Ginger-Garlic Stir-Fry

The Chef: Joni

The Menu: Stir-fried carrots, string beans, sugar sap peas, water chestnuts, red peppers, tofu, and mushrooms atop brown rice.

The Goods: This summer, I moved to San Francisco from Ithaca, NY, and donated anything that wouldn’t fit in my Honda CRV to my previous roommate. The most depressing things to give up were all of my kitchen items, including my beloved wok. But, a recent trip to Ikea has provided me with a replacement, and now I’m stir-frying everything in my kitchen, with more garlic and ginger than my roommates can probably stand the smell of. While I’m passionate about cooking, it’s nice to have a night off once in awhile, which is just one more reason why you’ll find me at the VegNews Book Bash on October 21, featuring the writers of Sporkfed. Take the night off and party with us—ticket sales start next week!

Friday Feast

The Chef: Chas

The Menu: A little Friday roundup of on-hand veggies. Chas provided us with the delicious leftovers from his chili yesterday, along with a signature Chas salad, bread, and a stir-fried eggplant-carrots-chickpea mixture. As per always, everything was fantastic.

The Goods: In case you couldn't join us for the Lyman v. Niman debate last night, there's a little recap on Press Pass. If you happen to be in Chicago this weekend, come by our booth at the Green Festival, and say hello to our very own Savvy Abby! Oh, and if you need a little something sweet to kick off your weekend, we are giving away a huge collection of goodies from some of the country's best bakeries over on Facebook. Enjoy!

Pan Asian Wraps

The Chef: Kristen

The Menu: A highly delicious, peanut-sauce covered stir-fry with bell peppers, mushrooms, cashews, and spices that Kristen wrapped up in whole-wheat tortillas. Could we pretty much have eaten six of these apiece? Yes, they were that good. Paired with an incredibly lovely salad, we happily devoured Kristen's fantastic fusion main.

The Goods: There's a raging debate happening today at the VNHQ: Should we eat 10 times our normal rations of lunch in order to expand our stomachs for Expo West, or should we curb our calorie intake before we get there to try and balance out the food-sample blitz? Yep, these are the major issues with which we struggle.

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!

Tofu Stir-fry and Gyoza

The Chef: Abby

The Menu: Cabbage-tofu stir-fry, pan-fried vegetable gyoza, and a simple side salad. While it may not be the most photogenic of one-pot meals, this stir-fry was a light and satisfying way to kick off lunch. Abby created the main course with Napa cabbage, red and green peppers, broccoli, and baked tofu, all cooked in a tangy mustard-maple sauce. Trader Joe's provided the tasty veggie-filled gyoza, and a fresh salad of mixed greens, strawberries, kidney beans, and sunflower seeds finished off the Friday fare.

The Goods: It's a bit of a ghost town here at the VNHQ today, with most of our staff out of the office. While they were dearly missed during our cherished lunchtime banter, an extra-cozy meal was the perfect Friday treat. Now if the sun would just come out in time for the long Labor Day weekend, we'd be set. Today also concludes our two fresh-faced editorial assistants' first week. Congratulations, Sara and Liz!

Beefless Stir-Fry

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: A totally meat-free (of course) beef-and-veggies stir-fry! We had some Gardein Beef Tips in the freezer, so Elizabeth stir-fried them with carrots, bok choy, and zucchini, tossed the whole shebang over brown rice, threw some slivered scallions on top, and called it a day.

The Goods: You may notice that today's entry is going up a little late. Maybe that's because we were busy planning out our 2010 editorial calendar, or, as we lovingly refer to it in the office, "How we're going to take over the world next year." Just kidding! (OK, we are in no way kidding.)

Stellar Stir-Fry

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An absolutely stellar stir-fry served atop perfectly fluffy basmati rice. Aurelia made the most of the veggies in the fridge, including bok choy, red bell pepper, ginger, garlic, green onions, and walnuts in her savory main dish. We also got a taste of veggie shrimp, procured from our local Asian grocery, which added an, um, unexpected element to the meal that some of us really enjoyed, others not so much. Aurelia also made a delicious spinach salad with cucumber and grated carrot, which we doused with organic French dressing from Organicville. Yum!

