Nature's Express

The Chef: Joel Daniel and Nature's Express

The Menu: A huge sampling of the vegan fast-food chain's tastiest offerings! Joel Daniel, kitchen manager at Nature's Express' new Berkeley location, brought us a bevy of tasty menu items. A fantastic coconut-yam soup started the meal, and Grilled Tempeh Reubens and Eggless Egg Salad Sandwiches were shared as the main course. A variety of fresh, flavorful salads followed, including Quinoa, Black Bean and Couscous, Potato, Nature's Signature, and raw kale and collard greens. No meal at the VNHQ would be complete without dessert, a quota happily filled by both Chocolate Mousse and Key Lime Pudding.

The Goods: Seriously, how lucky are we? Not only is this the second catered lunch we've had this week, but it was freaking delicious (of course). If having healthy, plant-based fast food delivered to our doorstep wasn't enough, the sun actually came out. That's right—no fog, no rain, just warm sunshine. Oh, and SF Vegan Drinks is tonight, which only adds to today's excitement. Come say hi, Bay Area vegans!

Underdog(s)!

The Chef: Underdog

The Menu: A perfect picnic triptych of savory goodies. Veggie dogs—of the Polish, Smoked Apple Sage, Italian, and Mexican Chipotle varieties—smothered in relish, onions, ketchup, sauerkraut, and two kinds of mustard were served alongside tater tots and potato salad.

The Goods: We dined al fresco today, as we went on a little lunchtime adventure. To get the full details, make sure to check out our editorial assistant Sara's first Press Pass entry ever! In the meantime, go make yourself a nice big veggie dog and go nuts with condiments—it'll be just like you had lunch with us! If you happen to be in the SF Bay Area, come see Elizabeth on the Politics of Food panel at the BlogHer Food '09 conference tomorrow!

Veggie Burgers and Vegenaise

The Chefs: Joseph, Frankie, and Kassie

The Menu: A picnic! Yes, we totally indulged in the world's most Vegenaise-laden picnic ever today. Not only did we enjoy some super yummy veggie hot dogs and burgers, we also had two salads (macaroni and potato) that were primarily comprised of Vegenaise. With tons of vegetable-type toppings, and even some edible flowers thanks to Frankie, we managed to add some non-'naise to the meal.

The Goods: Why a picnic when the current weather conditions are low 60's and overcast, you ask? Because our good friends over at Vegan Outreach sponsored Team Vegan—a group of super-awesome runners who competed in both half and full marathons over the weekend. Was one of those runners our own Joseph Connelly? Yes. Was there some leftover food from the post-run celebration? Yes. Does Joseph Connelly + leftover food = catered lunch for the VN staff? Indeed it does! Frankie and Kassie helped Joseph get everything ready, which was no small feat considering the often-ravenous nature of our staff. Here are the three chefs, the bounty of their toils before them.

Farewell Fiesta

The Chefs: Aurelia and Colleen

The Menu: A multicourse Mexican meal, which brought together two of our favorite chefs! For this all-out feast we dined on homemade black-bean tamales, courtesy of Ms. Aurelia. If there's anything more exciting to see coming out of the kitchen than these adorable, bundled tamales, we don't even want to know about it. Colleen whipped up an assortment of side dishes, including chips, salsa, freshly made guacamole, Nacho Chreese sauce, and a lovely salad of romaine, marinated tofu, cucumber, and tangerine wedges.

The Goods: Today's meal definitely counts as "the goods" but unfortunately, it also comes accompanied by "the bads." Yes, today is a very sad day here at the VNHQ as it's Ms. Abby's last day at VegNews! We've really loved working with her during the last few months, and—even though we relish any opportunity for a fancy lunch—we all wish that today were just another day! Bon voyage, Abby!

The Return of the Lasagna

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: Yes, it's lasagna. The sauce got a little extra pep from the addition of more tomato sauce and a huge handful of fresh oregano. Our starchy side dish was a warm potato salad with thinly sliced carrots and celery, Italian country vinegar, and more of the oregano. Is there anything fresh herbs can't do? Well, sure there's plenty they can't do, but they are extraordinarily good at making food taste better.

The Goods: "This is not the same lasagna as we had on Tuesday," says Elizabeth as she waves her hand in a subtle, Jedi manner. Okay, you caught us, it is the same lasagna, but we're not about to let lasagna go to waste! Sadly, we've now officially finished off the pan, so we're going to have to start cooking for ourselves again. Le sigh...