On week 5, Maurilio and I were the two chefs of the day. Each teams produced seitan products including: basic seitan, seitan wheatballs, kind-to-cows seitan, and smoky sausages. In addition, Professor Hoffman did a step by step demonstration on making tofu.

Basic Seitan is a wheat-based product that is high in protein. The process of making this product is by mixing wheat gluten, seasonings, and flavored liquid (vegetarian stock). The dough is boiled in seasoned liquid or vegetarian stock for about 1 hour.

Tofu Demonstration:

The first step of making tofu is by rinsing and soaking soybeans overnight in water. The bean mixture is pureed and cooked for 10 minutes.

The mixture gets strained using a damp cheesecloth and then squeezed to remove all of the excess soy milk.

The soy milk is placed back on the stove to cook until it reaches 150-155 degrees F. Nigari is added to coagulate the soy milk

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The soybean curds gets transferred to a tofu press lined with muslin cloth. The curds gets pressed using a 2 1/2 lbs of weight for about 35 minutes to create a firm texture.

The final product: TOFU

On week#9, I had the opportunity to run the kitchen as  the chef  alongside  my helpful assistant Cherrish, the steward who made sure all the products was brought in on time. Our production day was quite short due to the snow day the week prior having to affect the class schedule and with this the class was split into two teams. Team A, prepared the Tofu Crabby Cakes, Simple Slaw and a Quick Remoulade sauce while Team B prepared the Tofu Quiche with a Toss Salad and a Mustard Vinaigrette dressing.

Here are some picture shown below:

The class was on time, thank goodness.  Can’t say that I was. I’ve been a bit bogged down lately. Everyone seems to be showing patience. I’m so glad to come to my classes. This school is amazing, especially the staff. Its gonna be hard to find such fine class of people.

This week’s production consists of Seitan. We have Seitan Scaloppini, Swedish Seitan Wheat balls, Fake-out Take-out Sesame Seitan with Broccoli and Seitan Roast. We all have a good time making the productions. The best part is in the end when we get  to try our creations. Since I’ve been coming to this class I lost 10 lbs. The health benefits are compounded. Not only do I get to become more healthier, I create new friends and learn valuable lessons. When I look at the things we are making I feel such a joy. Loving you helps you to appreciate all the good you do for yourself. Cooking and eating healthy is a testament to your character. We’ve done many good things in this class. I only hope to continue with this lifestyle as I move on through life. Don’t get too many chances at opportunities, so we have to seize the ones that do come by. We are all working hard to make these dishes fabulous. All the time in preparing and planning to get that right flavor and texture is a science. I know we enjoy being here. If you get a chance to try some of our creations please share your thoughts.

Good day to you all, and keep up the good work. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of your life.