Quinoa Salmon Salad

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A hearty salad with quinoa, heirloom tomatoes, English cucumber, cashews, mixed greens, and shredded fish-free salmon, all tossed in a rich dressing of Vegenaise and mustard.

The Goods: Every once in a while, I get this craving for either tuna salad sandwiches or some other faux-fishy dish, and this lunch was definitely a response to one such craving. I pretty much eat salad at every possible opportunity, and it's nice to vary up my regular kale-avocado-green onion routine with something a little bit more diverse. This satisfying meal was scrumptuous to scarf down before rushing back to work. We're busy putting the final touches on our November+December Veggie Awards issue, which is pretty stinking thrilling. Which Veggie Award category are you most excited about?

Cio-freakin'-ppino

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An incredibly veganized version of the San Franciscan original! That's right, cioppino was created right here in the City by the Bay, and today's delicious dish did the fish-free crowd proud. A rich tomato base, celery, carrots, purple potatoes, and hearty helpings of faux fish and shrimp comprised these belly-busting bowl fulls. Ms. Aurelia served up the soup with the other well-known SF favorite—sourdough bread. Sides of couscous with garbanzo beans and shredded greens and a fresh, bright salad made the meal complete.

The Goods: Faux fish can be dangerous territory for even the most accomplished veg chefs, but everyone agreed that today's cioppino was an outstanding success. The recipe was adapted from that of Tadich Grill, San Francisco's oldest restaurant. In addition to the utterly yummy eats we got to enjoy the company of four guests: Justin Torrellas of Organic Athlete, and Adrian, Mariana, and Emilia Carstens, who happen to be related to a certain senior editor. Emilia happens to be the cutest baby on the planet—yes, that's her official title—so it would be a crime for us to keep her to ourselves. Here she is with today's incredible chef!