The Goods: Fittingly, we followed up this fab feast by brainstorming our upcoming September+October Food Issue, about which we're all pretty stinking excited. Since pretty much everything on the plate today was of a savory persuation, we'd like to remind everyone to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Gaga for Greens

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: An absolutely amazing Asian-food-inspired meal! Colleen was intent on using all the greens in the fridge before the weekend, and we think she might actually have done it. Her scrumptious stir-fry included Swiss chard, zucchini, cucumber, leeks, green and white onions, and gobs of garlic. Served over perfectly fluffy basmati rice and topped with toasted sesame seeds, this meal was the perfect end to another hectic week here at the VNHQ.

The Goods: Today's lunch was the ideal combination of great food, plenty of sunshine, and the general glee that tends to overtake us on Fridays. If there's anything better than eating something delicious in the company of fun people while simultaneously absorbing your vitamin D, we don't even want to know about it. Just to add to the aforementioned general glee, make sure to weigh in over on This Just In, where we're giving away a goodie bag from this year's Genesis Awards!

Saucy Stir-Fry

The Chef: Lyndsay

The Menu: A couple of extra-saucy stir-fries chock full of fresh, fabulous vegetables. Lyndsay divvied up her potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, and tofu into two camps: General Tsao and Spicy Kung Pao. Using ready-made sauces from Simply Asia kept cooking time to a minimum, and Lyndsay served both stir-fries over perfectly fluffy rice. A nice, big salad with tons of avocado, grated carrots, and fresh lettuce added more veggies to our plates.

The Goods: For our first day back on cooked food after Raw Week here at the VNHQ, it was certainly exciting to smell the aromas of lunch wafting out of our kitchen. Of course, we'd never forgo our staple side of salad, no matter what's on the rest of the plate! Even slightly more exciting than lunch is the fact that the VegNews Speaker Series launches two weeks from tomorrow! Tickets are going fast, so be sure and get yours now!

Simple Stir-Fry

The Chef: Joseph

The Menu: A mostly Asian-food-inspired lunch, with one notable Irish twist. Joseph cooked up a savory blend of curried amaranth and red quinoa, over which he served a very deliciously garlicky stir-fry of snap peas, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, water chestnuts, and tofu. It's always a treat to get vegetable gyoza, and today's dumplings had a lovely gingery bite. Finally, our plates were completed with some very colorful mashed potatoes.

The Goods: Huzzah! Mark your calendars! Today was officially the first day of 2009 that found us dining al fresco. The added sunshine certainly boosted our spirits—we hear that's one of the side effects of absorping vitamin D. Since we're in such good moods, a little treat seems in order. A number of you guys have commented that you'd like to see recipes on this here blog, and while the brutal truth is that we very rarely use recipes to create our lunches, we also don't want to leave you hanging. So, please enjoy our Simple Evening Pasta recipe, which makes such a lovely meal that it graces the cover of our current issue!

Scrumptious Stir-Fry

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: An absolutely delicious stir-fry full of our favorite ingredients. Aurelia expertly combined broccoli, seitan, zucchini, peanuts, and a special blend of Asian spices, all of which she served over basmati rice with peas. De-freakin'-licious, like we said. Of course, the side salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, avocado, and a freshly made lemon dressing wasn't half bad either. And just in case that wasn't enough, she managed to turn tortillas into crispy, spiced wontons. Yes, it was magic but unfortunately it was a particularly tasty kind of magic, and all the evidence was eaten.

The Goods: If there's anything better than a midday stir-fry, we don't even want to know about it. Today's a crazy one here in the VNHQ, as we're gearing up for both the much-anticipated re-launch of vegnews.com, and maybe there's a little something going on tomorrow night. Maybe that little something is called the Vegan à Go-Go! Book Bash, and just maybe we couldn't be any more excited about it. Be sure to check Press Pass for the full post-party report!

Indian-Inspired Stir-Fry

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: Amazing. Yes, we realize that "amazing" is not a menu item, but there isn't really another word that wholly encompasses this meal. To be a little bit more specific, Colleen busted out an incredible blend of tomatoes, garbanzo beans, broccoli, eggplant, and yellow squash—all infused with savory Indian spices and served over cumin-seed and mustard-seed infused basmati rice. Oh, and maybe there was a light, lovely salad with fresh bell pepper and cherry tomatoes. Yes, we are spoiled. Yes, we like it.

