Vegan Texas Potatoes

The Chef: Liz

The Menu: A casserole full of potatoes and cheeses. Yes, Liz managed to blend two of our favorite foods together in this hearty lunch. Now, when we say "cheeses," what we mean is "more than one cheese." This dish boasted gooey goodness from both Teese and We Can't Say It's Cheese. Are both of those a good idea? Yes. Did we also need a salad to balance out the crazy richness of this dish? Yes. Liz came through with an avocado-studded, cherry-adorned, mixed-greens salad.

The Goods: We're a smaller staff this week as our publishers, Joseph and Colleen, are sailing around the Caribbean on A Taste of Health. Thankfully, we're stocked up on vegan cheeses, so we should be able to make it.

Brunch Week: Mom's Morning Casserole

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: The super-extra tasty Mom's Morning Casserole from Vegan Brunch! Um, holy heck. This triple-layer treat was made of roasted potatoes, seasoned tofu and tempeh, and melted non-dairy cheese. And, according to our breath right now, about 50 cloves of garlic, about which we are all very, very happy. This savory standout was an awesomely hearty midday meal, and was perfectly complemented by a fresh salad with grated beets.

The Goods: Wow! Judging from yesterday's comments, you're all eager for the chance to win a signed copy of this awesome book! Sadly, there can be only one winner per day. Congratulations to bluebue, whose multi-course ideas caught our attention. Bluebue, send us an email with your name and mailing address, and we'll send your book right out! For the chance to win today's copy, tell us in the comments: Who are your top three ideal brunch guests?

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!

Earth Day Casserole

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An extra-delicious casserole, in honor of Earth Day! Basically, Aurelia incorporated anything you'd ever want to eat into this savory, spectacular casserole. Ingredients included potatoes, kale, red bell peppers, zucchini, garlic, onions, and cheddar-style Teese, all topped with Frankie's barbecue sauce. Tomatoey, a little spicy, and full of flavor, this was a marvelous main course. Continuing the multicolored theme, our salad today had grated carrots, bell peppers, and mixed greens.

The Goods: So just how exactly is this casserole Earth-Day related, you ask? Well, since everyone knows that going veg is one of the most significant changes you can make to help the environment, and everyone also knows that eating incredibly delicious food is one of our favorite parts of the veg lifestyle, it seems only natural that a meal as yummy as today's would be in honor of our awesome little planet. Happy Earth Day, all! (Yes, by "Happy Earth Day," we mean, go win great stuff!)

Casserole and Couscous

The Chefs: Aurelia and Frankie

The Menu: Just about the homiest home-cooked meal we've ever had! Aurelia whipped up one of her signature, savory casseroles, this time including perfectly tender potatoes, bright green broccoli, and a hearty dose of melted mozzarella-style Follow Your Heart cheese. She also created a delicious couscous salad with chopped cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, and avocado, and, in addition to everything else, we enjoyed steamed artichokes. That delectable dollop on the side? That would be a homemade, and greatly garlicky, aioli, into which we dipped our artichoke leaves, our fingers, and pretty much anything else that wasn't nailed down.

The Goods: You may notice that it says Aurelia and Frankie in the chef category today. Ms. Frankie decided to treat us to a surprise dessert so gorgeous (see below!) that we had to take a photo—before completely devouring it. With limes fresh from the tree in her backyard, Frankie brought in a stellar vegan lime cheesecake, which she decorated with pineapple sage, also from her yard. Hear hear for edible flowers! Tart, tangy, and perfectly textured, this cake was one for the record books. Finally, what's a pirate's favorite vegetable? (Hint: you can find it in today's lunch!)

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.

Cosmic Casserole

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An out-of-this-world sweet potato casserole, which Aurelia topped with layered phyllo dough and Parma. Yes, we are wearing our extra-fancy pants today around the VNHQ. Not only did she bust out the delicious main course, she also prepared a quinoa, corn, and dried cranberry (or craisins, if that's how you roll) salad, which she garnished with crispy onions. Finally, a simple mixed-green salad with a perfect vinaigrette finished off the meal.

