Indian Pancake with Coconut Chutney

The Chef: Colleen and Udupi Palace

The Menu: Mixed vegetable uthappam with a trio of chutneys (coconut, ginger, and tomato) and sambar soup

The Dish: Today, we had a business meeting scheduled during lunch, and our acquaintance had a hankering for Indian food. So off we went to the all-vegetarian Udupi Palace just two blocks away, taking us back to the VegNews Great Adventure to India. Those were the days! I had a delicious vegetable uthappam (Indian pancake) with dipping sauces that really hit the spot. Speaking of travel adventures, we just announced the 2012 VegNews Vegan Yoga Retreat to Mexico, and are so excited to be returning to the Mexican coast for amazing vegan food, top-notch yoga, breathtaking scenery, and wonderful camaraderie. We hope you'll join us!

Lunch on the Cheap

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Baked potato with roasted red pepper hummus, Pesto Vegenaise, and ribbons of spinach

The Dish: Okay, I'll admit it. All I brought to eat at work today was a potato. My fridge at home is running on empty, and this morning on my way out, I discovered one lone Russet potato lurking amongst the root-growing garlic and onion in my pathetic produce basket. So thank the heavens for random condiments in the VegNews fridge! At 11:30am, I popped the potato into our convection oven, and one hour later I topped it off with Cedar's new fat-free roasted red pepper hummus, a dollop of Pesto Vegenaise, and some chiffonaded spinach leaves. It just goes to show that a healthy lunch doesn't need to be expensive or complex. That said, would I rather be on a food tour of one our five under-the-radar great vegan cities? Absolutely. Until then, I'll be eating potatoes in preparation for what I am sure would be excellent vegan eats.

Friday Pasta Party

The Chef: Colleen & Jenn

The Menu: Brown rice penne pasta with Victoria Vegan's Vodka Sauce, along with organic greens, avocado, and tomatoes tossed with Petrini's Classic Italian Dressing plus homemade herb-slabbed garlic bread

The Dish: Ladies and gentlemen, we love Fridays around here. Not only are we just hours from the weekend, we often celebrate by ordering in food or having a staff potluck. When a slew of pasta sauces arrived recently from Victoria Vegan, VN Editorial Assistant Rashida Harmon suggested we have a pasta party, and today it came to life. It's a gorgeous day here in San Francisco, we lingered on our rooftop deck while listening to 80s music, and enjoyed a homemade lunch prepared by our very own Colleen Holland and Jennifer Chen. And to finish it off, VN Publisher Joseph Connelly surprised everyone with gingersnap nutella s'mores (vegan nutella, that is). It's good to be vegan. Have a wonderful weekend!

Homemade s'mores with gingersnap cookies, hazelnut nutella, and Dandies' marshmallows. Yum.

Paella Monday

The Chefs: Colleen and Peter

The Menu: A sumptuous Spanish paella with artichoke hearts, Italian bell peppers, pepperoncinis, olives, celery, and broccoli

The Dish: Our dear friend, Peter Ryan, dropped by today with a freshly made skillet of vegan paella that we obliterated in what seemed like minutes. But it was so good! Peter, a talented chef whom I predict will one day have a very successful vegan restaurant, is always whipping up delicious food for VN staffers, and since he lives just a few blocks away, we see his friendly face often, which is wonderful! It's a gorgeous day here in San Francisco, and enjoying this perfectly seasoned dish immediately transported us to the coast of Spain. In other news, our entire team is heading to Anaheim this week for the annual Natural Products Expo West (hello, new products GALORE!), and a few of us will be at the Exceptional Women in Publishing conference on Wednesday where I'll be speaking. Happy Monday, everyone!

The gorgeous skillet-baked paella before we dug in on our sunny rooftop deck.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

The Chefs: Colleen and Herbivore

The Menu: Grilled eggplant sandwich on toasted focaccia bread with basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegan mayo with a side of organic greens, cherry tomatoes, and red onion.

