Huge Green Salad

The Chef: Anna and the Noe Valley Whole Foods Market

The Menu: A huge salad of romaine, mixed greens, and spinach, topped with cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, red cabbage, water chestnuts, green peas, marinated tomatoes, spaghetti squash, beets, my homemade baked tofu, homemade hummus, and balsamic vinaigrette.

The Goods: If I'm not getting my essential nutrients with this bad boy, I'm giving up and eating vegan cupcakes for the rest of my days. All of the fresh, crunchy veggies, combined with my favorite tofu and hummus-dressing combo, made for the best last lunch of Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet cleanse ever. Tomorrow, I'll most likely be eating VegNews Mac 'n' Cheese topped with Paxti's vegan deep-dish pizza and a side of defrosted birthday cake. For breakfast.

Vegan Pizza, Muffins, and Tarts!

The Chef: Alexandra, Paxti's Pizza, and Candle Cafe

The Menu: A vegan feast of Paxti's California Chicago "Stuffed" pizza with Daiya Mozzarella, a variety of Candle Cafe Vegan MiniMuffins, and Candle Cafe Tarts in both Chocolate Peanut Butter and Raspberry Linzer.

The Goods: After a three-day weekend, the VegNews staff was spoiled once more! New York's Candle 79 and Candle Cafe owners Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza visited the VNHQ, bringing with them plenty of amazing tarts and mini muffins (check out the photos at This Just In). My personal favorites: the sweet carrot mini muffins and the raspberry linzer torte. But really, everything tasted incredible, the company was great, and all our bellies were filled with sweetness. As Editorial Assistant Anna so accurately put it, "We have the best job ever." Oh, and let's not forget that our publisher, Joseph Connelly, also ordered a Paxti pizza full of red onions, spinach, and vegan pizza necessity—Daiya cheese (for all you pizza lovers out there, make sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming VegNews.com how-to pizza guide!). I'd never had Paxti's before, and I'm usually more of a thin-crust pizza fan, but this delectable deep-dish definitely had me on its side. And to think that I was originally going to have a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch...

Friday Pizza Party

The Chef: Colleen and Paxti's Chicago Pizza

The Menu: Chicago deep-dish vegan pizza stuffed with spinach, red onion, crushed garlic, and Daiya cheese (pie no. 1), and artichoke hearts, green olives, red bell peppers, and Daiya cheese (pie no. 2). Served alongside this delicious meal was a platter of organic fruit—satsuma tangerines, red grapes, and strawberries—and, of course, the requisite sparkling apple cider we all love.

The Goods: Just another Friday here at the VNHQ. Well, not really. Today's pizza party celebration was bittersweet, as our beloved Associate Editor, Liz Miller, is moving back home to St. Louis. The VegNews staff bid her farewell today with a lunch of what may be the best vegan pizza on the planet. That is, if you like a super-thick, ultra-gooey pie filled with all your favorite toppings. Yeah, we're into that. We're also currently into The New York Times! Published just moments ago on its website is a short piece on VegNews along with three of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Check it out here! Have a great weekend, everyone.

Vegan Deep Dish

The Chef: Paxti's Chicago Pizza and Colleen

The Menu: Gooey, stretchy Chicago-style deep-dish vegan pizza from Paxti's Chicago Pizza. This intensely stacked pie boasts robust, spicy sauce, melty Daiya cheese, and a mountain of doughy, chewy crust. In addition to our sizable slices of pizza, we dined on a lovely side salad of kale, cabbage, greens, and cucumber courtesy of Ms. Colleen.

The Goods: Vegan deep-dish pizza! Truth be told, today's lunch was recycled leftovers from last evening. Following our fun evening at SF Vegan Drinks, the VN staff celebrated Brooke's first month on staff by chasing our martinis with delicious deep-dish pizza. We're not proud to admit that there were leftovers, but in our defense, we ordered a ridiculous amount of pizza. For the entire SF Vegan Drinks scoop, be sure to read Brooke's full write-up on Press Pass. Ready to weigh in on your favorite vegan eats and drinks? Be sure to vote in VN's 2010 Reader Poll, launching Sunday, August 1, at 12pm PST!