The Goods: In addition to the utterly delicious food, we got to enjoy the company of one Paul Saccone, whom it's always a pleasure to see. We figure as long as we're being totally spoiled, we might as well spread the wealth around. When friends are in town, it's pretty much our obligation to feed them—which works out well since they get to eat, and we get to hang out with awesome people.

Speaking of awesome people, congratulations to Veganmomma who is the official winner of our surprise mid-month giveaway! We asked what you would do with molasses, amaranth, pinenuts, and hemp nut butter and she said, "Hmm, pop the amaranth so it gets nice and roasty, and then make hemp seed butter bars with pine nuts and molasses and a few other fine ingredients you can scrounge up." Congrats! A VN gift pack is her reward for coming up with a delicious-sounding plan for these incidental ingredients. Veganmomma, send us an email and we'll send out your prize!

In-The-Fridge Smorgasbord

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A tantalizing trio of treats. Colleen always adds a gourmet flair to her meals, as evidenced today in a roasted-corn and black bean salad with tomato, avocado, and olives, an Asian-food-inspired stir fry with shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, homemade seitan, and tofu-based House Foods Tofu Shirataki noodles, and finally, she toasted rosemary focaccia with Dr. Cow cheese and basil. Yeah, Fridays are good eating-days around these parts.

The Goods: Tonight's the night we're going to make it happen, tonight we'll put all other things aside. All things other than karaoke, that is! As a sweet sendoff to our lovely Lisa, we're going out "singing" this evening. What does this have to do with lunch? Nothing. Do you fondly recall our past karaoke exploits? We certainly hope so. Happy long-weekend Friday!

Sensational Stir Fry

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A fan-freakin'-tastic stir fry of broccoli, zucchini, carrots, ginger, kale, shiitake mushrooms, and tofu. Served over yummy curry-flavored udon noodles, Colleen's Asian-inspired creation was a one-dish meal to die for. We've been a little burrito and mac 'n' cheese heavy recently, so this savory stiry fry was a welcome, veggie-packed change of pace.

The Goods: Okay, this is big. Are you ready? Voting is open for our 2008 Veggie Awards! This is the largest survey of its kind in the world, and is one of our most-favorite features every year since we get to find out what our readers really love. Make sure and vote for your favorite restaurants, blogs, bakeries, cookbook authors, and more! Last year 20,000 people voted, and we hope to make that 30,000 this year with new categories like Favorite Animal Sanctuary and Favorite Online Forum. Polls are open now and will be open until August 31. Congrats to all of our amazing nominees!

Spicy Stir-Fry

The Chef: Lisa

The Menu: Some lovely, saucy, stir-fried veggies (broccoli, grape tomatoes, and collard greens) tossed over rice noodles made up our delicious main. Sides of spinach salad with fresh chunks of avocado and our favorite Chinese-style mushroom buns made this quite the full meal.

The Goods: Considering our propensity for travel in Southeast Asia, it should come as no surprise that we'd want to recreate the flavors found in the cuisine there. Since we don't actually have all day to simmer spicy sauces to perfection, Lisa decided to take a little help from World Foods' line of ready-made stir-fry sauces. Today we tried the Thai Basil Chilli and Vietnamese Five Spice varities. While we would have rather actually been in Thailand or Vietnam, these flavors definitely added some kick to our stateside lunch.

Hot & Sour Stir Fry

The Chef: Lisa

The Menu: A super-flavorful hot and sour stir fry. Lisa used thick and starchy tapioca noodles as a hearty base for a stir fry of tomatoes, snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, scallions, jalapeños and leeks, and she topped the whole thing with chopped peanuts. Lighter sides of sprouts and salad made for a refreshing break from the spiciness of the stir fry. Lisa's signature garlicky salad dressing has ensured that no one in the office will be going on a date later tonight.