The Goods: Leftovers rule, and today was no different. I picked up lunch at Herbivore before heading to the office to get some work done this weekend, so the other sandwich half came in handy with today's busy schedule. I whipped up this organic salad with vegetables I keep in our office fridge (tossed with cold-pressed olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt) for an instant meal. Our deck was warm and sunny, so it was a great day to chill with my colleagues. Speaking of, my fellow publisher, Joseph, and I are headed to India this Thursday for the VegNews Great Adventure to India with 25 readers, and we can hardly wait. We'll be back in a few weeks with photos and stories galore. Namaste!

Friday Staff Potluck (s'mores!)

The Chefs: Colleen & The VegNews Staff!

The Menu: Vegan mac 'n' cheese, kale and fennel salad with a poppyseed vinaigrette, biscuits, white chocolate chip cookies, s'mores, and satsuma oranges

The Goods: It's Friday, we've gone to press, Vegan Drinks kicked off for 2012 last night at a fab new location, and it's gorgeous outside. Time for a VegNews staff potluck!  It all started when Associate Editor Jennifer noticed that a box of dark chocolate bars had arrived to the VNHQ, and immediately thought "s'mores." S'mores then turned into s'mores plus one of Jenn's new favorite mac 'n' cheese recipes, and before we knew it, several staffers were on board to bring in food for lunch today. Voila! A full-fledged staff potluck. And since it's 70 degrees in San Francisco today, we enjoyed our meal al fresco on our sunny rooftop deck. Have a great weekend, everyone!

We pulled together a quick batch of s'mores using MI-DEL Ginger Snaps, Dandies air-puffed marshmallows, and Nibmor 72% dark chocolate.

Veggie Sausage Sandwich

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Veggie sausage sandwich with hummus and avocado on a focaccia roll

The Goods: You've probably seen this sandwich before, as it's one of our favorites from Valencia Whole Foods (not the chain) right around the corner. They make this baby in-house, and it's nothing short of divine. And what you see above is only half of it; I ate the other half for lunch yesterday! So it's a great deal at just $6.50. If you find yourself in San Francisco and want a guide to some of the best vegan eateries around, don't miss either our gorgeous veggie food map in the January+February issue featuring all the must-try meat-free fare within a two-block radius of the VNHQ, or our own Hilary Pollack's brilliant story on VegNews.com, "The 20 Best Vegan Dishes in the Mission District." We have you covered, friends. In other news, we're going to press today with our March+April "Man" issue. Get ready, because it's AMAZING! We're all pretty excited around here (and exhausted), but we can't wait for this very-special edition to start hitting mailboxes and newsstands. Have a great weekend!

Super-Topped Baked Potato

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A baked potato loaded up with freshly made guacamole, chopped tomatoes and red onions, and a dollop of Vegenaise—plus an organic salad with carrots and olives

The Goods: Another lunch, another baked potato. I'm on a roll! I just can't resist the allure of a topping-loaded potato at lunch, and it's a super simple meal to make at the office. At 11:30am, I pop in a potato into our convection oven, and at 12:30, it's done! I then just add a few toppings, whip together a salad, and I have a homemade, healthy lunch in no time flat. Although we have a bevy of restaurants to choose from here in San Francisco's Mission district, I like to keep it simple during lunch and save restaurant outings for special occasions. Speaking of San Francisco, have you seen Editorial Assistant Hilary Pollack's list of the 20 best vegan dishes to try near the VNHQ? It's amazing, and has us clamoring to try every single one. Hilary has, and this girl knows what she's talking about. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Cheese-Topped Baked Potato & Salad

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Baked potato with avocado, WayFare cheddar cheese, and WayFare sour cream—plus an organic salad with Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, olives, and yellow pepper

The Goods: After a week off to celebrate the holidays with our families, we're back at the VNHQ! We hope everyone had a wonderful week, and our team is so excited for 2012 (just wait to see what we have in store for you!). And after a month of what seemed like endless amounts of chocolate and cookies, I am craving healthy lunches—like this baked potato and salad. It's simple, but it's my go-to staple when I want something filling and delicious. Just starting out on the veg path? Don't miss our Go Veg Guide from our team of editors. It's fun and packed with everything you need to lead an amazing veg life. Happy New Year!

