Eat tasty and healthy; Vegan workshop by Nina Oswald

Chocolate fudge made with yellow pumpkins, cream cheese without any dairy and more was showcased at the vegan workshop conducted by Nina Oswald

January 25, 2018 02:37 pm | Updated 06:00 pm IST

Nina Oswald showcasing her vegan recipes

Nina Oswald showcasing her vegan recipes

The headline on the image I received on WhatsApp said, ‘Life beyond cheese’. It was about a vegan cookery demo held at Arttdinox (Race Course), organised by Bio Basics and On the Go restaurant.

While an Indian vegan diet is easy to follow, it is a bit challenging when one wants to dish up some continental fare. So the idea of vegan cheese was quite intriguing. We were a group of 15 members who had registered for this workshop conducted by Nina Oswald from Germany. Having converted exclusively to a plant-based diet a few years ago, she started the interaction by talking about how the change had a positive impact on her health.

The kitchen space was well done up and offered a comfortable location for the demo. The counter was spread with fresh produce, nut butters, sprouts, natural cocoa powder, dried fruits, seeds and many more ingredients required to whip up tasty vegan dishes. We were each given copies of the recipes that were to be showcased that morning.

Ranjana Singhal, who runs On The Go, was all praise for Oswald’s meticulous preparation to ensure the smooth running of the workshop. She added that they had hoped for a larger turnout because a show like this required a great deal of advance prep.

Chocolate fudge with yellow pumpkin taking a star turn

Chocolate fudge with yellow pumpkin taking a star turn

Oswald began by whipping up fresh almond milk in the blender. After sampling the date-sweetened almond milk, we were treated to cups of hot chocolate also made with the same milk. Next on the menu was cream cheese. The process consisted of blending a few ingredients: soaked cashew nuts, tofu, lemon juice, water, garlic, pepper and salt.

We tasted a batch that had been made the previous day because Oswald said that it needed time for the flavours to develop. Paired with flax millet crackers, it tasted unbelievably good, exactly like a full-dairy cream cheese. Oswald pointed out that the word ‘cheese’ actually refers to food that has been fermented and not anything to do with dairy.

Then came a vibrant salad with fresh mango and papaya from Sreedevi Lakshmikutty’s garden along with cucumber, fenugreek, coriander and mint leaves from Bio Basics. A dressing made with nuts was added and it was served in environment-friendly palm fibre bowls and topped with a generous helping of sprouts. It was deliciously satisfying.

A vibrant salad with fresh mango, papaya, cucumber and other ingredients

A vibrant salad with fresh mango, papaya, cucumber and other ingredients

Oswald made a valid point when she said that eating healthy does not mean that one has to punish oneself.

We just need to eat food that’s good for us in a form that makes us happy! For instance, it was easier to eat raw methi leaves mixed in the salad than to chomp them plain!

Roasted tomatoes, bell peppers and onions were quickly blitzed to make a pasta sauce along with tahini paste for extra creaminess. Most of us did not expect this meal to end with a fudgy chocolate truffle treat.

Oswald confessed to having a sweet tooth and explained how she amalgamated naturally sweet ingredients to satiate her dessert-loving taste buds. The secret ingredient in the fudge was (believe it or not) yellow pumpkin!

While Oswald did not insist that the vegan diet is the way forward, she urged us to connect with the land, educate ourselves about packaged foods and, above all, embrace a diet that sustains health.

The two hours spent in her company were well worth our time and I can’t wait to make a batch of that vegan cream cheese.

For more information

Write to Nina Oswald at nina@organicwala.in

Visit her blog at ninasgreenkitchen.wordpress.com

Visit www.biobasics.org or www.onthegocbe.com

Nina Oswald’s millet flax crackers

Ingredients

Flax seeds 40 gm ground

Millet flour 80 gm

Baking powder 1/2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Cold pressed coconut oil 1 tsp

Mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower etc) 1 tbsp

Water 50 ml

Method

Soak the ground flax seeds in the water until it becomes gloopy.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Grease a 9x11" baking sheet or tray and sprinkle with flour

Mix the millet flour, baking powder, salt, oil and mixed seeds into the ground flax seeds.

Spread thinly onto the baking sheet and cut lines across the top in a diamond pattern before baking so that when cool you can break into squares.

Bake for around 15 minutes until the crackers start to brown.Flip and bake for a few more minutes.

Cool and store.

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