Cooking Classes

If you attended this event and would like to comment on your experience, OR if you make one of these recipes and want to share how it was for you, please do so.  We’d love to hear from you!

We had a three-course dinner with flowers and candle light while we talked about the flavors of fall and ate our delicious vegan, gluten-free dinner.  Hope you can join us for the winter class…..

This soup uses just a few basic ingredients to showcase a star vegetable.  Make this soup as garlicky and spicy as you like!

6 servings

1 large head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and separated into florets

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

4 to 8  garlic cloves, minced

¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

¼ cup olive oil

4 cups hot vegetable broth

 

Coarse sea salt

1/3 cup freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

1. Trim the stems from the cauliflower florets and cut them into ½-inch pieces, then break the florets into ½-inch pieces.  Fill a large bowl with 2 quarts of cold water and stir in the vinegar.  Add the cauliflower pieces and stir to clean thoroughly.  Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Drop the cauliflower into the boiling water, return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until just tender, about 4 minutes.  Drain the cauliflower thoroughly.

 

1. In a large saucepan (I use the same one I just cooked the cauliflower in – be careful, it will be quite hot and you can easily burn your garlic!) cook the garlic and hot red pepper in the olive oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden.  This only takes a minute or two.  Add cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent it from browning.  Stir in the hot vegetable broth.

 

1. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth – OR puree part and leave some pieces of cauliflower in it for texture.  Taste for salt (especially if your vegetable broth is already salted or if it is no-salt-added; either way, the soup may need seasoning beyond the dash of salt you will use right before serving).

 

1. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and sprinkle on some coarse sea salt and parsley just before serving.

 

 

You will use this recipe to marinate your tofu and then dress the roasted vegetables just before serving.

 

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

2 fresh garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

8 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch squares

1.  Combine cumin, coriander, and crushed red pepper in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Shake skillet gently until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute, then Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add garlic, orange peel, and oil and stir to combine. Mix in basil, and cilantro.
4. Gently stir in tofu.
5. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 day. (Can be made up to 1 week ahead.  Keep refrigerated.  I made the one we had at the cooking class three days in advance)
6. If you want the tofu to be saltier, you could add some brine-cured olives to this mixture, and/or some coarse sea salt.  Of course, you can also fry the tofu before putting it into the marinade.

 

 

This combination of sweet vegetables and quinoa is delicious and so good for you.

 

Serves 6

 

1 pound winter squash, peeled and cut in 1 ½-inch chunks (I used Delicata)

½ pound carrots, peeled, quartered and cut in 2-inch lengths

½ pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half through the stem

½ pound turnips, peeled and cut in wedges

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup quinoa (red, black or brown variety)

3 cups vegetable stock

 

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Oil one or two sheet pans or baking dishes large enough to fit all of the vegetables in a single layer.  Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil.  Do not salt your vegetables before roasting because the salt with dehydrate them as they bake.  You want these vegetables to be nice and moist!  Spread the vegetables in an even layer on the prepared pan.  Place in the top third of the oven and bake 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Turn the heat down to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, 10 to 20 minutes more.

 

1. While the vegetables are in the oven, cook the quinoa.  Rinse thoroughly with cold water.  Bring 3 cups of stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the very well-rinsed quinoa.  Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread.  Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow the quinoa to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes or longer.

 

1. Using a slotted spoon, scoop tofu out of the marinade and set aside.

 

1. When the vegetables are tender, remove from the heat and transfer back to the bowl.  Add the marinade while the vegetables are hot and toss together.  Taste for salt.  Serve over quinoa with the marinated tofu on the side or mixed in.

 

Advance preparation:  the vegetables can hold for a few hours once roasted, but don’t toss with the marinade until you reheat them in a medium oven.  The quinoa will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator and can be reheated in the oven, on top of the stove, or in the microwave.

 

 

 

Kale Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale (I used red kale for our class; you can also use Tuscan kale or just ‘plain’ green kale)

1 lemon

¼ c good olive oil

Handful of pumpkin seeds (I used raw, sea-salted seeds for the class; you can use toasted seeds if you like)

 

1.  Wash kale thoroughly and break or cut the leaves away from the stem (discard stem).  Chop leaves into small pieces.
2. Juice the lemon and mix well with olive oil.
3. Pour the lemon juice-olive oil mixture over the kale and “massage” it into the kale.  Don’t worry, kale is hearty and can take some mixing.  Make sure your dressing really gets all over the leaves
4. Allow salad to sit for 30 to 45 minutes before serving.
5. Before serving, toss with pumpkin seeds.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

 

Unlike salads made with lettuce, this salad will stay crisp and fresh as a leftover in a sealed bag or container in your fridge.

 

 

Tofu Pumpkin custard (makes 8 servings)

 

Ingredients:

 

1package silken tofu

1 cup cooked pumpkin (canned or fresh)

¼ to ½ cup maple syrup (I used ¼ c)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cloves

Dash of sea salt

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.

Pour into ramekins, and place ramekins into a rectangular glass casserole dish.  Pour water into the casserole to the level of 2/3 of the height of the ramekins.

Bake 45 minutes, or until set and pumpkin starts coming away from the sides of the ramekins.

Serve warm or chilled.

You can also add non-dairy whipped topping when serving.

 

 

 

 

 

This simple tea freshens and enlivens the mouth.  It is best drunk after a meal as an aid to digestion.  A few teaspoons of this tea can also be given to babies to relieve colic.  From “Recipes for Self-Healing” by Daverick Leggett.

 

Preparation time:  5 mins

Makes 3 cups

 

1 teaspoon aniseed

1 teaspoon caraway

1 teaspoon fennel

 

Simply put the seeds in a teapot and pour on boiling water.  If you like it a little stronger, simmer the seeds in a pot for about 5 minutes.

 

These spices are warming and really promote work well for those who are prone to sluggish digestion, loose stools, overweight and fatigue.  Because they are warming, they are not necessarily good for someone who is sweaty, red-faced and who gets acid indigestion or heartburn after eating.

 

Introducing our new, seasonal offering!  For $30 you get a 3-course meal, recipes and instructions on how to prepare the menu items.  Our fall menu includes cauliflower soup, roasted vegetables and marinated tofu over quinoa, kale salad, and pumpkin custard.  The whole meal is organic, vegan and gluten-free.  Recipes will be posted here tomorrow.

If you couldn’t join us for this class, watch for the winter dinner.  Information on  that event coming soon.