The Goods: Okay, today we have business that needs attending. Today, as you may have noticed, is the last day of April. This means two things: It's the last day to email us with your submission for our first-ever Reader Recipe Showdown! Hurry!

Since it's the last day of the month, it also means we want to give you stuff! For this month's blog giveaway, leave us a comment and tell us about your favorite flavor combinations.

The Question: Would you have loved the creative leeks-and-jalapeños combo in today's stir fry or are you more of a trusty peanut butter and jelly fan? Leave a comment any time between now and next Wednesday, May 7, when we'll announce the winner.

Sublime Stir Fry

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: A luscious stir fry of carrots, snow peas, zucchini, potato, and a little something special in the form of faux duck. Yes, here in San Francisco you can pretty much get any fake meat you want, from ham to haggis. Back to more appetizing topics, Aurelia served her perfectly spiced stir fry over a combination of white and brown rice. A vibrant, ripe mango made a light, lovely side dish.

The Goods: We're in nose-to-the-grindstone mode here at the VNHQ today, so you'll have to excuse the somewhat brief post. We can't spend every day lounging in the sun with friends, you know. Aurelia's filling lunch was just the thing we needed to keep us going!

Suspicious Stir Fry

The Chef: Elizabeth

The Menu: Jasmine-infused sticky rice topped with stir-fried carrots, broccoli, and tofu, all of which was drenched in a rich, tangy ginger-soy-peanut sauce. With such a hearty main it was nice to have the balance of a light salad featuring roasted beets, shredded zucchini, and tomatoes.

The Goods: Sometimes a stir fry can be a suspicious dish. Today, our jasmine-infused rice played a suspect role: It was green. Suffice to say that's it's difficult to get a flattering photo of green-tinged rice, even though the rice itself had a lovely sticky consistency and made a great vehicle for the peanut sauce. It's tempting to make some sort of eco-joke about how following a vegan is the most "green" way to live (right down to the rice!), but for the sake of our journalistic reputation, we'll steer clear.

Splendid Stir Fry

The Chef: Colleen

The Menu: A completely perfect stir fry featuring fresh broccoli, zucchini, red bell pepper, eggplant, and peanut-flavored tofu from Sunergia Soyfoods' line, which Colleen baked to crispy perfection. She also managed to make a sauce out of magic, which was, aptly, totally delicious. We don't even really want to know what was in it, since to demystify this dish would be to do it a disservice. Served with perfectly cooked basmati rice and hot bowls of miso soup, this Asian-cuisine-inspired meal filled us with joy. Okay, literally, it filled us with tasty food, but isn't that the same as joy?

The Goods: Happy Spring! We are all pretty stinking thrilled that the sunshine has finally regained some of its warmth. To celebrate the official end of winter, we indulged in some Blackwell's Organic Gelato. That's right, vegan gelato. Yum!

Faux Fish Fry

The Chef: Aurelia

The Menu: A gorgeous, glistening stir fry, complete with faux fish. For the former fish-eaters in the office, this imitation was right on the money, and for those who never liked fish, it was just a tad too lifelike. Bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, and a delicious Chinese-style sauce made this stir fry one for the record books. Perfectly cooked brown rice and a huge salad of grated carrots, romaine lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes made sure that no one left the table wanting.

The Goods: Living in San Francisco has innumerable benefits, not the least among them is the ready availability of superb mock meats from our many Asian grocery stores. There's just something special about a really good fake fish; it's a little bit less common than, say, faux deli slices and so very satisfying.

The Winner: That's right! Today is officially the day! We were thrilled to get so many great responses to our first-ever blog giveaway. We asked, "What's your favorite comfort meal on a cold, rainy day?" Out of 22 responses, we chose what Lindsay had to say:

"Cold, rainy days make me want to eat piles and piles of mashed potatoes: hot and creamy, with a melty pat of Earth Balance on top and drenched in gravy. Sometimes I will cook up some onion, garlic, and crispy tofu to add to the pile. If I feel a lack of green-ness, I throw in some steamed green beans on the side, which I then proceed to eat with my fingers, like a boor. This is the most comforting of comfort foods!"

This sounds good enough to make us wish for rain! So, Lindsay, send us an email with your contact info and we'll send out your fun bag of goodies.