This week the vegetarian class created delicious dairy free desserts. In all the recipes animal products were substituted with a suitable non dairy alternative such as tofu (silken, firm), soy milk, tofu cream cheese, tofutti cream cheese and coconut milk.

Lemon Cream Tartlet with Raspberry Coulis and fresh Lemon Slices and Splet Flour Crust.

Pina Colada Bar with Pineapple Topping, Soy Caramel Sauce, Raspberry Coulis and Toasted Coconut

Lemon Silky “Cheese” Cake with a Summer Berry Sauce

Sweet Potato Spice Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Topping and Fudge Vegan Brownie

Tempeh in coconut curry sauce with Basmati rice and Spinach and Sesame Seed Salad

Glazed Maple mustard tempeh  with Lacinto Kale  And Sweet Potato Mash

Tempeh with Mole sauce, Savory Winter Squash and Apple mousse paired with Braised Green Beans

Stuffed Pableno Peppers with Swiss Chard

Sample Plates

This week we learned how to make vegan ice creams, and cookies. These ice creams are just as delicious as dairy frozen custards, ice creams, and cookies. These ice creams and cookies have no dairy, eggs or any animal products. But still have that delicious creamy texture, and amazing flavor profiles.

Enjoy!

This is a Mexican Chocolate Ice cream, this is a delicious creamy rich chocolate ice cream with a cayenne pepper and cinnamon twist to it, that gives it a little kick. We also have Oatmeal raisin cookies that have a nice chew and sweetness to them.

This ice cream is a spin on a classic vanilla ice cream. This is Vanilla ice cream with a Tofu Base. This ice cream is paired with a dark chocolate hazelnut cookie that is a rich crispy cookie.

Aloha! This Mango Pineapple Pina colada ice cream dish takes you back to a tropical island. This ice cream is flavor packed with mango, pineapples, coconut milk, and rum. Served with a refreshing Pinapple rum compote. Also for some crunch we have Lemon Rosemary cookies.

This is a spin on a classic Rum Raisin Ice cream, and Tuile cookie. This is a very rich and creamy ice cream with coconut milk base and raisins soaked in rum topped with toasted coconut on a bed of Bristy Brittles.

Cinnamon Freeze and Maple Pecan Sable Cookies. This Ice cream is so rich and creamy from arrowroot as a thickener base with cinnamon and Chinese five spice flavors. These crumbly cookies are a great side to this ice cream the maple and pecan taste great with the cinnamon ice cream.

Thank you to all who helped make this happen! I hoped that everyone enjoyed learning how to make vegan ice creams and cookies.

This week we created dishes using Seitan meat substitute. The previous week we prepped our meat substitute and this week we learned several different ways of applying it to meals using traditional animal products. Seitan is a wheat gluten product that mimics the texture of meat and when flavored correctly can mimic specific dishes.

Seitan Scallopini with Capers and Lemon served with Celeriac and Potato Puree, Balsamic Glazed Onions, and Southern Style Kale

The Seitan for this dish was first butchered into thin “cutlets” and lightly floured. Then they were pan-fried with the sauce made in the same skillet. This dish is a play off of traditional veal scallopini.

Seitan Roast Stuffed with Shiitakes and Leeks served with Duchess Parsnips, Peas Asparagus and Radicchio, and topped with Mushroom Sauce

Resembling a roulade the loaf was made with a different seitan then the rest of the dishes. It was made with the addition of pinto beans.

Swedish Seitan Meatballs served with Spinach Egg Noodles and Carrots in Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

These handmade spinach egg noodles was made by first cooking the spinach and making essentially a puree out of it. Then kneading it with flour salt and egg.

Marinated Seitan Skewers with a Chimichurri Citurs-Herb Sauce

The Seitan was marinated in a basic Chimichurri marinade with lemon, cilantro, and garlic. The skewers were then grilled to give them a charred, smokey flavor.

Seiten Bourguignon with Roasted Pepper Quinoa Pilaf

The seitan was seared and stewed in the traditional french way with reduced red wine, our rich vegetarian brown stock, and vegetables. This made for a nice “meaty” tasting stew.

Overall, the class did a great job working with an ingredient that none of us were very familiar with, and came out with very delicious dishes.

Introduction to Plant Based Proteins.

Thank you for everyone coming early and on time to class. As the chef, I went over the menu, the proteins of each item, and my article regarding Healthier Cereals Snare a Spot on New York School Menus.

First, we had a demo from Professor Hoffman on how to make the seitan dough. Then each group prepared their seitan, seitan wheatballs, and the swedish wheatball. While they all were simmering away in our broths, Professor Hoffman demo how to make tofu. Every group’s seitan turned out different either it was the color, shape or texture. The end product of the tofu was a little bitter and the color of the tofu was darker than the Mori Nu tofu we have used and seen.

Professor Hoffman reviewed next week’s menu and procedures.

Thank you for everyone’s hard work.

        Carrot Almond Spread                                                           Artichoke Pesto

    Mushroom and Cashew Pate                            Rosemary-Almond White Bean Spread

Sunflower Seed and Sundried Tomato Pate                 Vegetarian Chopped Liver

 Herb-Crusted Peppercorn Lentil-Nut Pate                                 Moutabel

                     Skordalia                                            Carrot Spread with Harissa and Pistachios

Demo station

Sweet Potato Masal with Tomato Sauce and Fried Egg Topped with Arugular

Orange, Apricot, Coconut Muffin

Chickpea Crepe with Roasted Butternut Squash, Mushroom and Sage filling

Served with Aoili sauce

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffin

Savory Eggplant and Fetal Kugel

Banana Chocolate Chips Muffin

Tofu Scramble (+ Vegan Italian Sausage) with Yukon Gold and Sweet Potatoes Home Fries

Served with Rancheros Sauce

Cranberry Corn Muffin