Cookbook Week: The Recap

The Chef: Everyone!

The Menu: Today we dined on the lovely leftovers from Cookbook Week. Starting from six o'clock and moving clockwise, you see a reincarnation of Aurelia's amazing chickpea socca, a messy-yet-yummy enchilada, then some of the molasses-drenched baked beans, and finally, a little salad of romaine, chopped carrots, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans.

The Goods: This week has certainly been an experience in delicious eats for us here at the VNHQ. All of the cookbooks, even that one that is really a magazine, provided highly reliable recipes and decidedly satisfying lunches. Don't forget, today's your last day to enter our monthly giveaway. What do you think? Should we make Cookbook Week a more regular feature?

Cookbook Week: VegNews Magazine

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: Super-dark brown bread, sweet and syrupy baked beans, vibrant cilantro- and lime-flavored rice, and savory roasted root-vegetable enchiladas drizzled with rich chipotle cashew cream. Maybe this all sounds like a hodgepodge, but there's a good reason, we swear!

The Goods: Okay, you caught us. VegNews Magazine is not technically a cookbook. But! It does contain recipes, and since those recipes need to be tested before they are deemed suitable for print, we figured maybe no one would mind getting a sneak preview of a couple dishes from our November+December lineup. That's right—come late October when the winter issue hits the stands, you too will get to try out these cold-weather goodies. The results of the testing today were unanimous: pleased palates and full bellies! If you want to spend the next couple months dreaming of those enchiladas, you'd be right to do so.

Rice, Beans, and Love

The Chef: Jenny

The Menu: Cuban comfort food. Spiced basmati rice with peas and red bell pepper, pinto beans in a savory sauce with handfuls of fresh parsley, enchiladas—made from frozen vegan taquitos, a slightly sweet homemade enchilada sauce, and, of course, more Teese—and chunks of perfectly ripe avocado filled us up today.

The Goods: Can you tell the plates are bigger today? On some days, it's fun to use the smaller plates and pile 'em high with salads, but not when Jenny cooks. For meals like this, it's key to get out the larger vessels and fill them full. Poor Ms. Jenny has been under the weather, but was feeling well enough today to get back in the kitchen. This meal, she said, would at least help her feel better psychologically, if not physically as well. Love is always the most important ingredient! For more on the subject, check out VN Publisher Joseph Connelly's "Whole Lotta Love" in our current issue.

Easy Enchilada Bake

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: You know what the best thing about having rice and beans for lunch on Monday is? Having ready-made enchilada stuffing on Tuesday! And you want to know the best thing about lightly burning the filling while reheating it in the pan that will later be used to make enchilada sauce? Instant smoky flavor. We're pretty sure that these are not the most authentic enchiladas ever made, but they certainly were a satisfying lunch. A big, leafy spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and yellow bell pepper and a slice of rosemary focaccia filled all the other space in our bellies.

The Goods: So we're a team here at the VNHQ, which means we can shamelessly piggyback on the success of others. Taking Ms. Jenny's awesome eatin's from yesterday and making them into enchiladas was the plan for today. Of course, the corn tortillas had other plans. Instead of rolling up nice and neat, they decided to burst, tear, leak, and otherwise fall to bits. In the grand Julia Child tradition of turning catastrophe into casserole—voilà!—we went from enchiladas to enchilada bake. Do you have favorite save-the-day moves for when lunch isn't coming out your way?