Gourmet Vegan Cooking Classes
beginning on December 1st 2009
THE GENTLE GOURMET proposes an adventure into a different type of culinary experience, one open to cooks of all levels having diverse food preferences, but all aware of the need to increase plant foods into our diet - for the planet and its inhabitants, for our bodies and for new gastronomic pleasures.
We will endeavour to discover, and creatively and innovatively cook, with the almost limitless palette of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, herbs and edible flowers that are being grown today, and explore cuisines from around the world, using the best of local or free-trade organic and seasonal products. This is the most exciting and important contemporary culinary adventure one can make today that makes your meals become part of a more compassionate and conscious way of living.
A. Two hour classes ( 11:00am -1:00pm) which include tastings /lunch are 55 euros. Low-fat vegan Challenge and Family Vegan programs
B. 3 hours classes with tastings are 80 euros (1:30- 4:30pm) Vegan Basics and Sweet Vegan programs
C. 5-hour gourmet cook and dine classes (5:00-10:30 pm) 105 euros. After a day at the museums come and experience a vegan cooking and dining adventure . Seasonal Vegan and World Vegan Cuisine programs
The Entire Program
The Gentle Gourmet Class Themes for 2009
I. Vegan Basics
These classes are generally held in the afternoon and end with a leisurely tasting of all we have cooked. Participants are also free to bring home with them samples of what we have made. The fee for each of these 3-hour classes, which includes a bound notebook of recipes, is 80 euros. Discounts from 10-20% of total price are available when several people sign up together or you sign up for two or more classes.
A. Introduction to a Plant-based diet
Are you ready for an exciting adventure? Well, the decision to eat substantially more plant foods puts you on a fun and surprising exploration of a world of foods, tastes, textures, savors . We will show you step-by-step how easy it is and how today we can increasingly find food substitutes to make our old favorites. This class is made to get you off to a great start. We will talk about nutrition, dishes, menus, shopping, eating out, what to say to friends and above all, we will cook a lot of good food to celebrate!
green asperagus salad with artichokes and flowers
B. Mastering Tofu, Tempeh and Seitan
Our three highlighted ingredients, each powerhouses of cholesterol-free protein and other essential nutrients, have been used for centuries in the healthy and delicious cuisines of far East Asia. We love their incredible adaptability to diverse cooking methods and how they seem to soak up the flavors we want to use. During this class, we will first learn all the different varieties of tofu and tempeh, both soy products, and learn to make our own seitan which is made from wheat gluten flour. Then we will make together five imaginative recipes, which change from month to month to benefit from the best seasonal vegetables and herbs around.
tofu w/black sesameseeds
A few examples:
-Chile corn-meal crusted tofu with southwestern corn pudding and green-pumpkin seed mole
- breaded seitan cutlets with a lemon caper sauce; fresh steamed spinach and garlic mashed potatoes
- ginger- rubbed grilled tempeh with eggplant and pumpkin in a coconut, peanut, chile and lemon grass sauce with jasmine rice.
C. Glorious Grains and Beautiful Bean Cuisine
Beans and grains have fed the world for thousands of years. They generously offer for such little cost their wonderful tastes, their adaptability to diverse cuisines and above all their incredible nutritional value. We have today begun to rediscover these culinary treasures in traditional dishes as well as in new creations for the vegan palate. During this class we will prepare three bean and three grain-based dishes. Each class offered will have different recipes so as to go through every major variety of bean and grain during the year.
spinach salad with chick-peas, avocado and tomatoes
- pineapple-cashew-quinoa stir-fry
- barley risotto with wild mushrooms, fresh herbs and grilled carrots
- Bayaldi - Grilled Eggplant,polenta, tomato and soy mozzarella stacks
- green Kaksou with mauve - couscous with fresh peas, broad beans, spinach, zucchini, onion and tomato
- black-bean croquettes with yellow pepper coulis
- Middle eastern lentils and rice with caramelized shallots, dates and figs.
