Spork Comfort Foods

I went to an amazing class at Spork Foods a few months back.  As my kitchen hasn't been functional for awhile I was feeling the need for "comfort" and wanted to share some photos from that day.

Succotash

Seitan Pot Pie with an Herb Biscuit topping

Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Crispy Sage

Close Up

An amazing weekend

Have you ever had one of those weekends were everything is perfect?  That's how it was for me.  My friend Stacy and I both had a few Groupons and decided to use them after had our Kombucha Kamp with Hannah Crum.  I'd been looking forward to Kamp for weeks as I love Kombucha and the idea I could make my own was exciting.  Hannah's class was great.  She gave us a history of Kombucha and told us about it's health benefits.  Then she showed us how to make Kombucha Tea.  Hannah had many samples there for us to taste throughout the class and we were able to buy kits to make our own. 

After class we treated ourselves to a smoothie at  Liquid Juice Bar. Amazing no that's not right. Superb nope not it.  DIVINE!  Yeah that sums it up.  As I'd never been there before Stacy suggested the chocolate pudding, she had tried it before and LOVED it.  The chocolate pudding has almond milk, avocado, raw carob, pecans, dates, maple syrup and coconut water in it.  Well worth the trip.  Good thing I don't live closer to Liquid I'd be there all the time.

Our next stop was the Spice Station.  Truth be told I have a secret love for spices.  I guess not so secret now that I'm sharing it with all of you.  I've heard about this place for months and was so excited to finally go there.  The spices are placed around the store in sample jars above information cards about them.  You can open theses jars to smell or taste the spices.  The women who work there were fantastic.  So helpful,nice, knowledgable, and patient.  I walked away with the motherload of spices and am already dreaming of my next visit.  I will try and wait until the remodeling in the kitchen has finished.

for a margarita of a little citrus crunch in a salad

I had never seen blue poppy seeds GORGEOUS

Vegan MoFo: Spork Foods Fall French Cuisine

I've taken a Spork class before but was looking forward to this class for 2 reasons:  Melted Cheese Fondue with assorted crostini and the Apple and Pear Tarte Tatin.  Those peaked my interest.  I couldn't imagine a melty vegan fondue and an apple and pear tarte tatin sounded perfect for a fall / winter dessert.  With the holidays coming up this seemed to be a class I shouldn't miss.  Boy was I right!

Here was this weeks menu:

- Niçoise Salad
- Mushroom Bourguignon
- Melted Cheese Fondue with Assorted Crostini
- Apple and Pear Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin pre dough

amazing

mmmmm FONDUE

Ready to be flipped

Pear Apple Tarte Tatin  AMAZING

Love the fondue pot

This was a great class.  And I loved that fondue pot.  Great new recipes and a wonderful group of people  to share a delicious meal with.

Vegan MoFo: Mushroom Bourguignon

I was in the mood for something delicious and comforting.  In a class at Spork Foods one of the recipes we were taught was Mushroom Bourguignon. Who would have thunk.  It was hearty, flavorful, and delicious.  Perfect for the windy cold night we were having.

A nice mixture of mushrooms ready for cooking

Lots of veggies in this recipe.

mmmm carrots

Cooking down some veggies

Mmmm mushrooms

Red wine is added to the vegetables.

Booze has been added 

Looks so good I could dive in

Ready to eat

So good

This recipe came together really easily.  Most of the time is spent chopping and waiting for it to cook... while trying not to drool  :).  I loved it and will be making this again soon.  Do you have a favorite stew or soup?

Vegan MoFo: Spork Foods Brunch

Spork Foods hits it out of the ballpark again!  For those of you who aren't familiar with Spork Foods these classes are mostly demo, although they often invite you to help prepare some of the items.  When the class ends you sit down family style and enjoy the food that was made in class.  You leave with a packet of great recipes to try out in your own kitchen.  Jenny & Heather Goldberg, the owners of Spork Foods, put a lot of time and thought into these classes and it comes through on every level.  They have an amazing energy and the classes are always full of fun and laughter as well as a great amount of information.

This class was a Fall Brunch class.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  Here is what the menu was:


- Harvest Quiche with an Herb Crust
- Tempeh Bacon Stuffed Tater Tots
- Grilled Asparagus with a Hollandaise Sauce
- Lemon Ginger Scones with a Whipped Maple Cinnamon Butter

Lemon Ginger Scones and shaping the Tempeh Bacon stuffed Tater Tots

Don't these look yummy!

Frying up the Tater tots

The scones were a huge hit.  They were so flaky and wonderful.  The maple cinnamon butter was delicious.  We also discussed other butters you could make as well as savory options.

Lemon ginger scones.... they were delicious!

The smells coming out of the oven were so good.

Quiche right out of oven

The crust on this quiche was amazing.  As I've never used a tart pan before it was great getting instruction on how to make a good crust and that the trick of pressing the crust into the edges first.

Quiche out of tart pan ready to be sliced

Almost time to eat.

Ready to serve

Our meal plated.  At the end of the class every morsel had been eaten.

Our meal .... drooling still

After class I went over to a friends house to watch some Halloween movies.  She looked at the pictures from the class and promptly said "I think after ever class you should have a dinner party".  Armed with these recipes it sure won't be hard.  Can't wait until the next class!

Spork Foods

I must admit I am a huge Spork Foods fan.  Jenny and Heather Goldberg have taught some amazing recipes in the classes I have attended.  Today I received an email that their long anticipated online classes were now up and running.  I have been looking forward to this for some time especially as it is something my father can use in Arizona.  I wanted to share a link to their online site in case any of you are interested click here.


Hope you enjoy!

1st Vegan Cooking Class

Back in March of 2010 I took my first Vegan cooking class. A friend of mine, who owns Large Marge Sustainables, invited me to be her guest at a class by Spork Foods called "Spork Foods Home-made Protein." I was so touched that she thought of me and felt this would be right up my alley. Who knew there was more than one type of vegan protein.


Wow was she right!!! She opened up an amazing resource and door for me. The class was at Spork Foods and it couldn't have been more wonderful. Spork Foods is owned by sisters Jenny & Heather Goldberg and to say they are an inspiration is an understatement. They are passionate about what they are doing and it comes across on every level. The class was about two hours long and at the end we sat down and ate the food family style. What an amazing class. I got recipes for new foods and met some great new people.

In our class we learned how to make Almond Milk, Seitan (my first time eating it), and tofu.
The almond milk was so good and fresh and pretty simple to make. It really opened my eyes up to see how easy it was to make the milk. The seitan took more work but it was well worth it. I enjoyed it so much that I made it at home the next day and it was AMAZING! Now the tofu was a lot of work and while it was interesting to make I have to say I doubt this is something I will be making again. It seems I can buy organic tofu for less money than it would cost me to make it and overall the amount of tofu was not enough "bang for my buck" (for lack of a better expression).

It was a wonderful first looking into making vegan food that is a bit more complex than my everyday day food. I have been back there many times and enjoyed every class. And on top of it I've made some wonderful new friends through the classes.

Have you made vegan proteins at home? Do you have a favorite? Care to share a recipe?