Veg Chef-to-be

Slacker...

2009-11-23T10:45:00.002-05:00

Life as I know is chaos. I'm running here and there and back again. Spent some time up at the little house (see my other blog for more info) and I'm getting ready to visit the folks for Thanksgiving. This time it's a 9 hour (or so) drive. I'll likely leave around 4 am on Wednesday to avoid as much traffic as possible.As far as cooking goes, I've been relying on old standbys. Any and all

Notes to self:

2009-11-08T12:02:00.002-05:00

Vegan Dad's Grilled Mexican Tofu is even better the next day when it is mashed up and eaten like a sloppy joe. Oh, and check for foil before mixing up seitan sausages. Steaming in a bowl doesn't work very well.Off to make another batch of sausage!

Oops, I Did it Again...

2009-11-07T04:10:00.002-05:00

We ate Vegan Dad's Mexican Tofu.... AGAIN! I still haven't tried the beans he created with it, but that BBQ sauce is amazing! It was a little spicier than last time, but with a baked potato it is fantastic!A couple nights ago we were talking about a review of the book "Eating Animals" in some magazine (the name of it escapes me right now) and I mentioned remembering reading a review somewhere,

Roasted Corn Chowder

2009-11-04T15:19:00.005-05:00

I'm working hard at not being lazy these days. I was so tired earlier that I really wanted to take a nap around 11:30. Instead, I headed up to the kitchen and got busy. For quite a while, I've really wanted to veganize the Roasted Corn Chowder that we made in school. So, with original recipe and pencil in hand, I set to work in the kitchen. I also wanted to make the soup in a quantity that I

2009-11-03T14:21:00.001-05:00

Grilled Mexican TofuWords cannot express the awesomeness of this tofu!! We prepared it in a grill pan, and served the tofu (sans beans) over mixed greens and paired with guacamole. I added a baked potato so I could cover it in the BBQ sauce. It was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. The leftovers made fantastic sandwiches for lunch today!Thanks VeganDad! Another wonderful recipe!

Into a new month and a new direction

2009-11-03T09:45:00.002-05:00

I fell off the Vegan MoFo bandwagon and took a nose dive straight into the crazy world of my life. Things have changed a bit for me. I'm living in this little city, yet I still have a house 7 hours from here that I have been trying to sell. Nothing was happening with the house and I got very little feed back from the realtor. So he's fired, and when my lease ends here, I'm headed back there

VeganMoFo - Arepas with Corn

2009-10-07T07:19:00.007-04:00

Well hello yummy! Dinner last night was a grand success. Another tasty item for my collection of recipes that use pantry staples. I always seem to have these ingredients on hand, so it's great to know that I can pull this together with ease and confidence that everyone will enjoy it.The original recipe is from Mark Bittman and appeared in The New York Times in early September. I made some

Veganmofo 3 - Split Pea Soup

2009-10-06T07:12:00.006-04:00

From the humble depths of my pantry, I can easily pull together a soup to warm me from the toes up. I love split pea soup, especially on a rainy fall day like we had on Sunday. This soup is so easy and cheap to make, and very easy to make vegan. The only hard part is recreating that smoky flavor and I accomplished that with a 1/4 tsp of chipotle chili powder. It was just enough to make it

Beginning with Soups

2009-10-03T06:58:00.003-04:00

This has been one crazy week. Everything is all out of sorts and I need, need, need to get back on track. My month of positivity fell way far by the wayside. Today I'm picking myself up, dusting off and getting back on track. Let's start with school...Production. I finally made it through the whole production session. Our little restaurant (can we call it that?) was serving a Japanese/Thai

VeganMoFo III

2009-09-27T10:27:00.002-04:00

I'm going to give it a shot! I'll be participating in VeganMoFo III. This a challenge to write every weekday about vegan food during the month of October. I think my spin will be to create vegan versions of my class work from school. This should be very interesting! Wish me luck!