D. Nuts and Seeds - culinary gems
We all know they are delicious, but we now have proof that in reasonable quantities nuts and seeds are so exceptionally good for us that they merit being added as much as possible to our everyday recipes. They add character and crunch to grains, pastas, vegetables as well as fruit and baked goods and lend themselves to whatever spices are being used. The choice is phenomenal - cashews, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, sesame, poppy, pumpkin seed and dozens of others. These are truly culinary gems made to adorn and improve almost any dish we make.
orchiette with broccoli and pine nuts
- walnut-crusted Millet and celery root croquettes with orange-glazed beets and shallots
- spicy phyllo - encased sweet potato pie with almonds, pistachios, raisins and chick peas.
- eggplant-potato Moussaka with pine-nut cream
- corn and Edamame-Sesame seed salad
E. "Cheesy" Delights - the taste we all want!
Gourmet life has become much more satisfying as we can now indulge in healthy, dairy-free versions of favorites such as home made pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and "mozzarella", a glistening strawberry-covered "cheesecake", a wild-mushroom risotto with "parmigiano" and yes a "cheddar" macaroni and cheese!
We will show you how to make your own non-dairy "cheeses" and also know the ones you can now buy. Since it is too hard to choose between so many good dishes we will make at least 7 or 8 of our absolute favorites, chosen to go with the season and the occasion. This class is a must for anyone who says " I want to go vegan but I just cannot give up that cheesy taste", because now you don't really have to.
bowl of carrot"cheddar" soup with vegetable chips
- strawberry-lemon cheesecake
- butternut squash and wild mushroom lasagne
- mac and cheese
- green pizza - with zucchini, almonds, basil and Parmigiano"
F.Vegetable Medley
This is a class about the what, when and hows of the vegetable world. We first take the what - and learn about the 50 major vegetables typically available to the home cook, then we learn when during the year we should buy them, and finally how to cook them with ten different cooking techniques. These techniques will show that even changing how you cut and cook something changes it's flavor and the atmosphere it adds to a dish. This class begins with a trip to an open-air market where we will learn the secrets to choosing the best produce of the season. Then off to the kitchen where we will experiment with different techniques to maximize each vegetables' flavor and texture.
baked potatoe filled with asperagus and carrot salad
Our 50 stars
amaranth - artichokes - asparagus - avocado - beets - broccoli - broccoli rabe - brussel sprouts - burdock - cabbage - chicory - chinese cabbage - carrots - cauliflower - celery - corn - cucumber - chayotte - endive - fennel - garlic - greens - green beans - kale - jerusalem artichoke - kohlrabi - leeks - mushroom - okra - onions - parsnip - peas - peppers - potatoes - lettuces - radishes - rutabaga - salsify - shallots - spinach - sweet potatoes - swiss chard - squash - pumpkin - tomatilla - tomatoes - turnips - watercress - yams -zucchini
Our ten techniques
sauteeing - grilling - baking - boiling - frying( deep and stir-) - broiling - stewing - braising - steaming - microwaving
II. The Sweet Vegan
These classes are generally held in the afternoon and end with a tasting of all we have cooked and baked. Participants bring home with them generous samples of what we have made. The fee for each of these 3-hour classes, which includes a bound notebook of recipes, is 80 euros. Discounts from 10-20% of total price are available when several people sign up together or you sign up for two or more classes.
A. Sweet Vegan Basics
Once in a lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. ~Judith Olney
Our sweet vegan classes give you the golden opportunity to do just that! Today it has become very easy to create wonderful desserts without using egg or dairy products. The added advantage is that each of these desserts is much much healthier than their non-vegan counterparts so indulging has just become a little bit sweeter. This class will discuss all the basics as to replacement foods for the eggs or dairy in typical dessert recipes. We will also explore alternatives to traditional sweeteners, fats and gelatin .