South Indian Staff Lunch

The Chefs: Colleen and Udupi Palace

The Menu: The amazing Spinach Masala Dosa with a bowl of sambar soup and trio of housemade chutneys (coconut, ginger, and spicy tomato)

The Goods: There isn't a single person at the VNHQ who doesn't love South Indian food. Heck, we could probably eat it every day if we had to. And the best South Indian restaurant in the city is just around the corner from our offices, so our entire team ventured over for a delicious lunch of dosas, uthappams, idlis, and curries. The occasion, however, was bittersweet, as today marked the final day of our wonderful Editorial Assistant Joni Sweet's internship with VegNews. Joni actually studied abroad in India during college and can often be found diving into a dosa during the noon hour, so it was a fitting place to toast her amazing contribution to VegNews. Immediately following lunch, we headed back to the VNHQ for the official judging of our 2011 VegNews Holiday Cookie Contest (hundreds of entries! 10 finalists! incredible vegan cookies!), for which we'll be announcing our three prize winners on Monday (hello, KitchenAid mixer). We were all in a bit of a food coma due to the excessive sugar intake, but we need to shake it in time for tomorrow night's annual VegNews Staff Holiday Bash. We'll be shakin' up this town if you need us!

Baked Potato with Vegan Cheddar & Guacamole

The Chef: Colleen

The Dish: Baked Russet potato topped with WayFare Hickory Cheddar cheese, homemade guacamole, and sliced scallions—plus organic greens and cherry tomatoes tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt

The Goods: After a week of mind-blowing food on the VegNews Vegan Yoga Retreat to Mexico (seriously, it was amazing), I focused on really simple lunches this week. This meant lots of salads, rice bowls, and, today, a baked potato with a few key toppings. And since the WayFare fairies dropped by our offices on Wednesday with a cooler full of vegan cheese, pudding, and sour cream, a smear of the cheddar spread made the perfect condiment to my Friday meal. It was delish! But I am already fantasizing about the 10 recipes we'll be testing next week for the first annual VegNews Holiday Cookie Contest. It's going to get crazy here at the VNHQ, I can promise you that. Still haven't entered your favorite cookie? The deadline is tomorrow at 5pm PT, so enter as many recipes as you'd like for a chance to win a KitchenAid mixer, a cupcake kit, and two dozen cookies from Allison's Gourmet. In other great news, we just announced our Holiday Gift Subscription Sale, where subs are now just $15. Stock up while it lasts!

A close-up of my baked potato with WayFare Hickory Cheddar cheese, guacamole, and fresh veggies

Deadline Day Tacos

The Chef: Colleen and Taqueria Cancún

The Menu: Warm corn tortillas filled with black beans, rice, avocado, and chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro—plus some chips and spicy salsa on the side

The Goods: It's no secret that we love Mexican food at the VNHQ, especially the very-affordable (and delicious) south-of-the-border fare from nearby Taqueria Cancun. There is so much great vegan food in the Mission District (we've actually devoted a whole piece to our 'hood in the January+February 2012 issue), but sometimes we need something fast. Given today was our deadline for going to press (we can't wait to reveal our new cover!) and time was of the essence, a quick run to TC was in order. Heading to the San Francisco Green Festival this weekend? I'll be on the Earth Balance panel discussing a plant-based lifestyle on Saturday morning. Hope to see you there!

Café VegNews' 1,000th Post!

The Chef: Colleen and Taqueria Cancun

The Menu: Soft tacos with black beans, rice, onions, cilantro, and avocado—plus a healthy side of chips and salsa

The Dish: It was Taco Tuesdays here at VegNews, complete with melon aguas frescas and streaming salsa tunes. And why the festive celebration? IT'S THE 1,000TH POST OF CAFE VEGNEWS! Yes, we're excited, as that's a lot of posts, a lot of lunches, and a lot of delicious vegan food. Café VegNews debuted on October 27, 2007, when Managing Editor Elizabeth Castoria decided it was time VegNews had a blog. And, back then, we were still in our old offices where we served a staff lunch every day to the VN team, so a blog chronicling our meals was the perfect foray into the world of blogging. Over the years, we've featured every type of cuisine imaginable, entertained guests from around the world, ate very healthfully (kale salad!) and very unhealthfully (deep-dish Chicago pizza), and enjoyed many a memorable moment with fellow VN staffers. And we've blogged about it every single (business) day since that October day four years ago. We hope you'll help us toast this milestone for VegNews, and cheers to all of our wonderful Café VegNews readers who've made penning this blog so gratifying. Here's to 1,000 more posts!

