vegan cooking class with chef lauren

eggplant involtini stuffed with cashew cheese plus panzanella salad 

last night i attended a fabulous italian-style vegan cooking demo with my friend, the ever-talented chef lauren at a local boutique olive oil shop. we wined, we dined, and we watched lauren work her culinary wizardry with fresh fruits and veggies. all her recipes were easy to make with a short list of ingredients, and every dish was designed for summer grilling.

fig and carmelized balsamic onion on artisan flatbread

the combination of sweet and savory was present in each course, which i think really helps make vegan dishes extra yummy. cold-press extra virgin olive oils and special vinegars infused with unique flavors added a special touch - like the vinaigrette for our panzanella salad was made with basil olive oil and blackberry pepper vinegar... and bonus! high-quality olive oils are super healthy!

figs are coming into season - i can't wait to grab a bushel and get to grilling. they are so delicious in just about any dish. i also learned how easy it is to make cashew cheese. lauren flavored hers with garlic and it was super rich and creamy - much more flavorful (and healthier) than regular ricotta cheese in the grilled eggplant involtini.

peaches with brown sugar oat crumble

i never knew that you could bake with olive oil instead of butter. lemon-infused olive oil was perfect in this brown sugar oat crumble that topped peach halves for dessert. after grilling, the peaches were drizzled with peach balsamic vinegar - so good! my snap of the peaches on the tray wasn't as crisp and clear as i would have liked, so i fussed with filters and tried to give it a more painterly effect.

i really liked all these vegan dishes - and the wine pairings were pretty awesome, too. great cooking class - cheers!

we olive store in walnut creek

10-point salmon and quinoa dinner

super deelish dinner last night! i seasoned the salmon with just a little rub of olive oil and basil (5 pts).
near east makes a lovely packaged blend of quinoa and brown rice (4 pts) that also has a bit of olive oil in the preparation.

i added another point or so with a teensy drizzle of ranch dressing on my steamed broccoli and sliced tomatoes. the tiny sprinkle of feta cheese crumbles on the quinoa adds a little more flavor for free.

another thing i liked about this meal was that it took less than 30 minutes to make!

2-point curried cauliflower

so i've been on a bit of a curry kick lately - i just love the flavor so much!

this whole dish is just 8 points - it splits into 4 very generous servings of 2 points each. it's just as good (even better) a side dish as mashed potatoes, i think.

•  1 head cauliflower - chopped, steamed and lightly mashed

•  mix in 1 cup light coconut milk (4 pts) and 2 tbsp melt® organic buttery spread (4 pts)

•  mix in 1+ tspn curry powder to taste, plus a little dried basil and sweet paprika on top to serve

5-point ham, spinach and polenta casserole

This casserole is assembled in layers like a lasagna with half a roll of ready-made polenta and my favorite - Mia's Kitchen vodka pasta sauce. It's all natural and I can only afford to buy it when it's on sale, but it's delicious! Mia's must have less heavy cream compared to other vodka sauces, because it scanned with fewer points. You could use a regular spaghetti or marinara sauce if you prefer.

I used natural, uncured honey ham lunchmeat, which is sliced super thin. Between the ham, feta cheese and sauce, you don't need any other seasonings. Serve it with a side salad and it's a delicious meal.

The whole casserole came to 18 points, which I rounded up to 20, just in case I was a little heavy-handed with sauce or polenta. Plus 20 is easier to divide into four 5-point servings. Measure out your ingredients first, so you don't accidentally go overboard - that way you know for sure that you can go back for seconds!

10-point sweet veggie curry with brown rice

oh my gourd, you guys - i whipped up this sweet veggie curry tonight and it was off-the-hook amazing! it's so healthy and it was the perfect blend of a little heat and a little sweet. this recipe makes one lovely bowl that will totally fill you up for dinner!

i buy the shelf-stable 7.5oz bowls of ready-made organic brown rice that you can just heat in the microwave for a minute to eat. brown rice is so good for you, but i always seem to burn the bottom when i try to make rice from scratch.

most of the fruits and veggies are free, and i listed the points next to the other yummies.

i like to use seasonings to taste, so you can adjust my measurements however you like, except for the sugar which will add a point or two if you increase that.