Brunch at Lunch

The Chef: Anna and Herbivore

The Menu: Southwestern scrambled tofu with black beans, house potatoes, salsa, guacamole, vegan sour cream, and a hearty slice of blueberry cornbread.

The Dish: A well-known fact about me: I'm a serious breakfast-food gal. Give me a tofu scramble at any time, and hey, some house potatoes wouldn't hurt either. Today was no exception, and Herbivore hit it out of the park with this dish. My favorite part was the warm cornbread, which had just the right amount of sweetness to it. Let us know what your favorite vegan restaurant is by voting in The 2011 Veggie Awards! But you better hurry—there are only a few days left to vote! Polls close August 31 at 11:59pm PT.

Pesto Pasta

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Cashew-pesto pasta with slow-roasted tomatoes on top of a bed of greens and carrots

The Dish: This pesto pasta is killer. It's tasty, filling, and comes in just the right amount (for three dollars, no less). I decided to health it up a little by adding the greens, and I must say, my experiment turned out nicely. Coworkers Colleen, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Hilary, and I all enjoyed our various lunches (three out of the five consisting of Valencia Whole Foods' offerings) on our sunny deck, happy to have the September+October issue at the presses. You know what that means—we're already hard at work on November+December! Make your own mark on the issue by voting in the 11th annual VegNews Veggie Awards (the highlight of the November+December issue, if we dare say so).

Spring Rolls

The Chef: Anna and Valencia Whole Foods

The Menu: Spring rolls with carrot, cucumber, and avocado

The Dish: I know what you're probably thinking—"that's not even half a lunch!" You're totally right. This morning my breakfast consisted of half of a jumbo cinnamon roll from Cinnaholic (thanks to Editorial Assistant Hilary for bringing them in!) and spelt-zucchini rum cake with grilled peaches from Millennium (thanks to Associate Editor Jennifer for that delight). Needless to say, I wasn't that hungry. We all here at VN hope you're hungry for some prizes, because The 2011 Veggie Awards are live and we're giving away some amazing stuff! Vote, and you're automatically entered to win a weeklong vegan cruise. Sounds pretty good to me.