Miss Rachel's Lunch Club

I heard about Miss Rachel's Pantry awhile ago. Early last spring, a friend of a friend told me about some amazing soup lady, and slipped me a number on a piece of paper. But I lost the paper.

Then when I started chilling with Marina and helping her make the Better Butter, she mentioned a girl named Rachel and her soups. The plot thickened.

Then I saw a sign in Grindcore House for Thanksgiving Dinner Orders from Miss Rachel's Pantry, with an adorable retro sign to match. This had to be the same mysterious soup lady!

So I checked out her website, and realized I'd been missing out. It's more than soup. There's casseroles  and sides, and full catering and personal chef-ing. And it all looks and sounds delicious. And it's all vegan and homemade. YES PLEASE.

So when I saw on Twitter the other day that Rachel was staring a Friday lunch delivery service, I knew I had to get in on it. And I did. And let me tell you, it was the best part of my day. No lie.

 What did I get? A "chicken" salad sandwich, veggie noodle soup, an apple, and a chocolate chip cookie. A great healthy lunch delivered to my door!

The veggie noodle soup was perfect. I want a whole gallon of it next time I've got the sniffles. Carrots, celery, mushrooms and bow-tie noodles in a perfectly light veggie broth. So nice on a chilly afternoon.

The "chicken" salad sandwich was different than I'm used to, but a real winner. Cubed tofu (with excellent texture, BTW), in a dijon mustard sauce with lettuce on a hoagie bun. Tangy and delicious! But those of you who know your hoagies know it's all about the bun, and this was the perfect hoagie bun. Not too soft that it soaked up too much sauce, but not so tough that it was impossible to tear into. It was that magical combination of crunchy, chewy and soft that makes you want to crawl inside and stay forever. And not so huge it was overwhelming, but not so small I needed more when it was done. Obviously, I was a big fan of this sandwich.

The local apple was sweet and crisp and the NorthPortFishington chocolate chip cookie rounded out the lunch bag. I'll definitely be ordering again soon, because the menus change every week. And there's even a gluten-free option. This lady thinks of everything...

If you live or work in Center City Philadelphia, add this to your lunch roster. Just make sure you order by at least Thursday. It gives a whole new reason to look forward to Friday! For ordering info, check out Miss Rachel's website. Here's this week's menu:

The Jim - Tofu “chicken” salad sandwich - creamy with a zippy dijon mayo and crisp romaine on a local roll, a cup of tomato-tortilla soup, a local apple and a peanut butter sandwich cookie 

The Barb - Barbecue seitan piled high with cool slaw, avocado and crisp lettuce on a roll, a cup of tomato-tortilla soup, a local apple and a peanut butter sandwich cookie 

The Oprah Wheatfree - (gluten-free option, nothing to do with Oprah) - smokey, textured tofu, crisp lettuce and avocado on two homemade cornbread biscuits with spicy aioli, a cup of tomato-tortilla soup, a local apple and a peanut butter crispie square