Cooking in the City

It's been awhile since I've taken a class at The Natural Gourmet in New York, a culinary school which offers chef training as well as public classes in vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, and gluten-free foods.   So when I found myself with a free afternoon recently, I decided to hop on the train in search of inspiration.

This evening's three-hour excursion was a course called "Easy Go-To Vegan Sauces" taught by former executive chef of Angelica Kitchen, Peter Berley.  Sauces are essential for the vegan chef.  Once you master a few outstanding recipes, you can pretty much expand your repertoire of meals simply by varying one or two ingredients or even how the sauce itself is utilized as a component in a dish.  What follows is a visual summary of some of the classic sauces and accompaniments we learned how to make.

Roasted Red Pepper Rouille 

(served here with crudites, but can also be paired with roasted vegetables or baked tofu)

Creamy Red Lentil Dal Over Brown Rice (can also be served as a soup)

Coconut Curry Sauce on Paprika Tempeh (this would be great with tofu and lots of veggies)

 Tangy Carrot Ginger Sauce with Millet Sunflower Seed Croquettes  

(I'd eat this sauce as a soup, or it would be nice with a veggie stir-fry)