A few examples!
muffins - carrot-pineapple sunshine muffin
cakes - caramel-apple-spice cupcakes
pies - lost coconut custard pie;
puddings - banana chocolate-chip bread pudding,
cookies - lemon bars, rumnog pecan cookies
cheesecakes - orange-scented pumpkin cheesecake
B. Chocolate Euphoria
"Love chocolate deeply, without worry or false shame; for remember - without a touch of extravagance, a man is not truly reasonable". Rochefoucaud
Heeding such wise advice we will, during this passion-filled class, concoct at least five very extravagant chocolate-laden recipes. A few examples:
- ginger-infused chocolate mousse with candied ginger
- chocolate euphoria truffle torte
- chewy chocolate rasberry cookies
- chocolate peanut-butter brownies
- tea-poached pears in chocolate sauce
C. Fruit Fantasy
"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"
Albert Einstein
No food evokes memories of past moments of happiness better than fruits do - be it that of picking strawberries or wild blueberries in the countryside, eating a juicy peach on a hot July afternoon, the fresh crispness of an apple while studying or the exotic pleasures of mangos and papaya near a real or imaginary tropical beach. Fruits are generous and adaptable and become compotes and pies, wine-poached creations, cobblers, salads or sorbets. We will do one of each with the most flavorful fruits of each season.
A few examples
- vanilla -infused rhubarb with orange-blossom scented puff pastry
- poached Peaches in an agar-agar pink grapefruit gelee with a Muscat granite
- apricots tarte tatin with almond cream sauce
- pineapple Napoleon with mango compote and elixir de vie sorbet (lime, ginger, mint, agave syrup)
- Dark red Cherries in a five-pepper-infused red wine potage with a five-pepper soy ice-cream
D. Cold and Creamy Creations
" I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream."
Heywood Broun
This class is where we let imaginations run wild while whipping up dairy-free ice-creams, sorbets, granitas, puddings and mousses in every flavor combination imaginable. The flavors can be sophisticated and exciting or homey and comforting but all have one thing in common and that is they are good for you - so indulge !
-A few tempting examples
- green-tea granita with lime, mint and ginger
- lemon verbena ice-cream with poached peaches and rasberries
- star-anise ice-cream with sauteed apple rings
- peanut butter and chocolate with caramelized bananas.
E. Baking
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. ~Author Unknown
Although baked goods have always been very good for the soul, rarely are they considered great for a healthy diet. But for us, the above quote is a much truer statement because the ingredients in vegan cooking are very healthy - better fats, no cholesterol, sweeteners whose natural nutrients are still present and more fiber!
cookies
orange-scented almond biscotti
cranberry-walnut oatmeal
double chocolate-walnut
cakes:
coconut-lemon bundt cake
pumpkin crumb cake with pecan streusel
key-lime cheesecake
pies
brown-sugar plum pie
red-wine and spice poached pear tart
IV. Healthy and Happy Vegan
These classes are held at different times of the day.
The ABC's of Vegan Nutrition and Health and Healing with a Low-fat Plant Food Diet are offered in the afternoon and include a cooking demonstration and tasting, exclusive take-home nutritient-counting tools and a notebook. The fee for each of these 3-hour classes is 105 euros.
The Low-fat Vegan Challenge and the Family Vegan are lunchtime classes with lunch and include hands-on cooking lessons as well as a learning workshop. The fee for this class is 45 euros . Special prices are available for couples, and children who wish to attend the family Vegan class pay only 2o euros.
A. The ABC's of Vegan Nutrition
For both newcomers and those who have been vegetarian or vegan for a while , it is important to understand just what the body needs nutritionally and how needs change as the years go by.Someone could eat just french fries and soda and still be a vegan but that in itself would not give them good health. A healthy vegan diet goes beyond just not consuming animal-derived products. It goes also beyond adequate protein , minerals and vitamins, as essential as these may be. The healthy vegan diet also eliminates foods with unhealthy substances and favorises nutrient -rich ones.
This 4-hour class which has brought together all the most up-to-date information from the world's best specialists, will give you all you need to understand the principles and to easily apply them in your own diet .
B. Health and Healing with a Low-fat Plant Food Diet
The fact of the matter is that a low or no-fat vegan diet not only prevents, but helps heal and even cure some of the most pernicious diseases plaguing humans today - heart disease, diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure. During these classes which will be an introduction to the subject, we will not only give out the nutritional facts you need to understand but we help each student find the diet and menus that he can adapt to his or her lifestyle. This is an amazing life-improving class that can help you, your family and your friends live a longer, healthier and happier life.
