Summer Salad and Pesto Pasta

The Chef: Jennifer

The Menu: Spinach salad with fresh tomatoes and a brown rice pasta tossed with cilantro pesto and artichoke hearts

The Dish: It's 80 degrees, sunny, and Friday. Life is pretty grand, my friends. I whipped up the pasta dish with some cilantro pesto from Bolani, a local company that makes Afghan vegan sauces and dips. I swear by the spinach, pumpkin, or potato bolanis (a thin savory wraps filled with veggies). It's the first really hot day in San Francisco so I dined on the deck with my fellow VN staffers today. If you're in the Bay Area, be sure to stop by the SF Vegan Bake Sale on Sunday, April 22 from 12pm to 4pm, right here in front of the VNHQ headquarters. I'm baking a bundt cake for the occasion so come and get a slice!

Meyer Lemon Pasta, Calamari, & Strawberries

The Chef: Jennifer

The Menu: Vegan Meyer lemon pasta with rainbow chard and vegan fried calamari and a side of sweet strawberries.

The Goods: I mentioned on Savvy Vegan that I made this meal from shopping at my farmers' market, but I got the crispy calamari from my local Whole Foods, which sells Sophie's Kitchen vegan seafood. I topped the pasta with some roasted garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. The organic strawberries I picked up near the VNHQ at a local market for $1.39 a carton. Seriously. As a kid, my mom would buy me roadside strawberries and I thought they were the best thing in the world. I still do. This weekend, there are not one but two vegan bake sales in the Bay Area (Oakland and San Francisco) so I might indulge in my second favorite thing from when I was a kid—sweets!