The full Mexican spread at Casa VegNews to celebrate Café VegNews' 1,000th post

Mexican Torta & Garlic Chard

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A Mexican-inspired torta sabrosa—a toasted tortilla wrap filled with potatoes, onions, eggplant, and spices—plus sautéed organic Swiss chard with sliced garlic

The Goods: A local company, Las Cascada, sells these sabrosas at my neighborhood market, and they make great lunch fare at the office. I also brought in a head of chard, sautéed it up in our handy electric wok, and voila: Lunch is served. I find it hard to eat any meal without a fresh salad or cooked greens, as both give me the balance I want during a meal. Too bad the pound of chard resulted in a tablespoon of greens! It's going to be a busy week here at the VNHQ, as we've got our Isa/Terry Twitter Chat tomorrow night, our big Spork Foods party Friday night, our November+December Veggie Award issue arriving to subscribers everywhere, and lots of design and editorial meetings in between. We hope you'll join us somewhere along the way!

Back to Basics

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Organic brown rice bowl with raw kale, avocado, julienned carrot, and green onions—all drizzled with toasted sesame oil and sea salt

The Dish: After two weeks in Thailand eating incredible food on the VegNews Food Lover's Tour of Thailand, it's time to get back to basics. And by basics I mean brown rice, raw veggies, and avocado (how I missed you!). I love this simple rice bowl, and it always provides great nourishment and balance to my day (read: we have a chocolate bark taste test scheduled for 4pm today). We're gearing up for the holidays here at VegNews, and our November+December Veggie Award/Holiday edition ships today! Subscribers, you'll have it in the next 10 days, and newsstand readers can pick it up at their favorite store after November 1. It's a great one, so don't miss it!

Grateful for Café Gratitude

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The Chef: Colleen and Café Gratitude

The Menu: I Am Fortified, a heaping bowl of steamed quinoa topped with sauteéd seasonal vegetables, sunflower sprouts, and a delicious tahini-garlic sauce

The Dish: I am a huge fan of the local healthy dining spot, Café Gratitude, and never seem to eat there enough. What started off as a gaming salon years ago at 20th & Harrison (just blocks from the VNHQ) has now blossomed into eight locations, plus one sister restaurant (our beloved Gracias Madre down the street). So when my brother visited our offices today to help out with a project, I knew where we needed to go for lunch. In addition to the I Am Fortified (all menu items are listed as affirmations), I sipped on the very-luscious I Am Cool, a chocolate-mint smoothie with raw cacao nibs. It was a lovely lunch, and I wholeheartedly recommend it on your next visit to San Francisco. In fact, if you're still wanting to squeeze in that late-summer road trip, vegan style, VegNews has done all the work for you. Check out our just-launched Ultimate Vegan Road Trip over on VegNews.com! Bon voyage.

Cheap, Fast Mexican

The Chef: Colleen and Taqueria Cancun

The Menu: Black beans, Spanish rice, sliced avocado, warm tortillas, chips, and fresh-squeezed carrot juice

The Dish: After a long morning meeting (hurray for the 2012 story lineup!), I ran out of time to prepare lunch. So I hopped over a block to my favorite taqueria, Taqueria Cancun, for a side of rice and beans ($3.50, serves two) and a glass of delicious carrot juice. And voila! A fairly healthy meal in 10 minutes for less than $5. The Mission is full of these hole-in-the-wall eateries where one can eat cheap—and fast. And that comes in very handy on days like today. We've got a lot happening around the VNHQ this week, from our 2012 story meeting to the Veggie Awards (don't forget to vote!) to the launching of our first-ever VegNews Street Team next Monday (street team members are receiving their official Welcome Packs this week). So much to do, so little time. Taqueria Cancun, you saved me!