C. The 2010 Low-fat Vegan Challenge
Forty Tuesdays and Saturdays a year, we offer in our Paris kitchen, a two-hour lunch of good humor and complicity as we learn(and re-learn!)how to treat ourselves with great love and affection through a low-fat vegan diet! There is nothing that makes us feel more alive , more vivacious and sexier than feeding our bodies well and this is what we will be doing together. For those who love it so much they don't want to stay away, we offer in Paris and Normandy every month or so a week-long slim and sexy retreat where we will all get in great shape through cooking, walking, massages and other empowering and beneficial activities!
D. Family Food for Vegans
You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I'll buy you a new car. ~Harvey Diamond .
Behind this comical phrase lies a truth that even the great Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote about and that is children's natural, not yet culturally repressed, distaste for animal foods. Raising babies and children vegan is the biggest gift you can make for a child's future health. It is necessary though to understand thoroughly what a child's nutritional needs are and what foods provide it. During this class we will show how almost all family favorites can be adapted to the vegan diet and we will make some new favorites too! Learning a stock of healthy foods to have around and some quick recipes to match will make your food preparation easy-going and tasty. These classes are for parents and children together because the best way to get children interested in eating good food is to get them involved in the cooking!
E. The Eco-logic Gourmet: Eating for a Healthy Planet
"If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you can do.It's staggering when you think about it.Vegetarianism takes care of so many things in one shot: ecology, famine, cruelty" - Sir Paul McCartney
During these dinner-discussions we will discuss at length the environmental reality behind people's current way of eating More importantly, it will be shown a simple and progressive change in the way we eat can be the most significant and far-reaching way to help improve the planet with no sacrifice of the pleasures of eating. The proof will be in the the meal itself, composed of very contemporary and trendy vegan foods, that will show that being an environmentally-friendly eater and a gourmet go hand in hand.
V. The Festive vegan
Vegan celebrations are times to really demonstrate the vibrant diversity of plant food based cuisine. The New Year's class and the Holiday Baking class are each 105 euros. The Valentines, Spring, Picnic and Thanksgiving classes with meals are each 145 euros. Discounts from 10-20% of total price are available when several people sign up together or you sign up for two or more classes.
A. New Year's - the vegan Resolution
The holidays are over and perhaps you feel you have indulged a bit too much. Perhaps you feel like you need some extra energy to get you through winter. Perhaps you have a list of resolutions and you need new resolve and clear-sightedness to accomplish them. Well, all through January we will hold four-hour sessions where we will prepare and drink amazingly good for you fresh juices and smoothies. These will give your body a day of healing and detoxing - a great way to get things looking clearer. While preparing we will discuss the different ways a change to a more plant-based diet might be just what our health and the planet need for this new year and how to make that the best New Year's resolution ever.
The four-hour session includes preparing of raw juices and smoothies to drink during the session and also to take home for the evening, a workshop by a raw vegan health expert and a notebook full of recipes, nutritional information and all kinds of inspiring ideas to give your body and mind a great start on the New Year.
B. Valentine's Day and other Moments of Seduction
I offer you fruits, flowers, leaves and branches,
and then my heart which beats only for you"
Paul Verlaine
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The art of combining foods and spices to enhance romance and eroticism dates back thousands of years. This class is all about those foods that surprise; foods that titillate and alight the senses ; foods that make your heart beat just a little faster. This thoroughly enjoyable class open to cooks and non-cooks alike will teach you the "secrets and magic" to prepare those special meals for that special person.
This class includes hands-on cooking, dinner together and a specially-decorated notebook.
C. Spring festivities
" Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party!"
Robin Williams
Whether celebrating Easter,Passover or just the arrival of daffodils and sparrows, we are all in awe during this time when, year after year, nature awakens.The foods we will be preparing are celebration foods - chocolates of every sort of course, but also many little delicate fruit-based sweets and vegetable tidbits to have at all kinds of parties and gatherings.
