We all know that if we don’t learn how to make the food easy and delicious we won’t stay with this whole food plant based no oil lifestyle for the long haul. With that in mind we decided to do some hands on cooking with the 14 people who participated in our Ultimate Weight Loss class. They sure seemed to enjoy it! As many of you know Tom and I are certified instructors for Chef Aj’s Ultimate Weight Loss program in the Sacramento California area. We concluded the last class on Saturday for our January in person program and I thought you might like to see what was on the menu. These recipes lend themselves to entertaining. I easily fed 16 people an amazing whole food plant based meal each Saturday for four consecutive weeks in a row. The recipes shared here are a good example of how I cook for everyday meals as well as serving company.
Everyone made their own vegan sushi rolls!
We set up two stations for sushi roll making so everyone was able to make them at the same time. It was a fun hands on activity and the bonus was, everyone got to eat what they made! I used the julienne slicer on my mandoline slicer to make easier work of the cucumbers. I have had my Swissmar mandoline for over 20 years and it still works as good as the day I bought it.
To make our sushi rolls low calorie density we used oven roasted Hannah yams instead of avocado. We also used long grain brown rice instead of white rice. Julienne cucumbers, sweet bell peppers and shredded carrots added flavor and color. If you want to know how to make these check out my blog post and video all about How To Make Vegan Sushi Rolls.
These are so filling with all that starch. The nori sheets are a nice source of iodine. See how to make them here Vegan Sushi Rolls.
I made a couple batches of my Creamy Balsamic Dressing but I added some fresh ginger and a fresh orange to the blender. It gave the dressing a little Asian flare and we used it as a dip for the sushi rolls. Here is the recipe link for the Creamy Balsamic Dressing – it’s a very poplular no oil, no cashew dressing.
You can also get the Creamy Strawberry Balsamic Dressing version by subscribing to the blog – it’s an exlusive recipe just for subscribers! Fill out the subscribe tab and the recipe link will automatically go to your email. Be sure to check your junk email folder as it often seems to land there.
A bowl of piping hot Curry Ginger Butternut Squash Soup served over wild rice was a nice addition to dinner. It is a favorite soup recipe here. I made two batches of it for the class. One before class started and one during class as part of a cooking demonstration. It freezes well too so, I often make a double batch so we can always have some in our freezer. It’s the perfect soup anytime of year. If I am not feeling well a cup of this soup makes me feel better, it is soothing to the tummy. We served it over wild rice. See how to make wild rice in a pressure cooker. To get the Curry Ginger Butternut Squash Soup recipe that is exclusive to subscribers only – simply subscribe to Nutmeg Notebook by filling out the subscribe box and the recipe link will automatically be sent to your email. If you don’t see it right away check your junk email folder as that is where it often ends up. Enjoy!
I love making these quinoa salads for serving large groups of people. They are also perfect for batch cooking for the week to feed you all week long! This is a version of my California Quinoa Mango Salad – this time I used fresh pineapple instead of mango. This is my version of a very popular salad sold in the deli department at Whole Foods Market. You can make it at home for a fraction of the cost and its every bit as delicious. For a fun presentation you can serve it in lettuce cups. For 16 people I made 1 1/2 times the recipe and we had plenty of leftover to enjoy this week. To make it compliant for the Ultimate Weight Loss program I used red grapes instead of dried fruit, diced jicama instead of nuts, black beans instead of edamame and I left the coconut out. Still delicious and satisfying.
Not a good photo at all but it was the only one I managed to get as we were busy making vegan frozen fruit soft serve in our Champion Juicer for a large crowd. It is insanely delectable! People are always shocked at how amazingly creamy this soft serve is and all we have used to make it is unsweetened frozen fruit. For this occassion we had frozen bananas, mango and cherries. OMG! So sweet, creamy and smooth.
Just like soft serve from an icecream shop – but ours has no added sugar, no dairy, no cholesterol, no additives and no guilt! This photo was from a previous day of making soft serve – I wanted you to see how creamy it is.
Suffice it to say no one went home hungry.
Get Healthy – Stay Healthy – One Meal At A Time
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