Guess What? It's Salad

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A big ol' salad! This one has mixed greens, Parma!, Organicville Non-Dairy Caesar dressing, sliced Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage sausages, and grilled vegetables including carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, and jalapeños.

The Goods: Whenever I eat a big salad for lunch (which is pretty much every day that I don't either go crazy with pizza or have Bachelor Soup), I feel like a very stereotypical vegan. Yes, I'm vegan and I like to eat vegetables—that's just how it is! I'm not saying that I'd turn down a platter of fish-free crab cakes—because that would make me an idiot—but during a hectic workday, a big colorful salad really hits the spot.

Fantastic Friday Salad

The Chefs: Elizabeth and Herbivore

The Menu: A green salad with mixed greens, bean sprouts, grated beets, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and grilled faux chicken, all tossed in a totally delicious Dijon dressing.

The Goods: This is my staple salad from Herbivore, and I could pretty much eat it every single day (especially if it didn't set me back $12 each time I get it). The greens and beets are a favorite combo of mine, and if there's anything that isn't better with Dijon dressing, I don't want to know about it.

Stacked Veggie Salad

The Chef: Liz and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: A fully-stacked salad of mixed greens, peas, shredded carrot, sauteed veggies, cucumber, and chickpeas topped with a dollop of garlicky hummus.

The Goods: As a rule, I don't like eating meals served buffet-style, but all bets are off if there is a well-stocked salad bar in sight. Whether overpaying for a crisp kale salad at my neighborhood Whole Foods or making due with the cheaper but less awesome selection at my local Safeway, I love that salad bars let me do the deciding—like choose-your-own-adventure novels, except with vegan food. At Valencia Whole Foods the offerings adhere to the Goldilocks Principle: they are just right. From fresh salad bar basics to a vegan-friendly, build-your-own falafel bar, it never fails to satisfy. Additionally, VWF have a great selection of vegan desserts, which I unfortunately forgot to peruse. Lucky for me, we call baking an Apple Pecan Flip in the middle of the workday "recipe testing" here at the VNHQ.

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?

Easy Salad & Edamame

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A robust, flavorful salad of mixed greens, green olives, shredded carrot, cherry tomatoes, avocado, celery, and basil dressed in a zesty summer vinaigrette. Colleen added some crunch to our veggie-filled lunch with fresh, salty edamame.

The Goods: In a bid to outshine yesterday's super sunny lunch, today's al fresco fare was even more satisfying, as San Francisco's two-day high temperatures have us riding a serious vitamin-D wave. When the hot, hot, heat gets to be too much, however, it's good to seek fun indoors, preferably where there is air conditioning. Ready for the perfect summer evening event? Enter to win two tickets to see vegan comedian Myq Kaplan's performance in San Francisco at The Warfield on Sept. 10! Kaplan was recently a top-five finalist on NBC'S Last Comic Standing, and VN recently caught up with the meat-free funny man to discuss everything from eating vegan on the road to sharing veganism with fellow contestants.

Garden Variety

The Chef: Liz

The Menu: A heaping helping of roasted veggies including broccoli, sweet potatoes, green bell pepper, eggplant, onion, and garlic, marinated in vegetable broth, rosemary, and oregano made up our hearty, herbivorous main. Liz served these perfectly cooked veggies over a savory mixture of brown rice and brown basmati rice with a fresh green salad brimming with mushrooms, avocado, spinach, and kale on the side. Yep, this lunch couldn't have been more chock-full of whole foods goodness if it tried.

The Goods: Today's lunch was satisfying and tasty, but our favorite part may have been the inclusion of kale. Yes, everyone in our office is pretty much a die-hard kale fan, so we were equally excited to read about Savvy Abby's latest entry detailing the fine art of making homemade kale chips on the cheap. If your appetite for salty snacks is anything like ours, we're sure that this recipe will become a fast favorite. Need some new reading material to keep your brain busy during snack time? Be sure to check out our May newsletter between bites, jam packed with fabulous news, eats, and events.

Barbecue and Biscuits

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: Surprise! There are biscuits! Abby's stand-by made yet another appearance, this time accompanied by barbecue-baked hot dogs and a hefty helping of home fries, which were slathered in a sweet and savory combo of sea salt, black pepper, rosemary, and maple syrup. For our daily greens, Abby whipped up a big salad with carrot, avocado, and a generous sprinkling of Kaia Foods Teriyaki Sprouted Sunflower Seeds.

The Goods: And we're back, everyone! After a whirlwind weekend at Expo West, the entire crew is back at the VNHQ and ready to work. Despite the hours and hours we spent eating the past few days—no, we're not exaggerating—this filling meal was welcomed at the lunch table. Want to know more about our Expo West adventures? Check out Joseph's LA recap on Press Pass, and read all about our Best of Show awards for the inside info on the latest, greatest veg products.

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.

Tofu Stir-fry and Gyoza

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: Cabbage-tofu stir-fry, pan-fried vegetable gyoza, and a simple side salad. While it may not be the most photogenic of one-pot meals, this stir-fry was a light and satisfying way to kick off lunch. Abby created the main course with Napa cabbage, red and green peppers, broccoli, and baked tofu, all cooked in a tangy mustard-maple sauce. Trader Joe's provided the tasty veggie-filled gyoza, and a fresh salad of mixed greens, strawberries, kidney beans, and sunflower seeds finished off the Friday fare.

The Goods: It's a bit of a ghost town here at the VNHQ today, with most of our staff out of the office. While they were dearly missed during our cherished lunchtime banter, an extra-cozy meal was the perfect Friday treat. Now if the sun would just come out in time for the long Labor Day weekend, we'd be set. Today also concludes our two fresh-faced editorial assistants' first week. Congratulations, Sara and Liz!