Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A simple take on the classic lunch combo, grilled cheese and tomato soup. Armed with only 15 minutes, a broiler, and a Vita-Mix, Elizabeth made open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches (yes, they certainly are pretty close to pizza) using Judy's Breadsticks and both mozzarella and cheddar Daiya. For the soup she blended diced tomatoes with a head of garlic, a splash of olive oil, salt, and cayenne, then garnished the individual servings with chopped cucumber. Yes, those are all of the ingredients, and yes, this cool soup was literally ready in five minutes. And, of course, a big salad with avocado, kidney beans, pinto beans, and caramelized pecans finished off the meal.

The Goods: This meal came together incredibly quickly, which was a boon since our team is a bit scattered today. Joseph and Colleen are setting up our booth for the Green Festival here in San Francisco this weekend before they head to Los Angeles tomorrow for PCRM's Art of Compassion Gala. Just to keep the rest of us sane, as we're going to press on our May+June issue today, Abby whipped up a batch of her famous biscuits with cheddar Daiya. Oh, and it's sunny and Friday. Yes, lots going on here at the VNHQ. Hope we get to see some of you at our Green Festival booth this weekend, and say hi to our publishers if you see them all dressed up at the gala. Happy weekend, everyone!

Bright Green Soup!

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A delectable, raw Spinach Thyme Soup that included loads of green veggies, herbs and spices, hemp oil, agave, meat-free chicken bouillon, and a subtle kick of garlic. Elizabeth paired this nutritious, bright green bowl of soup with a similarly hued side salad complete with mixed greens, mushrooms, tomatoes, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and diced bell peppers. Were there also slices of sunflower seed bread to dip into our soup? Indeed there were.

The Goods: In case there were any doubts, this lunch acts as proof that we are still obsessed with making soup in five minutes in our new Vita-Mix. People, it's bright green soup! In five minutes! It will never get old. This light and fresh vegetable-filled lunch was exactly what we needed after a week of over-indulging in sweets. So, in true VN style, we followed our cleansing, healthful lunch with to-die-for desserts from Sticky Fingers Bakery. Yes, our publisher's did generously order us Valentine's Day treats from Sticky Fingers, and yes, we know that they are the best.