Sandwich and Salad

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A yummy salad of mixed greens, corn, carrots, roasted red bell peppers, raisins, sunflower seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing, plus a seriously delightful foccacia sandwich filled with seitan, hummus, and big slices of fresh avocado.

The Goods: No, it's not déjà vu you're feeling. Today I decided to take a page out of VN Managing Editor Elizabeth's book and recreate her delicious Valencia Whole Foods sandwich and salad lunch. I really cannot say enough good things about that place, and this sandwich in particular. I would be perfectly happy subsisting solely on this seitan staple for the rest of my days. Speaking of days, the last day to subscribe in time to get our food-tastic September+October issue is fast-approaching, so get online and order before Thursday!

Cookbook Week: Vegan Soul Kitchen

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: More stellar soul food! Yeah, um, maybe we totally love having soul food twice in the same week, and maybe, just maybe, we were all totally blown away by the loveliness of this plate. Oh, did you actually want to know what all that gorgeousness is? Well, fine. Ms. Aurelia's Open-Faced BBQ Tempeh Sandwiches with Carrot-Cayenne Coleslaw started out with toasted, fluffy rosemary focaccia, which she topped with some super spicy barbecue-style tempeh, and, of course, the crazy-colorful slaw. Is that not the prettiest little cabbage you ever did see? Yeah. Yum.

The Goods: Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen promises to be one hell of a cookbook, especially if today's lunch is any indication. First of all, look at that plate. Gaw. Secondly, Aurelia reported that the recipes were easy to follow and put together, though she did recommend reading them all the way through before beginning—let's just say that the coleslaw was incredibly delicious, despite not having marinated overnight. It would be difficult to describe how very much we enjoyed these sandwiches, so instead we'll leave you with a little Radiohead, which, according to VSK, is this meal's soundtrack!

Fog City Eggplant

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: Here's a huge shock: Elizabeth made a marinara. She officially swears this is the last time she'll make the same old sauce—at least for this month. But! Today, underneath the sauce was an unfamiliar and delicious oven-roasted, cornflake-crusted eggplant, which added a new element. A filling salad of baby greens, white beans, cherry tomatoes, and avocado went really well with toasted focaccia. You know what else goes really well with focaccia? Dr. Cow cashew and macadamia nut cheeses. Holy heck, we just can't get enough of these yummy, tangy cheeses!

The Goods: Today we thoroughly enjoyed the company of Ellen Anderson, aka the Fog City Vegan. We got to chat all about her upcoming vegan wedding, and how a certain other notable Ellen scooped some of her wedding plans! Thankfully, the city cast off its foggy shroud today, and we enjoyed some real, actual sunshine for once. Just having Ellen here would have been treat enough, but combined with the stellar weather, today's lunch was one for the record books.

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?

The Good Shepherd's Pie

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A quiet Friday at VNHQ made for an easy segue into the weekend. Colleen's preparations for our party-of-three lunch smoothed over our appetites and minds with an afternoon retreat led by organic vegetable shepherd's pie. The pie filling was a medley of savory flavors: leeks, mushrooms, and turnips, topped off with a layer of fluffy mashed potatoes. The main course was accompanied by a colorful garden salad drizzled with homemade balsamic-olive oil dressing. We wiped our plates clean with hunks of focaccia and relished in this meal's simplicity and satisfaction.

The Goods: Dipping bread in oil is a favorite pastime of any self-respecting foodie; add an intimate table, red-checkered tablecloth, good conversation, and it feels a lot like a scene from an outdoor café in Europe. Our leisurely lunch mimicked this style of dining and bliss, with sunny window views of all the sidewalk passersby. Bon weekend!