Yay! The second cooking class was even more successful than the first. Another person brought their significant other to share in the experience and we had four additional new guest. It was a full house, or shall I say, kitchen. If you would like to learn more about the first cooking class you may do so here.

If you have followed the Don’t Fear the Vegan for any length of time, you are probably aware of the fact that I have played with a raw food diet a few times. I called the class “Almost Raw” because I am pretty sure that I am not following it perfectly. Spices confuse me and I am still not sure if maple syrup is really raw. What I can say is that I did not cook anything, though there were a few items dehydrated to 118 degrees. I explained what it means to be raw and where I thought my recipes may be questionable.

Unlike the last class, which was completely free, I asked all the participants to bring a piece of fruit or vegetable to contribute for the juice and a nut that was assigned before hand that they needed to soak. The menu included fresh juice, Sprouted Rye Dehydrated Bread, Pizza Kale Chips, Spicy Cream of Tomato Raw Soup, Non-toxic Coleslaw, Brazil Nut “Tuna,” Smokey Pecan Wraps,  and two recipes that I created just for the class: Tropical Truffles and Spiced Maple Ice Cream (See recipes below).

The class was a lot of fun and if nothing else, everyone walked away surprised at how creamy things were without the use of dairy. For the next class I have been asked to teach about vegan baking. We will be doing both gluten and gluten free recipes. It will be held on March 26th and there will be a $5 fee to cover expenses. If you are going to be in the Salem area, we would love to have you. Contact me for the information.

I would like to give a special shout out to local musician Molly Kate for handling the photography for the class. Check her out here.

Spiced Maple Ice Cream & Katie

Spiced Maple Ice Cream
2 cups raw cashews soaked for 8 hours
1 cup water
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 vanilla bean scraped
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a high powered blender. Blend on high for a few minutes, until creamy. Poor into a freezer safe container. If you are not going to use it all at once, freeze in smaller portions. Freeze a minimum of two hours or until solid. Before serving let sit out a few minutes to soften. Makes 4 servings.

Tropical Truffles

Tropical Truffles
1 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp water
10 oz Dry roasted unsalted macadamias (I could not find raw)
1 cup dry, unsweetened coconut
1 cup dried pineapple
2 dates
2 tbsp coconut nectar (you may also use agave or maple syrup)
1/4 cup vegan white chocolate (optional)

Optional coating:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix chia seeds with water and set aside for fifteen minutes. Place ingredients from macadamias to white chocolate in food processor with an “S” blade. Turn on until it has clumped together in a dough. Stop to scrape sides occasionally.

Once in a dough, roll a teaspoon at a time. If you want coating mix sugar and cinnamon together and roll truffles into the mixture. Makes 48 balls. Will keep for 7 days in a sealed container.