The Goods: If there's phyllo dough in the office, you can bet that Aurelia will up her already high culinary ante. We couldn't be happier about this fact, and would encourage anyone who's been shy toward this crispy dough in the past to break out and give it a try. Speaking of trying new things, if you've never tossed craisins in your grain salad before, you're crazy! We are the proud owners of roughly 800 pounds of craisins thanks to the generosity of Ms. Abby, who left them in our hands in order to avoid being charged for taking them back to Missouri with her. Thanks, Abby!

Cheesy Casserole

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: A lovely, hearty, cheese-laden potato-kale casserole. Yes, one of those adjectives is our favorite. Aurelia's signature dish—the casserole—boasted a bubbling tomato sauce spiced with cayenne and paprika, which the perfectly tender potatoes and rich cheese tempered nicely. Of course, by "cheese" we mean cheddar-flavor Teese. Duh. A fresh salad of mixed greens, shaved carrots, and homemade vinaigrette made a perfect side and whole-wheat tortilla points (like toast points, but, you know, not made of toast) served as vehicles for scooping any saucy remnants off our plates.

The Goods: Today's meal was an extra-special treat, not only because the food was delicious but because we got to share it with two of our fabulous writers, Jesse Miner and Mat Thomas. This time of year, with all its attendant baked goods, chocolates, and other treats, it's always nice to get to share a non-sugary, nourishing meal with friends. And once the final savory bite is bitten, we dig right back into the sweet stuff. As our highly insightful editorial assistant Abby noted, anything that comes in a holiday box doesn't count as bad for you.

Crazy-Good Casserole

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: A phenomenal casserole chock-full of flavor. Aurelia continued her reign as the VNHQ casserole connoisseur with this tasty combo of spicy tomato sauce, Teese, broccoli, carrots, and greens, all sprinkled with a crunchy bread-crumb and fried-onion topping. A side spinach salad with carrots, onion, and garbanzo beans added a fresh, light element, and made for one seriously delicious lunch.

The Goods: There's nothing better than one of Aurelia's casseroles, especially when it's supplemented by sunshine-filled al fresco dining. Throw in Sjaak's chocolate bites for dessert and a post-lunch game of smashball, and we couldn't be happier.

Tasty Trifecta

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: A hearty, warming trio of treats! Aurelia busted out a delicious enchilada casserole with black beans, corn, kale, and a savory green enchilada sauce. Next up, a marinated kale salad with chopped onions and sesame-oil marinade provided a fresh balance to the casserole and chowder. Oh, did we say chowder? Sorry, we're well aware that it's technically pronounced "chowdah." Today's thick, smoky chowdah was chock-full of delicious corn and potatoes, and helped us battle the blahs induced by the suddenly chilly, overcast weather we're experiencing.

The Goods: Aurelia is the reigning queen of casseroles in the office, and it's always an awesome lunch when she whips one up. As Frankie commented during lunch, the gray skies outside have us officially feeling like it's soup season, so expect to be seeing a fair share of liquid lunches around these parts in the weeks to come!

Comforting Casserole

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An absolutely delicious, homey casserole. Aurelia layered sliced potatoes, kale, and zucchini under a smoked paprika-infused tofu topping and flavored the dish with lots of garlic. The result was a wonderful, satisfying meal that helped to further recoup those of us who are still feeling under the weather. To complement her savory main, Aurelia also made a vibrant salad of greens, tomatoes, avocado, onion, and carrots, which she served with a garlic-loaded vinaigrette.

The Goods: Today was another unusually warm day at the VNHQ, and we were all glad for it. Since there are still a couple sickies in the office, the sunny weather worked to our advantage for making everyone feel better. Speaking of feeling better, how do you feel after last night's presidential debate? Better, worse, indifferent?

Irish Potato Party

The Chef: Lisa y Jenny

The Menu: Double decker potato-pea casserole, laced with a rice-cheese and soy-cream based rosemary sauce, and spooned next to a generous fan of baked tofu steaks.

The Goods: As has become Friday-standard, there were only a handful of us here today to dine on this abundant, Irish-colored dish. Lisa and Jenny had fun using up the odds and ends of this week’s market-booty, and turned out this sinfully creamy, melt-in-your mouth casserole, offset by a heap of perfectly toasted tofu. While the Irish Potato Famine was a very serious and devastating period in human history, we may not complain if we never again see another potato this side of the Greenwich Meridian.