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

for the love of summer

nothing brightens up the kitchen like a colorful fruit bowl. last night all the organic produce at the grocery store looked really good, but i have to be careful not to buy too much. it's one thing to toss out regular fruits and veggies that go bad before i can eat them, but i really hate wasting the expensive organics.

i haven't blogged here in a really long time, which means i've been eating like crap and gaining weight. a big part of my problem has been sleep apnea. i was finally diagnosed last month and will be getting proper treatment any day now. i have been so tired every single day from the apnea - nothing feeds my appetite or keeps me from exercising like extreme fatigue.

so now that refreshing slumber will be part of my life again, i need to get back in gear with more walking, more plant-based meals, less meat, sugar and dairy and more fish. for example, summer is a really great time to swap out the cookies and ice cream for fresh fruit. i especially love pears, mangoes and nectarines - and a frozen banana blended with a bit of peanut butter and almond milk is just as yummy as anything ben and jerry can whip up.