Media Lunch over Burritos

The Chef: Colleen and Taqueria Cancun

The Menu: Grilled burritos filled with rice, black beans, onions, tomatoes, and guacamole—plus chips, two kinds of salsa, and melon agua fresca

The Dish: This week couldn't be busier here at the VNHQ, but we love it! Today, VN Publisher Joseph and I dined with friends/media colleagues Mike, Thea, and Maire from Next Steps Marketing. They hadn't been to our new digs, so we finally had them over for the grand tour plus lunch from our favorite Mexican taqueria. If you're ever in San Francisco's Mission district and need good food fast (and cheap), Taqueria Cancun is the place to make it happen. So tasty, so fresh, and always a hit. It's a gorgeous day in the city, but I am still dreaming of my vegan weekend in Salt Lake City—the veg scene there is off the hook! Check out our just-posted Vegan Food Tour of Salt Lake City for all the evidence you'll need (think vegan quesadillas, chocolate-dipped vegan soft-serve, and two vegan bakeries). Plus, several members of the VN staff will be in Los Angeles this weekend for the Animal Rights Conference. If you're going, be sure to stop by and say hello!

Mexican Lunch with VegNews Staffers

The Chef: Colleen and Gracias Madre

The Menu: A delicious Mexican lunch of Quelites con Pan (fresh, local micro greens stewed in a chili and vegetable broth, served with a garlic crouton) and an Ensalada de Higos (organic lettuce tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette topped with toasted hazelnuts and grilled figs, served with vegan queso blanco on warm bread). 

The Goods: Another amazing meal at our local favorite vegan eatery, Gracias Madre. Seriously, this place just nails it every single time, and we count our blessings that it's a mere two blocks away. Today, we had reason to celebrate, as several staffers have been on vacation recently, and it was high time for us to get together over lunch. VN Assistant Editor Anna Peraino just returned from a long weekend on the beach in South Carolina, Editor-at-Large Laura Beck is back from two fabulous weeks in Greece (with a stopover in Russia!), and Publisher Joseph Connelly enjoyed his first vacation in a very long time in Laos. If you're dying to get away, and haven't checked out our just-announced 2012 VegNews Vacations, don't miss your chance to see the world, vegan style, before all spots are taken. Hope to see you in India, Bali, Thailand, or Mexico!

The very tasty Ensalada de Higos, made with organic greens from Gracias Madre's own Be Love Farm

Vietnamese Crêpe on the Run

The Chef: Colleen and Sunflower

The Menu: A crispy Vietnamese crêpe—filled with tofu, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, all wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves with mint, shredded carrots, and sliced cucumbers and a sweet soy dipping sauce

The Goods: VegNews Publisher Joseph and I had to run a few errands for the office during lunch, and then squeezed in a quick meal at Mission staple Sunflower Authentic Vietnamese Restaurant. Thankfully, they have lunch specials that are turned around fast, and I was able to indulge in one of my all-time favorite Vietnamese dishes, the Vietnamese crêpe. Made with rice flour (so it's gluten-free!), turmeric is added to the batter to give it an egg-like appearance, and then it is filled with tofu, mushrooms, and bean sprouts. To serve, you slice off a piece of the crêpe, place it into a lettuce leaf; sprinkle with carrots, fresh mint, and cucumber; and then drizzle on a spoonful of soy dipping sauce. It's a refreshing, healthy lunch that always satisfies. And Joseph's meal was just as delicious (see below). He had the curried vegetables with rice lunch special, which was quickly devoured so we could get back to the VNHQ. Speaking of the VNHQ, we have lots of exciting things happening today! First, we announced our VegNews Sizzling Summer Giveaway, where readers have a chance to win vegan burgers and ice cream for a month. Check it out! Second, we're gearing up to announce our 2012 VegNews Vacations next Tuesday, so if you're not a subscriber and haven't seen where we're going yet, get ready. Finally, I just received word that VN staffers are meeting at 4pm for a very important task: to make vegan s'mores. I have no complaints. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Joseph's colorful curried vegetables with steamed rice at Sunflower in San Francisco's Mission district.