Holiday sale, vegan classes, new services, gift certificates, and more!

It's been a wonderful year for Well on Wheels, but we couldn't have done it without you! As we enter into the holiday season once again, keeping an eye toward all things healthy and vegan, we would like to extend warm wishes to you and your family. Please make the most of the holidays and enjoy a healthy and peaceful new year!

Vegan for the Holidays Class
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The holidays can be a stressful time if you're the lone vegan in your family. Not to worry! In this class you will learn how to dress up plates with garnishes, sauces and edible flowers, hilight recipe versatility, create culinary balance through color, taste, and texture, and make food appealing for even the most skeptical nonvegans.

COST: $10 per person
NOTE: Seating is limited. Please RSVP to reserve your space.

Discounts and New Services
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If you've been struggling with sticking with your goal to be vegan or you're a long-time vegan looking for a healthy reboot, I can help! My Wellness Jumpstart has been a popular option for those who want to get started with a healthy weight loss program or learn quick meal planning techniques to make cooking stress-free.

Many people find that having hands-on instruction in cooking techniques is absolutely essential for learning how to make healthy eating easy. As a holiday bonus, this month I'm offering a discount on private cooking lessons and cooking parties. Schedule your lesson for December or January and take $25 off the regular price for a 2-hour private lesson or group cooking party. [Use Discount Code: HOLIDAYS]

I am also offering a new service of online wellness coaching via Skype for just $50 an hour. We'll set goals, identify triggers, create action steps for overcoming obstacles, and establish an easy to incorporate plan for success.

Gift Certificates
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Know someone who would like guidance on making the vegan transition? Let them know you care by purchasing a Gift Certificate for private cooking lessons, group cooking party, Wellness Jumpstart, or personal chef services which can be scheduled at their convenience. Contact me for details. 

Recipe: Vegan Thanksgiving Loaf with Mashed Potatoes and Crimini Mushroom Gravy

Wondering what to serve a vegan for Thanksgiving? This stress-free meal features a vegan twist on traditional holiday favorites like turkey and mashed potatoes and is accompanied by roasted seasonal vegetables topped with a luscious crimini mushroom gravy that everyone will enjoy.  I guarantee you’ll love this so much you may want to start a new tradition hosting a vegan ThanksLiving each year. 

Watch me demonstrate how to make the recipe here.

Holiday Loaf

Follow package directions on your favorite plant-based holiday loaf, such as Gardein’s holiday loaf, Field Roast’s celebration roast, or Tofurky roast. Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and crimini mushroom gravy. 

Mashed Potatoes (serves 2)

3 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 Tbl Earth Balance margarine

salt to taste (approx. 1/2 tsp)

Bring large pot of water to a boil, add potatoes potato, and boil on media high heat for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain and mash together with margarine.  Gradually add enough almond milk to whip smooth.  Add salt to taste.  

Mushroom Gravy (serves 4)

1-2 Tbl olive oil

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

3 Tablespoons tamari

1 1/2 cups water

2 Tablespoons tahini 

In a medium sauce pot, sauté mushrooms and garlic in olive oil until soft.  Combine cornstarch, tamari and water in a cup.  Add to pot and heat until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and gradually whisk in tahini.  

Recipe: Shaved Brussels Sprout Slaw

I made this recipe back in early spring, but it also works well for the fall season.  The cool weather veggies like kale, Brussels sprouts, and endive go nicely with crisp, tart apples this time of year, and both can be found in this recipe.

You can watch me make this recipe on the WWLP-TV Mass Appeal cooking segment here:

http://wwlp.com/2016/03/11/spring-slaw-salad/

Shaved Brussels Sprout Slaw with Lemon  Vinaigrette 

1 Honeycrisp apple, cut into wedges and thinly sliced

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed, thinly shaved

1 endive, thinly sliced

2-3 large leaves lacinato kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced into ribbons

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

For Dressing:

1 Tbl lemon 

1-2 Tbl agave syrup

1 Tbl apple cider vinegar

2-3 Tbl extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp sea salt

In a large bowl, whisk lemon juice, agave, cider vinegar, olive oil and salt, until completely blended. Add apple, Brussels sprouts, kale, endive, cranberries and pecans. Toss gently to mix.