Another Saucy Day

2009-09-26T09:43:00.002-04:00

I'm finding that it's easiest to post once a week. I'm not cooking enough at home and only cooking in school once per week (unless scheduled for Thursday production) and the weekly classes are rather boring.This was a tough week for me. I was a steward with 3 other classmates. We had to pull products, set up equipment, and prep ingredients for the Tuesday Demo of what we are preparing on

With Bandaged Fingers

2009-09-21T18:23:00.004-04:00

Yes, I'm typing this with bandaged fingers. Last Thursday I was scheduled to work in the production kitchen for a lunch buffet service of Cajun and Southern style foods. I was assigned to be a commis for a 2nd year student as "Cook 2". I arrived early and began helping him with prep work. His instructions were to brunoise some onions and red peppers, which he delegated to me. I began working

Mother Sauces

2009-09-16T07:17:00.003-04:00

Last Friday we made the mother sauces. These are the foundations to many, many other classical sauces. We used our stock from the previous week, worked in assigned teams and spent a long morning in the kitchen. So long, in fact, that class ran late by nearly 30 minutes. The 5 mother sauces are: Bechamel, Veloute (made from chicken stock), Espagnole (or Brown Sauce, made from veal/beef stock,

Stocks

2009-09-09T07:53:00.003-04:00

Last week we learned about stock making. Beef stock, chicken stock and seafood stock. During Tuesday's demonstration, I about had a heart attack watching Chef P prepare the lobsters for stock making. We didn't use whole lobsters, just the front half. He demonstrated breaking them apart and removing the nasty bits. I'm certain I turned green. Then he took kitchen shears and cut it up into

This is Only the Beginning

2009-08-30T07:28:00.003-04:00

This was my first full week of school and a whole new schedule to get used to. Parking is still a nightmare, especially since I don't like arriving 45 minutes early just to get a spot somewhere near my building. I actually considered buying a little scooter for my brief commute. I just hate that two days a week, I have to go there for a 50 minute class AND its around lunchtime so it eats away

Practice Practice

2009-08-24T06:29:00.007-04:00

Last Friday in lab we worked on knife skills and learned a few of the classical cuts. At the time I assumed that my crappy progress was because my knives were inferior. I'm beginning to think that it is not the knives that were the problem. Since I know that I will be testing on actual skills, I spent part of my Sunday afternoon practicing a knife cut called a tourne. This cut is about 2

And so the semester begins...

2009-08-22T07:28:00.002-04:00

First of all, I have to say yet again... I am so very happy that I am easing myself into this program. I have two classes and still have school every day! Monday and Tuesday are very light, just one 50 minute class each day. I hate to drive over there for just one class, in middle of the day, but that's just the way it is. The rest of the week is very busy. My Schedule:Monday - Supervision (

Pickle Girl

2009-08-20T07:16:00.003-04:00

I almost forgot to post this! While visiting my mother, I learned the basics of canning! My friend had an overabundance of hot peppers and other yummy vegetables in her garden, so we helped her out by taking a few off her hands.I made Hot & Spicy pickled zucchini, carrots and peppers. One jar had some leftover fresh beets added to it. Then I made Hot & Spicy Dill pickled cucumbers, carrots

Back in the Swing... almost

2009-08-20T07:03:00.003-04:00

This is going to be a busy semester and I only have 2 classes. I really feel for the students who are just starting out this semester. I bet this will really be overwhelming for them. There are so many classes, and so much work to be done outside of class, I don't think I could do it. The first class that met yesterday was Basic Culinary and today I have an orientation for it as well. We

One Day To Go

2009-08-18T08:35:00.004-04:00

Schools back in session tomorrow. Both of my classes meet tomorrow and Wednesdays are going to be weird. I have class from 10 - 10:50 then from 12 to 12:50. It might be nice having an hour between classes and maybe I can get some homework done during that time. I thought I might be able to pack a lunch as well, but I wonder if it won't be too early. Just in case, I've got my lunch box all

Cucumbers - Two Ways

2009-08-10T09:05:00.006-04:00

Last week, I purchased an English Cucumber. That's the one that comes wrapped in plastic and claims not to have seeds. It has seeds, but if you like cucumbers and they don't really like you, these are the least offensive. I don't love cucumbers, but in an attempt to eat more fresh veggies, I continually purchase them. They usually rot before I get around to eating them. So after I put away

Summer Vacation!

2009-08-09T22:09:00.005-04:00

I have an abbreviated summer vacation since I took classes this summer. It leaves my vacation time down to less than 3 weeks. So summer vacation part 1 was a trip with my sweetie and his two kids (12 and 15) to Virginia. I am still trying to sell my house in the Virginia Beach area so we stayed there and spent a day at Busch Gardens, a day a Water Country USA and a day filled with shopping and

Summer Semester is Over!!!

