza, plus a big spinach salad from the corner store topped with pasta salad, mixed veggies, and hummus.

The Goods: You know how there are days on which you really just can't decide what to eat for lunch? (Yes, this is definitely a #firstworldproblem.) Today, I answered the question of what to eat with: everything in sight. Who can resist a freshly baked pizza (thanks to Editorial Assistant Hilary Pollack!), or a big gorgeous salad, or tangy pasta salad, or the world's best hummus? Not this gal, and especially not today.

Whole Foods Halloween

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A salad of carrots, tomatoes, beets, sweet corn, peas, fava beans, and hummus, topped with Bragg's Liquid Aminos and balsamic vinegar

The Dish: After a decadent Halloween weekend in Vegas, I arrived home last night with some extra money in my pocket (craps! sports betting! more craps!) and a stomach full of junk food. Needless to say, I was in need of a clean, whole-foods meal to get myself back to healthy—well, until tonight, when I'll be stuffing my face with Halloween candy! Print out our handy guide to vegan Halloween candy to make sure the goodies you're giving (and getting!) are cruelty-free and ready for noshing. Happy Halloween to all!

Veggie Sausage Sandwich & Salad

The Chefs: Jennifer and Valencia Whole Foods

The Dish: Veggie sausage sandwich with avocado and hummus and a side salad of kale, broccoli, tofu, chickpeas, and falafel

 
The Goods: I woke up on the early side this morning since an earthquake hit Berkeley around 5:30am so I wanted a hearty lunch to carry me from 5:30am to 5:30pm when I head over to SF Vegan Drinks tonight. It's our last gathering for 2011 so it's a must-attend event. I love the veggie sausage sandwich at Valencia Whole Foods. And since it's a beautiful sunny day, I ate my lunch outside with the rest of the VN staff as we discussed Halloween costumes. If you're joining us tonight at Vegan Drinks, we'll be handing out vegan Halloween candy and sipping Trick-or-Treat martinis. Boo!

Spring Rolls and Salad

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A pretty standard sampling of veggie-filled spring rolls and spinach salad with cherry tomatoes, fava beans, grated carrots, and hummus.

The Goods: Though the weather outside is dreary and bleary, I opted for this combination of mostly raw delights from our trusty corner deli for lunch today. Perhaps the recent infusions of bread, chocolate, and pumpkin pie had something to do with my desire for fresh veggies, but it's hard to say for sure. One thing of which I am completely, 100-percent, totally, and unflappably certain is that days like today make me even more excited about our Vegan Yoga Retreat to Mexico. I can't wait to stretch out on the beach in November!

All Green

The Chef: Joni and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Pesto pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, tofu and green beans glazed with ginger, and iced green tea

The Goods: Seriously, think twice before sampling this pesto pasta sold at Valencia Whole Foods—it’s so good that I have to it nearly every day. Why is something so delicious located just a block away? Speaking of delicious, check out this huge delivery of bread that arrived today, courtesy of Dave’s Killer Bread. After all this pasta and bread, you can certainly find me happily snoozing on our sunny deck. Thank you, post-lunch, starch-induced coma. For a more exciting event on the deck, come to the VegNews Book Bash with Spork Foods on October 21. Tickets are selling out fast!

A Salad, Sandwich, and Guacamole

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A random smattering from the salad bar (lettuce! hummus! rice!) and half of VWF's beloved veggie sausage sandwich, filled with hummus and avocado. Bonus: homemade guacamole!

The Dish: I was super jazzed to go to VWF today for some spring rolls, but after the last package was stolen from me (ahem, Jennifer Chen), I had to improvise. And you know, I think improvising with one of our office favorites is a good way to go. The office feels a little empty today, with Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig off to Virginia for Charlottesville VegFest and Publishers Joseph Connelly and Colleen Holland in Thailand with VegNews Vacations, but we're coping the best way we can (with guacamole and delicious sandwiches). Want to travel the world with VegNews? Our trips for Bali and India are sold out, but there are a few spots left on this November's Vegan Yoga Retreat in Mexico. Sign up today!

Hello, homemade guacamole. Won't you get in my belly?

Trifecta of Salads

The Chef: Hilary and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Generous helpings of three tasty vegan salads: Kale and tofu salad, white bean salad with celery, and pesto pasta salad (sort of) with sun-dried tomatoes. 

