Savory Medallions, Mashed Potatoes

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: A classic meal of savory seitan medallions doused in barbecue sauce, mashed potatoes with tons of vegan margarine, salad, and biscuits. Yes, the medallions are another of Frankie's fantastic creations, and yes, we thoroughly enjoyed them. In most parts of the country, this meal would likely be called "dinner," which is just how we like our lunches: hearty.

The Goods: It's a bittersweet day here at the VNHQ. Our publishers have returned from their sojourn in New York City, and we're thrilled to have them back. Sadly, today is Ms. Kristen's last day, and we'll certainly miss her. Other than the comings and goings, we're hard at work on our 10th anniversary issue! Highly exciting stuff. Hope everyone had a great weekend and wonderful start to the week!

Spicy Peant Kale Pasta

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: This delicious medley is Kristen's signature dish, and we love it. A simple pasta with tomato sauce, peanut butter, kale, and garlic. Yes, it's fantastic and we could eat it every day. Today Kristen topped her dish with crushed cashews for an extra crunch. As always, a lovely side salad balanced the plate.

The Goods: So far it's been a fairly quiet week here since our publishers are enjoying their yearly jaunt to New York City. Yes, we'll have their photos loaded on Facebook for your perusal, and until then we're working like mad on our July+August 10th Anniversary Issue! Eeeeeek!

Pan Asian Wraps

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: A highly delicious, peanut-sauce covered stir-fry with bell peppers, mushrooms, cashews, and spices that Kristen wrapped up in whole-wheat tortillas. Could we pretty much have eaten six of these apiece? Yes, they were that good. Paired with an incredibly lovely salad, we happily devoured Kristen's fantastic fusion main.

The Goods: There's a raging debate happening today at the VNHQ: Should we eat 10 times our normal rations of lunch in order to expand our stomachs for Expo West, or should we curb our calorie intake before we get there to try and balance out the food-sample blitz? Yep, these are the major issues with which we struggle.

Rice, Beans, and Cake

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: A delectable, colorful, South-of-the-Border plate filled with whole-wheat tortillas, perfectly fluffy rice, and a scrumptious scramble of black beans, tofu, red bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, and spices. An equally attractive salad balanced out the plate, and featured garbanzo beans, crispy tortilla strips, and chunks of avocado.

The Goods: We had a full team back in the office today, which was awfully convenient as we also got to celebrate Abby's birthday. Technically, she was born yesterday (a number of years ago), but we have a pretty fantastic policy that allows employees their birthdays free from work. So, today we had cake. Here's half of it.


We also have some exciting—and potentially depressing—news: VegNews Great Adventure to India is sold out! If you are going, we are super excited to see you in October! If you didn't snag a spot in time, don't despair. We just might be doing this kind of thing again in the future.

Peanut Butter Pasta

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: One of Kristen's signature dishes, the peanut butter and tomato pasta toss. This delicious dish is a savory treat featuring collard greens, a simple sauce of—you guessed it—PB and tomatoes. Maybe that combination strikes you as a little crazy, and maybe it is. Crazy good! Kristen also made one of the loveliest salads we've seen in a while: mixed greens, homemade croutons, avocado, grated carrots, halved cherry tomatoes, and toasted sunflower seeds. Yes, we are happily full!

The Goods: It's a rainy, vile day here in SF, but we won't let the weather dampen (aside from literally, as we all pretty much got soaked on the way into the office today) our spirits. Why not, you ask? That would be because this week we have the time-honored tradition of SF Vegan Drinks to perk us up! Come out and see us this Thursday, or we'll be forced to drink all of the drink specials before you get there.

Stew and Salad

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: A hearty, spicy bean stew served over perfectly steamed white basmati rice. This supremely satisfying stew included black beans, red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. To accompany the stew and rice, Kristen also prepared a fresh, zesty side salad replete with mixed greens, tomato, mushrooms, and garbanzo beans. She may have also warmed up slices of bread, which we may have happily devoured. 

The Goods: We're having a pretty awesome day here at the VNHQ. First, we had the pleasure of dining with company, as five of Joseph's good friends came for lunch today. Second, it's absolutely gorgeous outside—sunny, breezy weather that smells and feels like summer. Yep, it's pretty exciting. And last but certainly not least: big freaking news! Today marks the unveiling of our March+April cover gal, eco-entrepreneur Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart! Check out our exclusive web feature to learn more about Leanne, and make sure to pick up a copy of the March+April issue when it hits newsstands next month!

Cookbook Week: Seitan Piccata and Sexy Salad

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: The super-saucy Seitan Piccata with White Wine and Capers and Alicia's Sexy Inspired Salad from The Kind Diet. The piccata was cooked to perfection, and the savory, rich onion- and caper-infused sauce was an indulgent lunchtime treat! If there's anything VN staffers love, it's a caper. Our side salad today had a fresh, lemony dressing that perfectly balanced the luxurious sauce.

The Goods: First, a huge congratulations to Kristen on her first turn in the VN kitchen! This meal was beyond critique, and we can't wait to sample more of her stellar cooking. Second, another gigantic congratulations to Vegyogini, who won yesterday's copy of The Kind Diet! Vegyogini, send us an email with your full name and mailing address, and your winnings will be on their way! Finally, for tomorrow's copy of the book, tell us in the comments: what goes into your go-to salad?

Split-Pea Soup

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: One tasty batch of split-pea soup, complete with perfectly cooked potatoes, carrots, and onions. Turning a basic dish into gourmet dining, Colleen seasoned the soup with cumin, thyme, and her secret ingredient—a splash of wine. Slices of crunchy baguette were the perfect side for dipping, and a simple salad of mixed greens, tomato, and avocado finished the meal.

The Goods: Happy New Year, everyone! We couldn't be more excited to be back in action, and today's lunch was the perfect opportunity to catch up on everyone's holiday hijinks. With gorgeous weather and good eats, what could possibly have made it better? How about the warm welcoming of two new, fantastic editorial assistants, Kristen and Abigail? With a full house here at the VNHQ, we can't wait to get 2010 started.