Note: Shaved Brussels sprouts, sliced kale and endive can be combined ahead of time, stored in a ziplock bag, or covered and stored in fridge. When ready to serve, simply toss with remaining ingredients.

Photo Shoot

I'm thrilled to have the talented vegan photographer Annika Lundqvist of Vegan for All Seasons doing the photos for my new cookbook. Here's Annika in action and a sneak preview of some of the shots that will soon grace the cover:

Natural Gourmet Cooking Class: Tea Time!

I was back in the city this weekend to attend a cooking class at the Natural Gourmet Institute.  It's been quite awhile since I've been there, and it was great to be back.  I remember my first experience cooking in a commercial kitchen many, many years ago and feeling thrilled to use all the fancy equipment and experience the hustle and bustle of a production kitchen.  It's like being on the set of "Chopped."

Chef Ann Nunziata, pastry chef of the renowned all-vegan Ravens Restaurant, was our instructor. She offered a wealth of knowledge and tips for baking with natural ingredients such as maple sugar, coconut oil, and applesauce. We made a wide array of desserts including ice cream, brownies, cookies, scones, cake, and cheesecake.  

I think my favorite was the Lemon Cheesecake with Pecan Crust and Cherry Compote.

Our two teams also produced Pumpkin Crumb Cake, Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Cinnamon Chocolate Pecan Brownies, Orange Cranberry Scones, Chai Spiced Ice Cream and Peach Ice Cream.

If you ever want to learn about natural foods and get some experience cooking in a commercial kitchen, I highly recommend taking a class at the Natural Gourmet.    

Recipe: Maple Bourbon BBQ Jackfruit

As we head towards Labor Day and get ready to fire up the grill on last time for the summer, we think about recipes that will keep the lazy days of summer lingering just a little bit longer.  This recipe for BBQ jackfruit is all of that.  It's smoke like an outdoor barbecue, but it's made indoors on the stove top, so it's very versatile.  I enjoy serving it in Vietnamese bahn mi along with a crunchy cole slaw.

From start to finish it takes about 30 minutes to make. You can watch how simple it is to prepare on the video link below.

Making BBQ Jackfruit on WWLP TV's Mass Appeal

Feel free to modify the heat level to your taste.  I use Sriracha in the BBQ sauce, but you can add cayenne pepper, Habanero, or even some ghost chilis if you're daring.  Substitute molasses for the maple syrup if you want a richer sweetness, or even try seasonal fruit like peaches pureed into the mix.

It's a versatile BBQ sauce which you'll also love on baked tofu, grilled portobello mushrooms, or stewed in a pot with chickpeas.  If you can't find canned young jackfruit, you can substitute sautéed eggplant and shiitake mushroom.

BBQ Sauce

7 oz. tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 Tbl bourbon
2 Tbl tamari
2 Tbl maple syrup
3 Tbl apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Sriracha
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp sea salt

Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth, adding water as necessary to achieve pourable consistency.

Jackfruit with BBQ Seasoning
(serves 2-4)

20 oz. can of jackfruit in brine
1 Tbl Sucanat
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1-2 Tbl olive oil
1 cup onion, sliced into half moons
1 clove garlic, minced

In a large bowl, mix together Sucanat, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. then set aside. Drain jackfruit, remove any seeds, and mix with seasonings in the bowl. In a large pot or skillet set on medium heat, heat oil and sauté onion for several minutes until soft. Add garlic and jackfruit and sauté several minutes. Add about 3/4 cup of the BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup water and stir together with jackfruit mixture. Cover pot, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Stir mixture every 5-10 minutes to prevent sticking and cook until jackfruit has softened and easily pulls apart. Turn up heat to medium high at the end to reduce sauce and concentrate flavors while stirring constantly. Serve with veggie slaw.

2nd Annual CompassionFest

I was thrilled to return to the 2nd annual CompassionFest in Hamden, CT yesterday which was bigger and better than ever with over 75 vendors, fabulous speakers including Our Hen House's Jasmin Singer, delicious vegan food, and a slew of workshops for anyone interested in living a more compassionate life. Thank you to the organizers for all of their hard work in making this labor of love a success and for everyone who attended.  Together we are creating a compassionate world.

I spoke about the obstacles many of us face as vegans living in a nonvegan world which received a strong response. Many people could relate to feeling isolated and alienated, but everyone left with a sense of connection and support from the CompassionFest community.  If you missed my presentation "How to Cook Vegan for Nonvegan Family and Friends," you can view it here:

 

Here are a few highlights from the day's activities.