-creamy cold pink beet soup with radish rounds, blue borage flowers, dandelion petals and chopped chive
- little cups of asparagus and fresh pea and lemon confit risotto
- bundles of young yellow beans with chopped sun-dried tomato, capers and nasturtiums flowers
-artichokes stuffed with miniature vegetables and sauteed marinated tofu slivers in a foamy tarragon sauce
-perfect 99% chocolate ice-cream with wild strawberry compote and liqueur
-spring-flower decorated lemon cupcakes
D. Picnics and BBQ's
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day. Listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." John Lubbock
This morning class of cooking instruction will be followed by a leisurely picnic in a Paris park .
PICNIC for a hot and lazy day
gold and black bean salad
red flannel cole slaw
Mamma's potato salad
fresh vegetables
beautiful pan bagna
walnut-mushroom pate
italian bread
fudgy rasberry brownies
fruit salad
fresh lemonade
E. A Gentle Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving tradition is about celebrating life— about families and friends, about gratitude, love and compassion. Here is a beautiful menu that will make this holiday one where every one, even the gentle turkey, will be thankful.
This class, which includes a hands-on cooking instruction and either lunch or dinner, is offered twice on Thanksgiving Day, as well as Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
* Butternut squash, leek and japanese pear soup
* little salads of lamb's lettuce, walnuts, endive, clementine and beetroot
- individual stuffed and rolled seitan
- Corn-bread, onion, celery, mushroom and sage stuffing - wild-mushroom gravy
- Dried-fruit and soy sausage stuffing
- Cranberry-orange-walnut-raisin compote
-Mashed potatoes with horseradish cream
-orange-glazed sweet potatoes,turnips, shallots and carrots
-roasted brussel sprouts and chestnut
-pecan pie ice-cream
-lemon-scented pumpkin cheesecake
F. Happy Holidays for all
"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."
There is an activity that all generations can come together for in a spirit of complicity and affection and that is cookie-making! We offer towards the end of the year a week of holiday baking for everyone from little ones to great-grandparents. Each day we will bake and bake, decorate and box, and certainly get to know cookie-making and each other a lot better!
Classes are offered both in the morning and in the afternoon, and all bring home with them lovely decorated boxes filled with samples of the days baking. Fees include class instruction, notebook, decorated boxes and lots of cookies!
- Chocolate nut florentines
- Rasberry almond rings
- Double ginger cookies
- Zesty coconut lime balls
- Dark chocolate truffle cookie
- Iced caramel cookies
III. The Seasonal Vegan
These hands-on classes offered both in the morning with lunch or afternoon with dinner will help you become very aware of the seasonality of fruits and vegetables and how to make them the mainstay of your diet. Fees for the class instruction, meal and notebook are 145 euros. Discounts from 10-20% of total price are available when several people sign up together or you sign up for two or more classes.
A. The Winter Vegan
Winter, like all seasons imposes its own pace on life. Cooking becomes heartier, but more secretive and eating becomes more intimate. For those who have chosen to follow the natural rhythm of the seasons and to limit the purchasing of out-of-season foods, there are still many delights in store!
Not only is it the season for the comforting traditional stews and gratins to be made but also it is the season to indulge in exotic cuisines of Mexico, the Caribbean, Moroccan and India with fair-trade purchased produce.
-mini leek-potato soup cups
- belgian endive, green apple, beet, clementine and walnut salad over lamb's lettuce
- orange and thyme scented white-bean and soy-sausage chili
-grilled pineapple with coconut sorbet
B. The Spring Vegan
Springtime is the so-awaited season of renewal. From the first signs of its arrival we can see in kitchen gardens and markets the explosion of new life - tender peas and beans, tiny carrots and plump radishes, the aristocratic asparagus, delicate fines herbes and long stalks of red rhubarb. All these gifts of nature need only to be quickly and simply prepared so as to highlight their pure taste and freshness.
- cold fresh pea and lemon soup
- roasted marinated baby carrots and beets with balsamic vinaigrette on mixed greens with chopped chive
- green asparagus on a bed of white bean and garlic puree on puff pastry
- rhubarb-strawberry cheesecake with strawberry coulis
C. The Summer Vegan
Summer bursts out like a multi-colored kaleidoscope of sun-kissed fruits and vegetables, grains and cereals with heightened aromas and flavors. This is the time for imaginative salads, for grilling marinated vegetables and herb crusted tofu on the BBQ, and for concocting fruit granitas and luscious fruit tarts. In this class we aim at achieving dishes with maximum taste that nevertheless remain light and refreshing during the hot months of summer.