2009-07-31T07:35:00.006-04:00

Yay! Yesterday was our final exam and practical for my baking class. If I hadn't missed that one week, I am certain that I would have an "A" in the class, but I have a feeling that I'm only going to have a "B". Grades should be posted no later than Tuesday. Ugh. I hate waiting. We were so stressed and busy I forgot to take a picture of my final project. My tart, was the one we made earlier

A Little Behind

2009-07-19T11:13:00.004-04:00

The last two weeks have been rather busy and I have not had much time for experimentation at home or school. Although school has been busy, it's been somewhat boring and uneventful. No drama and little excitement in the kitchens. We did prepare the two items for our final exam and I think both of my were a success. My Creme Anglaise was spot on, I barely needed to strain it (there's almost

Dairy Overload

2009-07-04T14:36:00.005-04:00

Baking class this week was dominated by dairy. It was a busy lab once again and at least we partnered up for a few of the products. I enjoy partnering because it makes the process easier, as long as you pick your partner carefully. What is helpful to me is that the instructor takes note of who you partner with and each week he reminds us to work with a different partner. Great when you have a

Why Can't I Keep My Mouth Shut?

2009-06-30T15:49:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post about today's Food Science class. Today's lab was about gluten formation and we baked biscuits and muffins. Some were terrible and some were fantastic. My partner and I had to make our muffins with whole wheat flour. I thought they were yummy and ate 2. While in lecture, Chef asked if anyone ever heard of Seitan. My hand shot up. "I LOVE it!!!" I was alone in my

Back on Track

2009-06-30T06:49:00.006-04:00

It's fairly early once again, I'm finishing up some homework and preparing for my class today. I had some unexpected business to attend to last week and didn't go to class. Maybe a little of my frustrations caught up with me, I don't know, but finding out that I needed to take the week off to go handle some business was not a disappointment. I got my stuff squared away, with more for me to do

My Big Fat Vegan Lunch

2009-06-22T12:30:00.003-04:00

What started out as potentially a post about my vegan fail, I picked myself up, and got back on track. My stressful weekend lead me down the path to cheese. I lasted from Monday morning to dinner on Saturday. Actually, it was more successful than previous attempts at eating vegan than before. Realizing that no one is perfect, and that I surely can't be alone in my struggle, I forgave myself

More Baking Adventures

2009-06-21T11:37:00.004-04:00

Not to much to tell about the last two baking classes, except that I'm exhausted afterwards. It is such a long day and there is so much work involved. Our instructor is a perfectionist, and likes to have his kitchen a certain way. So last week, we finished with enough time to scrub the floors and this week it was a detailed cleaning afterwards as well. Cleanliness is very important, I

Causing trouble

2009-06-21T07:21:00.006-04:00

In Food Science, we have been moving right along with our experiments, but I don't really feel like I'm learning much. The objective is to have a control recipe to prove the point and then several variations to see how different elements effect the control. So this week we made a vanilla custard. Each group did something different to it, cooked it, cooled it and then we used a piece of PVC

Savory Lentils

2009-06-19T08:17:00.004-04:00

I love to check out the bulk bins at my local health food grocery stores. The other day I came across Black Beluga Lentils. Since I usually buy French Lentils, because they keep their shape and have a wonderful earthy flavor, I thought I'd branch out and try the Beluga. Not sure what to do with them when I got home, I spent a few minutes looking online to see how they are normally used.

Decisions, Decisions

2009-06-16T07:27:00.002-04:00

It been an interesting week for me. I finally decided to give up on my British Literature class. A full semester of reading crammed into 8 weeks and I just can't (ok, don't want to) do it. It's not required and I wanted to do it for fun I guess, so when I realized that it wasn't fun, I stopped. Now I have to go drop it before it gets too late.Sunday night, as I crawled into be with a belly

Last weekend

2009-06-12T07:58:00.009-04:00

I typed up a post the other day when I was getting my car serviced and I'm finally getting around to posting it. Here it is, nearly a week later. I'll get caught up soon. :)Weekend Cooking: Saturday morning we took a walk down to the farmers market. My little feast of beets had me craving some new veggies and I had an itch to practice my bread baking skills. At the farmers

Catching up...

2009-06-10T12:27:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that I still haven't posted about last week's classes. Food Science was very interesting since the discussion was about pigmentation and cell structure. Our experiments revolved around making some common vegetable positively repulsive. With six groups and five vegetables, we had an interesting time. For example, one experiment was with spinach. The control group sauteed it

Lazy Sunday

2009-06-07T08:49:00.001-04:00

Nothing like a lazy Sunday to relax and catch up on some things I've been meaning to take care of. I've been wanting to move my blog over here from the OnSugar site. I wish I could import it, but sadly, no. To sum it up, I'm vegetarian and I'm attending culinary school. I'm planning on adding a little more to this blog than just my adventures in school. Of course, it will mainly be food