Cooking demo

Last week there was a cooking demo at work. Not only as the food delicious, but these vegan recipes seem pretty easy to make (I am not a cook my any means), and I learned a few new facts!

Here are the recipes:

Not a picture from our lunch, but this is something similar. Image found here.

Black Bean Butternut Squash Stew
Ingredients
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 green onions, chopped
-2 cups butternut squash, peeled & cut into small cubes (raw)
-1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained & rinsed
-1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
-2 sprigs thyme
-1 cup coconut milk
-1 cup vegetable broth
-1 vegan boiullon
-1 cup greens (kale, spinach, collard greens), chopped
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onions and bell peppers; cook until onions are soft (~3 minutes)
3. Stir in garlic and green onions and cook for one minute; add butternut squash, black beans, Italian seasoning, and thyme; stir.
4. Stir in coconut milk, vegetable broth, bouillon cube, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.

Not a picture of the salad we ate, but pretty close! Image found here.

Roasted Corn Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette 
Ingredients for salad
-1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved
-3 cups roasted corn kernels
-2 avocados, peeled and diced
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
-1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
-2 tsp olive oil
-2-3 tsp lime juice
-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
-2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper

Ingredients for vinaigrette
-1/4 cup champagne vinegar
-3/4 cup olive oil
-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-3 tbsp fresh orange juice
-1 tbsp honey or agave
-1/4 tsp salt

The directions for these are pretty much to mix everything together! For the vinaigrette, it might be easier to use the blender and add the olive oil slowly.

These are some of the fun facts I learned:

Image found here

• There are male and female bell peppers. I guess I knew that plants had both male and female counterparts, but I never thought about if both would bear fruit, if the fruit would look or taste different, etc. For bell peppers, they are distinct! The female peppers will have four lobes, while the males have three. The female peppers are slightly sweeter, while the males might be a little spicy. 

Original image on left found here; image on right round here

• Tongs are the new citrus reamer. You know that wooden tool your mom used to juice lemons? No more! Tongs can be multipurpose when it comes to juicing citrus fruits. You can use the tip to juice them (like the reamer), or squeeze half the fruit in between the tong handles to really get a lot of leverage. And if seeds fall into the bowl? Pick them out with the tongs!

Image found here

• Homemade dressings don't have to separate. You know how you usually have to shake the dressing because the ingredients have separated? You don't have to if you add a little bit of vegan mayonnaise or Dijon mustard (depending on your taste). As emulsifying agents, they help bind the other ingredients together.

I am looking forward to making these recipes on my own!