The Dish: All's quiet on the Western front. With two of our comrades out of the office today (one for her birthday; feliz cumpleaños Anna!), my stomach rumbles were loud and mournful in the quaint editorial room. Not one, not two, but three delicious varieties of salad were needed to hit the spot. After yesterday's amazing Chocolate Peanut-Butter Bomb Cake extravaganza and the subsequent aftermath (overindulgence, tummy aches, and sugar highs/crashes), I decided to err on the nutritious side. Now I just need to yoga retreat in Mexico a la VegNews Vacations to balance my tendency towards decadence with a little bit of healthy exertion. 

Pesto Pasta and Salad

The Chef: Joni and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Pesto pasta topped with sun-dried tomatoes with a side salad of tossed greens, chickpeas, black beans, carrots, corn, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

The Dish: At least one person (usually more) seems to chow down on Valencia Whole Foods' offerings of delicious vegan fare every single day. I'm addicted to this pesto pasta, introduced to me via Editorial Assistant Hilary, but I'm even more addicted to the beautiful sunshine gracing San Francisco today, enjoyed on our newly revamped VNHQ deck! Consider making an appointment to the Vaute Couture Pop-Up Show for this Friday or Saturday, so you can check out the VNHQ deck's facelift and pick up some new veg threads. Also, today marks the final opportunity to vote in the Veggie Awards, so voice your opinion before it's too late!

Of Spring Rolls and Salads

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A big ol' spinach salad with marinated fava beans, grated carrots, cherry tomatoes, and a huge dollop of hummus, paired with the trusty spring rolls and their delicious dipping sauce.

The Goods: Hello, greens! Really, is there anything better than a huge plate covered in veggies? I say no! Well, maybe a year's supply of Coconut Bliss ice cream, or a Vegan Treats dessert party. Or if you were really dreaming big, a totally vegan cruise! Since nobody likes a taunter, turn these dreams into reality by voting in the 2011 Veggie Awards, which will automatically enter you to win each of those dreamy prizes. Speaking of fantasy, let's talk about lying on patch of hot sand as the summer simmers on—a topic I happen to discuss in my post that's up on Crazy Sexy Life today. Happy dreamy reading!

Pesto Pasta

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Cashew-pesto pasta with slow-roasted tomatoes on top of a bed of greens and carrots

The Dish: This pesto pasta is killer. It's tasty, filling, and comes in just the right amount (for three dollars, no less). I decided to health it up a little by adding the greens, and I must say, my experiment turned out nicely. Coworkers Colleen, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Hilary, and I all enjoyed our various lunches (three out of the five consisting of Valencia Whole Foods' offerings) on our sunny deck, happy to have the September+October issue at the presses. You know what that means—we're already hard at work on November+December! Make your own mark on the issue by voting in the 11th annual VegNews Veggie Awards (the highlight of the November+December issue, if we dare say so).

Spring Rolls

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Spring rolls with carrot, cucumber, and avocado

The Dish: I know what you're probably thinking—"that's not even half a lunch!" You're totally right. This morning my breakfast consisted of half of a jumbo cinnamon roll from Cinnaholic (thanks to Editorial Assistant Hilary for bringing them in!) and spelt-zucchini rum cake with grilled peaches from Millennium (thanks to Associate Editor Jennifer for that delight). Needless to say, I wasn't that hungry. We all here at VN hope you're hungry for some prizes, because The 2011 Veggie Awards are live and we're giving away some amazing stuff! Vote, and you're automatically entered to win a weeklong vegan cruise. Sounds pretty good to me.

Vegan Chicken Caesar Salad

The Chefs: Jennifer and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Organic kale, organic purple cabbage, Gardein Crispy Tenders, pumpkin seeds, dressed in Organicville Non-Dairy Organic Caesar, and an organic white peach for dessert.

The Goods: It's been a busy week at VNHQ and at home, so it's left me little time for grocery shopping. Luckily, Valencia Whole Foods, our local market, has just about everything a gal could need for lunch. I was originally going to go for the outstanding salad bar, but I saw that organic kale was on sale for $1.79 a bunch. I grabbed some purple cabbage and some pumpkin seeds for a lush salad. I had brought the Gardein faux chicken strips from home for the perfect Veggie Grill-inspired lunch. And I love fresh fruit so this white peach is a great end to a summer-fresh meal. In full journalistic disclosure, this healthy meal is a preemptive measure for tonight's SF Vegan Drinks when I'll be stuffing my face with 10 bowls of vegan popcorn.