Italian with a Twist Cooking Class

Well it happened...it's been many months of hard work and I finally had the chance to teach my first cooking class after joining forces with Kaleidoscope Associates and Distinctive Kitchens, located in Downtown Pensacola, FL.

It was titled a "Lunch & Learn" and took place in front of a sold out class of 30 people. I couldn't believe it...people were eager to eat the food that I had made and wanted to know how I made it. What a great feeling! If any of you are reading this post...Thank you SO much for coming. I don't think you'll ever know how much that day truly meant to me. This may seem like just a little blog and the class was something small but this is only the beginning! It's corny, but my mom always told me since I was very little that I could do anything I ever wanted. Who knew? She was right! This little blog has turned into something so much more. I've begun to build a career and live a dream I never knew I had.

...well that paragraph got pretty deap. Back to the class details...

The deal was that guests paid $15.00 which included an appetizer, entree and dessert. The recipes were also given to each guest to keep so they could cook the dishes later at home.

First up was a simple salad which included these ingredients:

-balsamic vinegar

-olive oil

-garlic

-sliced tomatoes

-crushed cashews (I forgot to bring my almonds! ugh...but the cashews were still delicious)

-carrots

-spinach

-arugula

Piece of cake! Below are some pictures of the ingredients I used.

 

 


Next up was my own Grilled Eggplant Lasagna (see my previous post for more pictures)

Ingredients:

-1 container of Egg-less Lasagna

-6 bella mushrooms, chopped

-1 package of organic super firm tofu (Nasoya brand)

-1 26. oz jar of Marinara Organic Pasta Sauce

-5 handfuls of spinach

-1 zucchini, chopped

-1 eggplant, skinned and chopped

-1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

-4 tbsp minced garlic

-2/3 cup water

-4 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 cup of Nutritional Yeast

-1 tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance)

-Salt and pepper as needed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat

3. Add 2 tbsp garlic and cook 1 minute

4. Add chopped mushrooms and spinach, cook until spinach becomes wilted (about 4 minutes)

5. Remove skillet from heat and set aside

6. Cook lasagna as instructed on the box and set aside for later

7. In a blender, add 2 tbsp garlic, tofu, yeast, water, basil and the cooked mushrooms and spinach

8. Blend until smooth, add salt and pepper to taste

9. Using the same skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive then cook zucchini and eggplant for 3-4 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste

10. Combine tofu spinach mixture, tomato sauce, zucchini and eggplant and mix lightly with a spoon

11. Line lasagna pan with non-stick aluminum foil

12. Layer the lasagna by alternating between noodles and the sauce mixture, starting with the sacue until all sauce is completely gone

13. Cover with tin foil, cook 25 minutes

14. Remove foil, sprinkle 1/3 cup of additional nutritional yeast and cook another 10 minutes

Done!

Last but not least was the dessert which I have to give credit to the Hungry Hungry Hippie. Her blog is a great one to follow and her cheesecake post is one to check out!

(I did make a few changes so here is my recipe below)

Ingredients:

-1 container of "Wholly Wholesome" Graham Cracker Pie Crust

-1 cup of water soaked cashews

-4 oz Extra Firm Tofu

-4 oz of Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese

-4 oz of Tofutti Vegan Sour Cream

-2 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

-1 tbsp vanilla extract

-2/3 cup agave nectar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth

3. Add mixture gently to pie crust

4. Bake for 15 minutes, then an additional 15 minutes at 250 degrees

Be sure to follow my Facebook Page for upcoming cooking classes. There's going to be plenty more in the future!

Enjoy!

-Joanna