Crunchy Cakes, Packed Peppers

The Chef: Barry Jones Horton

The Menu: An amazing spread of savory comfort foods freshly prepared by our superstar guest chef. Barry delighted us with perfectly cooked red bell peppers stuffed with sunflower seed risotto accompanied by crunchy, pan-fried white bean rosemary cakes. Our lovely gourmet lunch was rounded out with a spicy carrot purée, which made the perfect dipping sauce for, well, everything—including our spoons.

The Goods: We absolutely love it when Barry joins us for lunch; not only because of his phenomenal food, but because he is such delightful company. Also, he brought dessert. That's right, Barry not only prepared us a fantastically satisfying main course, he also served us the best bananas foster we've ever had. The bowls pictured below were emptied almost immediately, and maybe some of the staff members licked theirs clean—okay, so it was actually all of us. If endless bowls of bananas foster sound like something you need in your life (and trust us, you do), give Barry's catering company Local Love a call and set up a dinner party asap.

Pasta e Fagioli

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: A hearty, delicious, welcome-back-to-work meal. Lyndsay, it was unanimously decided, makes the best gluten-free pasta of anyone in the office—she always gets the texture just right. On top of her righteous rotini, we enjoyed a lovely tomato sauce (conveniently made by Organicville), to which Lyndsay added red bell pepper and white beans. OK, so maybe this is more pasta than fagioli, but nevertheless it was delectable. Lyndsay also busted out a lovely salad of mixed greens, kale, and avocado. Did we dress it with dressings that were also from Organicville? Indeed we did.

The Goods: Though the weekend here was gorgeous, today's skies were drippy and gray. The warm, satisfying meal Lyndsay made was the perfect antidote. It was great having a full office again, with the return of Joseph and Colleen from their Caribbean adventure on A Taste of Health. We wish they'd brought us some Caribbean sun, but their sunny dispositions will have to suffice this week.

Veggie Stir-Fry

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: Veggies galore! Abby whipped up a vegetable-filled trifecta, starting with a main dish of stir-fried veggies and tofu, including broccoli, carrots, peas, green and red peppers, and mushrooms, served over brown rice. Garlicky homemade hummus dressed up raw carrots and broccoli, and a huge salad rounded out the plate. Complete with spinach, kale, cucumber, red pepper, and a sweet vinaigrette, our daily leafy-greens requisite added balance to its richer, savory counterparts.

The Goods: Sometimes going back to the basics of plant-based cooking can be delicious—like today. A filling, vitamin-packed meal was just what the VNHQ ordered, especially with a bout of the sniffles making its rounds again. Fighting off your own flu-like demons? Check out our top foods for feasting to keep you healthy and happy this February!

Coconut Curry

The Chef: Charlotte

The Menu: What is quickly becoming Charlotte's signature dish: a scrumptious curry swimming in coconut milk. This super-rich dish was bursting with veggies including bell peppers, garbanzo beans, eggplant, water chestnuts, and potatoes. Served over brown basmati rice with a lovely salad of romaine and sliced tomatoes, this lunch absolutely hit the spot.

The Goods: We're never entirely sure exactly how many servings to make for lunch here at the VNHQ. While we can count heads, there are always random factors to take into account, like someone doing a fast or someone (OK, more like everyone) going back for seconds. Thankfully, meals like today's curry can easily be expanded or shrunk depending on the number of diners. What's your favorite expandable meal?

Scrumptious Spring Risotto

The Chef: Melissa

The Menu: An elegant, Italian-inspired spring vegetable risotto and crispy side salad. Café VegNews went gourmet today as we were treated to this fine cuisine, compliments of Ms. Melissa. Equipped with a plentiful supply of produce, a freshly spring-cleaned fridge, and her own stellar kitchen skills, Melissa livened up her risotto with a variety of garden-fresh veggies, including onions, snap peas, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, and red pepper, all seasoned with rosemary, thyme, oregano, and fresh basil. The matching side salad consisted of carrots, peas, red pepper, fresh basil, and perfectly ripe avocado. 

The Goods: Still on a post-Maggie Award-winning high, the menu matched the mood—and the weather—today as we dined outdoors, enjoying the soothing San Franciscan sun.  To sooth some of the VN staff's risotto-making fears, Melissa detailed her strategy for whipping this high-class dish out lickety-split. While she recommends using whatever veggies you might have on hand, one of her favorites is a kabocha pumpkin-based version. Do you have a favorite spring vegetable?

Mucho Mexican Food

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A delicious spread of crispy corn tortillas, savory black beans, sautéed bell peppers and onions, and salsa. Um, yum. The fantastic main course was accompanied by some absolutely outrageously good oven-roasted potatoes and a large, fresh salad with orange slices and marinated tofu. Yes, we could totally eat like this all the time. Like, right now—even having just eaten.

The Goods: Aside from the highly satisfying meal, the goods today include the fact that we're in full swing again here in the VNHQ. Elizabeth is everyone's envy with her fabulously stylish arm sling (and purse full of heavy-duty ibuprofen!), and is thankful for the warm wishes. There's lots of work to do, so it's great to have a full team on the job.