At dinner one night with a group of friends, one of them thought it would be a good idea if I started teaching them how to cook vegan. The women who are in this little group with me are thoughtful about what they bring when we eat together, but I always bring both an entree and a dessert so I know for sure I will not go hungry, in case someone forgets that chicken broth is not vegan, or that eggs are not okay if they are in a cake. Sometimes they just don’t know how to make a cake without any animal products. “What should I use instead of eggs? Ground flax seed? How would that work?” or “What would I put in the salad if you don’t eat goat cheese?” (The answer to that one is easy—leave out the cheese, or at least offer it on the side.)
I thought it was a good idea, but I am a bit shy about standing in front of a group and talking about, well, anything, really. I am comfortable in small, informal settings with people I know. Stage fright hits when I am standing in front of a roomful of people and expected to perform in any way, even just cooking. My friend Michaela, the one who is a superb baker and who has the most imploring big brown eyes asked again and again until I finally conceded. Vegan cooking lessons for everyone. In my kitchen. Second Sunday of each month at 2 pm.
I thought it would be good to start with desserts, an area that seems the most challenging for bakers who want to try making vegan sweets. I double and triple checked my recipes, trying things out ahead of time, and my family benefited from multiple batches of cookies and muffins. I scrutinized recipes I make regularly, making sure the measurements were exact. I prepared a sheet of vegan baking substitutions and handouts of all the recipes.
I was shaking as I began the first session, but after a few minutes, I forgot I was being watched and just started chatting away as I measured, mixed, and baked. I planned to pull off three different recipes—giant, crunchy, chocolate chip cookies, molasses ginger cookies, and the famous Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffin recipe. I printed the blueberry muffin recipe right off of the internet, using it like a worksheet so everyone who came could see how easy it is to figure out the substitutions. 1/4 c silken tofu for each egg. Soy or almond milk in place of dairy milk. Vegan margarine in place of butter. Organic sugar. I made the muffins with the changes, and no one could believe how delicious they were—just as good, if not better than the original recipe.
It went well. Really, really well. “Is it okay if I invite a friend next time?” “Can I bring my niece?” “Could you please email me a link to your blog? To that website?” “What was the name of that book you read?” My cell phone began ringing—strangers calling. “I heard you are giving vegan cooking lessons. Do you have room for one more person?” “How much does it cost?”
The answer was, of course, yes! And it’s free.
The second lesson focused on entrees, and I demonstrated how to make homemade seitan, a chewy and delicious main course. I also showed how to make cashew cream, and from that, made a vegan Alfredo sauce with mushrooms, peas, and kale, served over spaghetti squash. We ate dinner together at the end of that demo, and I happened to have enough raw ginger cookies to pass around for dessert. “Raw cookies? How do you do that?” “These are the best cookies I have ever eaten! Could you share the recipe?” It was a small group, easy to please, full of excitement for learning vegan cooking. Then another round of phone calls and suddenly a bunch of people, some of whom I have never met, are sitting in my kitchen, raptly watching me chop, stir, process and talk about why I am a vegan. And a vegan cook.
So— here I am at the beginning of my third group vegan cooking demonstration, this time teaching how to make vegan cheeses. My friend Krissie was kind enough to bring her camera and take a few shots of the event.
I am holding up a package of agar-agar, a type of seaweed used as a thickener for many vegan cheeses.
I make three different cheeses in one hour. The first is smokey cashew cheese from the fabulous website:
http://www.olivesfordinner.com
Krissie got a great shot of the smokey cashew cheese.
The second is pine nut cheese, adapted from a recipe a friend found online while trying to impress me with her vegan cooking skills. (Not that she needs to try—my friend Stephanie is an amazing cook and I always leave her table with a happy, full belly.)
I have made this entire recipe as it stands and was a bit disappointed, especially in the pine nut cheese. The lemon was far too strong, so I eliminated the lemon zest, and instead of using the full amount of lemon juice, I used a little less than half the amount and used organic apple cider vinegar for the remaining volume. I added about 2 tsp fresh rosemary to the processor along with everything else and wound up with what is perhaps the best nut-based ricotta cheese ever! It freezes very well, so go ahead and make the full recipe, then divide into 1/2 cup containers and store in the freezer. This is amazing in a vegan lasagna, or on a whole wheat pizza with a little vegan pesto, some tomato sauce and some caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.
The final cheese is tofu feta. Tofu feta is tricky. There are a lot of recipes out there and I have tried many. This one is truly delicious and easy.
http://www.ourveggiekitchen.com/2010/03/tofu-feta.html
My captive audience. I’m making tofu feta in this one. Beneath the orange pot lid is a block of tofu. The block is wrapped in a clean dishtowel and the weight of the lid is pressing out the excess water so that the tofu will absorb more of the marinade.
I serve the tofu feta mixed with some chopped cucumbers, halved baby grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, all dressed with a dash of hemp oil, a bit of lemon juice, a sprinkle of oregano, and some freshly ground black pepper.
For a quick and easy tasting of the pine nut cheese, I cook a box of pasta, add a couple of cups of chopped fresh broccoli, a can of drained chickpeas, and some red sauce. I pour that into a casserole, dollop on the pine nut cheese, and heat at 350 ° for about half an hour. There are no leftovers!
Sometime during the lesson, my friend Jane raises her hand, old-school style. “I think you should get paid for this, Elizabeth.”
“Oh, no, I don’t want to take any money for this. I am truly okay doing it for free.”
“No, we should at least reimburse you for all the ingredients.”
“No, it’s really fine!”
And so on, until, as I stand behind my kitchen counter, trying to talk and cook and be entertaining and all that, one after another, my audience comes behind the counter. They tuck bills into the front pocket of my jeans. I am uncomfortable with this, but at the same time, secretly thrilled that anyone is willing to pay me to teach how to cook vegan. After they leave, and I clean up, I empty the contents of my pocket onto the counter. I think— I could make a living doing this—and my gratitude is immense for the generosity and kindness of my friends and the friends they have brought to me.
Elizabeth Runs 