The Toivo team

G-Monkey vegan food truck

The CompassionFest greeters

vegan-friendly body art

Direct Action Everywhere (DxE)

Vegan CT

Ed Cleveland's soundscape

Jasmine Singer

 

The Bunnoli

setting up for the livestream of my presentation on Vegan Publishers

Vegetarian Summerfest Recap

It was an exciting week in Johnston, PA reuniting with vegan friends from across the country, meeting Facebook friends in person, and making new friends everywhere I went.  This truly feels like a family reunion of like-minded people, and it's always inspiring to know we are all connected.

Dr. Ted Barnett speaking about food politics and the medical industry

The speakers were fabulous, and as always I left with a million ideas I can't wait to implement right here at home.  Some of the highlights included many moving presentations, including those by Brenda Davis, RD, who shared her vegan story that almost ended her career but instead opened up a whole new world

The inspiring Brenda Davis 

"I am a vegan dietician because I want to help people succeed brilliantly in being vegan. I have an abiding commitment to human decency and social justice... Indifference is NOT an option." 

Victoria Moran, who gave a Broadway-worthy performance about becoming a "Main Street Vegan," Harold Brown leaving the audience choked up from his personal experience being raised on a cattle farm, and Dr. Ron Weiss who sold his medical practice to buy an organic farm and prescribe fruits and veggies to his patients, and Dr. Richard Oppenlander who gets more urgent each year describing how to be "Climate Smart" and reverse the catastrophic path humans are on.

James Laveck, co-founder of Tribe of Heart, introduced the concept of transformational nonviolence, which sees the connection among various social justice movements throughout history.  He referred to moving stories of Frederick Douglass and other former slaves who overcame their circumstances through determination and perseverance. 

 James Laveck, introducing the concept of transformational nonviolence  

This year's inductee into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame was Miyoko Schinner.  Recipients are chosen for their dedication to the vegan movement, advancement of veganism in society, and their animal activism.  We learned about Miyoko's humble beginnings as a pastry chef delivering cakes by bicycle in Tokyo to opening her own vegan restaurant in San Francisco, later selling it, and opening her fabulous vegan cheese company.

I was pleased to not only have my proposal for a presentation accepted, but also to be invited to give a cooking demonstration this year. My presentation "Cooking Vegan for Nonvegan Family and Friends" was well-received and followed with a lively discussion of personal examples of successes and tips for making familiar foods fabulous.

I had a ton of fun working with the kitchen crew at Summerfest to prep for my "Vegan Picnic" cooking demo.  The class flew by and everyone raved about the food.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when people stopped me throughout the week to tell me how much they enjoyed the class and the recipes.

Throughout the week we gorged ourselves on three vegan meals a day prepared by Chef Mark Reinfeld and crew, along with afternoon and evening snacks including samples of Miyoko's cheese, and lots of fresh watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.

If you've never been to Summerfest, I highly recommend attending next year.  I've previously gone for just the weekend, but after attending the full week this year, I think I'm going to have to make that a habit.  I hope to see you there!

early morning birdwatching

New Hampshire VegFest

It's vegfest season and I was happy to return to New Hampshire this weekend for my third time as a presenter at NH VegFest.  Attendance was regular and steady throughout the day, and I had a fabulous audience for debuting my new talk "Cooking Vegan for Nonvegan Family and Friends."  This is a topic that resonates with many of us.

Afterward I had some very touching conversations with people, including a couple who said this was their third time attending and they look forward to my talks every year (awwwww.....), a young woman who said she attended one of my talks and was inspired to start teaching inmates at a prison where she works how to make the vegan transition, a young man who bought my cookbook and said he refers to it ALL the time, and a woman who said that when I showed the slide "Main Course: Compassion" with a photo of Cesar Chavez and his dog, Boycott, who inspired him to become vegetarian, she almost cried.  I truly feel fortunate to be able to get to do what I do.

Thank you to everyone who attended and made this such a fun event.  Thank you also to Kathy DeRoches for all her hard work organizing the vegfest, the wonderful volunteers, vegan vendors and informative presenters, and Erica Ueberbacher for the photos.  I am so inspired now and can't wait to get started planning my next event!