- cold roasted corn and yellow pepper and tomato soup
- marinated mini yellow pattypan squash grilled with herbs
- tofu, mushroom, garlic kebabs
- lemon-roasted potatoes with black olives and sun-dried tomatoes
- poached white peach with sweet white wine granita
D. The Autumn Vegan
This season is, in a sense, nature's most poignant as the gardens and orchards seem to give their all in a firework finale of fruits, nuts and vegetables. From September through December the plant-food cook luxuriates in choices of foods with very pungent tastes such as figs and grapes, pears and quince, wild mushrooms, cabbages and leeks. As the first frosts set in, warm, more complex foods become desired again.
An ode to apples
Curried leek and pumpkin soup with green apple and cilantro
Potato, sweet potato and beet pancakes with apple compote and "sour cream" with dill
Fig, apple, pear, plum ,grapes and walnuts in apple-cider syrup with vanilla walnut pound cake
III. Vegan World Cuisine
The cuisine of every country or region is a reflection of the living atmosphere that exists and everything participates in its creation: the color of the sky, the sun, the scents of the nature that surrounds the area, the people and their culinary heritage and of course the spices, herbs,grains,fruits and vegetables of the land.
Each of these classes includes hands-on cooking instruction, a recipe notebook and either lunch or dinner. The fee is 145 euros and discounts from 10-20% of total price are available when several people sign up together or you sign up for two or more classes.
A. French - Country
French cuisine is extremely rich and diverse. This variety comes from the exceptional range of ingredients grown in France as well as its long history at the crossroads of European and world trade routes. The French have always loved vegetables and fruits and have finely tuned culinary techniques which respect their flavor. Although it takes some adaptation, making meals with a distinct French flavor is open to the vegan cook. We will make dishes that capture the spirit of the different regions of France from Normandy in the north-west with its apples, pears and root vegetables to Provence in the South with its tomatoes and zucchini, apricots and melons, garlic and thyme.
artichokes with diced crudites vinaigrette
truffled wild mushrooms over whipped beans and potatoes
sauteed herb-marinated seitan with spinach and caramelized shallots
apple galettes with apple liqueur icecream
B. From Marrakech to Tunis - the cuisine of Northern Africa
Moroccan cuisine's roots go back nearly two thousand years, and have been influenced by Persian, Turkish and other Mediterranean cultures. Spices are used voluptuously, and in particular saffron, cumin and coriander. Their scent, their color and their savour give a singular personality to the dishes they become part of and have bestowed upon Morocco the reputation of possessing the worlds most sensuous cuisine.
dried pea soup with cumin and argan oil
fennel, pumpkin, onion and carrot tagine
saffron -lemon potatoes
orange, fig and date salad with orange-almond cake
C. Caribbean - Island to island fusion cuisine
The cuisine of the Caribbean Islands is simple, straight-forward and natural. It is a fabulous and savory fusion of flavors and textures originating in the culinary traditions of all the peoples who have come through these islands throughout the centuries. From the Orient and Africa it has borrowed the spices, from the native Caribbean Indians and Aztecs it has inherited its exotic fruits and vegetables and these were combined with the influence of traditions of other visiting nations to produce a cuisine of multiple savours, strong sensations and colorful names that resemble the people who live there.
- red Hibiscus drink
- Cuban Picadillo appetizer with avocado and tomatoes
- malanga croquettes with lime
- Jamaican Yuca Shepherd's pie
- coconut cakes with mojitos ice cream
D. Mediterranean - from port to port
The cuisines of the mediterranean are colorful and open, and have through the centuries largely influenced each other through constant commerce between ports. They all make ample use of herbs, olive oil and vegetables, fruits, grains and beans from their sun-drenched fields. These cuisines are amongst the healthiest and most popular in the world today and they work very well for the vegan cook. This class is much fun as we do a bit of picking and choosing to make up the menus. What is certain is that even in the dead of the winter you can feel the Mediterranean sun shining through everything we will prepare.
