Cooking Lesson

Yesterday I was pleased to give a cooking lesson to someone celebrating his one-year vegan anniversary. Hooray!  And congratulations!  It's always fun cooking with someone who considers this new way of eating an adventure and is eager to learn more.

He decided on some recipes that could be incorporated into his weekly repertoire that were quick, easy, and versatile.   One such standard is Veggie Fried Rice with Tofu.  In this recipe, I explained how to bake the tofu first so it wouldn't fall apart during the sauteeing process.  Any veggies can be used, but we chose the complimentary broccoli and carrot combo.

Since he wanted to learn how to make some tempeh recipes, I shared two of my favorites.  The first is Pan-fried "Fish Cakes" with Remoulade.  I think they're awesome, and I've been told they're even better than the real thing since they're not as rich and heavy.  As an added bonus, since the ingredients are safe to eat uncooked, the crumbled mixture makes a pretty decent substitute for tuna salad.

Another tempeh recipe we did was Tempeh and Broccoli with Indonesian Peanut Sauce and Rice Noodles.  This can be eaten hot or cold, and it's really easy to assemble.  The sauce can be used on noodles, or even as a dipping sauce for dumplings or summer rolls.  I love the sweet and spicy flavors  combined with the velvety creaminess of the peanut butter.

I was told all of these recipes came out delicious... and the only trouble was resisting the temptation to eat them all in one sitting, because they needed to make it to work the next day.  I wonder what the co-workers comments were like when they saw these creations!