- Mediterranean lima bean salad
- eggplant puree with walnuts
- greek-style tomatoe-zucchini fritters with cashew -cucmber dip
- harvest pumpkin- chestnut olive puree
- orzo and wild rice pilaf with leeks, raisins and walnuts
- couscous with pistachios and apricots
- figue comme sikinos
E. India - a journey from Rajasthan to Kerala
India is the country of a hundred nations and dialects, a thousand religions and two thousand gods and has given this same incredible diversity to its multiple regional cuisines. It is the land of spices and curries that is reputed "to make people fall in love, give back vitality to the aging, heal those tired and weary". We will journey throughout these cuisines from that of the Rajasthan in the north with its coriander and corn through regions of fiery foods redolent of spices and chiles and arrive in what is referred to as the Prince of the Earth - the Kerala - called a vegetarian heaven as it is overflowing with fruits and vegetables and very delicate flavors.
Cauliflower Bhajis with cucumber soy yogurt raita
Spiced pumpkin with garbanzo beans
South Indian stuffed pepers with mango chutney
coconut cardamom rice pudding
F. Italy
The culinary spirit of Italy from the northern regions of Piedmont to the Naples in the south has thoroughly seduced cooks around the world. The cuisines of this beautiful country are abundant in flavors of basil, garlic, olive oil and rosemary, and luscious dishes created with simplicity and incredible talent out the of fresh produce from this warm and generous land.
-mushroom, artichoke white bean and leek ragout
- eggplant rollatini with spinach and pine nuts
- green pea and lemon risotto with roasted red
peppers
- seitan piccata with olives and green beans
- fig smushed -anise almond cookies
- lemon-thym granita or ice cream
G. American Comfort - from Maine to Louisiana
American cuisine has gone through radical change during the last 25 years and those who have worked for this can be proud to have fostered a sincere love of good produce and regionally inspired tastes in the American cook. We will in a sense be on a road trip, going from region to region, from New England , down the eastern coast and then across the country through bayou country, the mid and then northwestern states again discovering the foods that are common to the area and the culinary traditions brought in by the people who settled there.
- the worlds best potato and tomato salad
- baked BBQ tofu with apricot bbq sauce
- herb roasted corn on the cob
- sauteed collards
- red, white and blue berry pie with vanilla ice-cream
H. Middle eastern - Egypt and Lebanon
Both these countries have marvelous farmers and have a long tradition of loving a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Bean and grain cuisine have been brought to perfection here .
- baba ghanouj with cucumbers with soy yogurt and mint
- artichokes with lemon and mint
- black olives
- lentils and rice with caramelized onions and spiced pita crisps
- rose water ice cream with pistachio rose water cookies and chopped pistachios and candied roses
I. Southwest Usa and Central America -from Oaxaca to Santa Fe
The cuisines of Mexico and Central America are surprisingly varied. Tortillas,beans and chiles of all colors, shapes and sizes, serve as the base to colorful and delicious dishes made of the vast quantities of fruits and vegetables that grow in the region.
Mexicain food has its origins in the cuisines of the New world - Maya, Aztec, Caribbean - and of the people who colonized the land - the French and British and Spanish. We will work not only on regional cooking but on traditional and very contemporary examples of this vastly popular southwestern cuisine.
- black bean-avocado salad stacks
- chile cornmeal-crusted tofu
- southwestern corn pudding
- green pumpkin-seed mole
- papaya granite with tequila
- Mexican wedding cookies
J. Far East I - Japan and China
In China, eating is not only nourishing one's body. It is a daily act that follows a philosophy of harmony, textures and savors. China boasts four very different regional cuisines, from the delicate and gentle Cantonese cuisine, to the cuisine of the North, centered on former Peking with its abundance of noodles, tofu and wheat and then to the fiery cuisine of Sichuan.
The Japanese show utmost respect for the foods they eat , and pay great attention to their nutritional qualities as well as the esthetic of how food is presented. Food is the link between man and nature. More than any other peoples the Japanese follow the natural rhythms of the seasons in their food choices so as to have the best foods of the most extreme freshness.
Inspired by this we will attempt to recreate dishes having the same esthetic and culinary harmony and quality.
- spicy tempeh nori rolls
- chinese noodle salad with citrus and spicy peanuts
- kabocha-udon winter stew
- lychees with ginger - sake sorbet
K. Far East II - du mekong au Bangkok
Thailand has five quite distinct culinary regions but for most of us, the word "thai " evokes thoughts of a green paradise and dishes redolent of lemon grass, lime, coconut cream, asian eggplant and fiery chiles and spices. In Vietnam, floating markets literally are overflowing with produce.
- Thai coconut soup
- vegetable spring rolls with spicy peanut dipping sauce
- green papaya salad
- thai pattypan and eggplant stew with lemon grass and coconut milk
- fiery stir-fried tempeh lemongrass noodles
- jasmine rice
- coconut sorbet with candied lime, ginger and pineapple
L.Eastern and Northern European
Eastern European cooking is what we crave every time the weather gets chilly or it begins to rain. Just the idea of warm, crispy potato and other root vegetable pancakes with a dollop of soy cream and a spoonful of fresh apple compote is enough make us ready to brave the elements again!
- autumn Latkes
- potato Latkes
- apple compote
- horseradish-dill "sour cream"
- sauerkraut tempeh with stewed tomato
- cold peach soup
- cherry compote with "cream cheese" cakes
2010
January classes
Saturday2nd
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
The Vegan Resolution
food-tastings and conference on the multiple reasons to begin the year off on a vegan diet
2-5pm
Tuesday 5th
Vegan Basics: Introduction to a Plant-based cuisine with a Mediterranean dinner theme
7-10:30 PM (dinner included)
Saturday 9th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Introduction to dessert cuisine
2-5pm
Tuesday 12th
Vegan Basics: Mastering Tofu, Tempeh and Seitan
5-10:30pm (dinner included)
Saturday 16th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: the art of vegan baking I
2-5pm
Tuesday 19th
Vegan Basics: Glorious Grain and Beautiful Bean Cuisine
5-10:30pm
Saturday 23rd
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Chocolate Euphoria
2-5pm
Tuesday 26th
Vegan Basics : Nuts and Seeds
5-10:30pm
Saturday 30th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Winter fruit extravaganza
2-5pm
February classes
Tuesday 2nd
Vegan Basics: Hot and creamy "cheezy" dishes
5-10:30pm
Saturday 6th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Cold and hot creamy desserts
2-5pm
Tuesday 9th
Vegan Basics:Winter vegetable extravaganza
7-10:30pm
Saturday 13th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Chocolate Euphoria
2-5pm
Tuesday 16th
Vegan Basics : Introduction to a plant-based cuisine with a French-based dinner theme
7-10:30pm
Saturday 20th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: The art of vegan baking
2-5pm
Tuesday 23rd
Vegan Basics - Mastering the art of Tofu, tempeh ad seitan
7-10:30pm
Saturday 27th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Introduction to dessert cuisine
2-5pm
March classes
Tuesday2nd
Vegan Basics: Introduction to a Plant-based cuisine with a Mediterranean dinner theme
7-10:30 PM (dinner included)
Saturday 6th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Introduction to dessert cuisine
2-5pm
Tuesday 9th
Vegan Basics: Mastering Tofu, Tempeh and Seitan
7-10:30pm (dinner included)
Saturday 13th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: the art of vegan baking I
2-5pm
Tuesday 16th
Vegan Basics: Glorious Grain and Beautiful Bean Cuisine
7-10:30pm
Saturday 20th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Chocolate Euphoria
2-5pm
Tuesday 23rd
Vegan Basics : Nuts and Seeds
7-10:30pm
Saturday 27th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan:Early Spring Fruit Extravaganza
2-5pm
Tuesday30th
Vegan Basics: Hot and creamy "cheezy" dishes
7-10:30pm
April classes
Saturday 3rd
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Cold and hot creamy desserts
2-5pm
Tuesday 6th
Vegan Basics:Early Spring Vegetable Extravaganza
7-10:30pm
Saturday 13th
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
Sweet Vegan: Chocolate Euphoria
2-5pm
- May classes
The 2010 low-fat Vegan challenge: class and lunch
11am-1pm
- June classes
