Vegan Pressure Cooking

So last Saturday, I attended three short vegan cooking classes at the Colorado Springs Vegan Cooking Academy. They were taught by vegan chef JL Fields and her husband, who is a triathlete and sports coach. They taught us how to use the Instant Pot, an electric multicooker with a pressure cooking feature, and the air fryer. JL demonstrated some vegan recipes which we sampled (yum!), in both the Instant Pot and a GoWise air fryer, and her husband taught us about nutrition for the plant-fueled athlete. With Laura's running and Emma's tennis, I found his class very helpful. He made us a delicious "recovery" (or post-workout) smoothie, and some vegan power bars.

My favorite recipe was a lemony risotto with mushrooms cooked in the Instant Pot. JL added nutritional yeast, which gave it a cheesy, nutty flavor. The starchiness of the arborio rice added a creamy texture, and the mushrooms gave the dish a touch of "meatiness". It was so good, and my body craved more of it.

Yesterday, I bought an electric multicooker and started experimenting. My mashed potatoes were dismal. For some reason, they just don't seem to work well in pressure cookers. Then I made a vegetarian quinoa chili, which was to die for! This morning, I cooked steel cut oats. It was so easy -- I just threw some water and oats into the pot, pushed a few buttons, and without further effort had perfect oatmeal 30 minutes later.

Next on the agenda is Tempeh Tahine. I haven't had much success in the past in getting my family to eat tempeh, which is a pity as it is more protein-rich than tofu. JL suggests steaming tempeh for a few minutes before preparation to get rid of the bitter taste. I also want to make Lemon Veggie Risotto (I'll throw in a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast for added B12 and flavor).

I've ordered JL's book, Vegan Pressure Cooking and can't wait to try out some of her recipes. For vegan broth, JL recommends ordering Massel from Amazon. Although vegan, it comes in chicken and beef flavors, and it only costs about $20 for six cans of powder.

More vegan and vegetarian restaurants are opening in Colorado Springs. There is now a fast food drive-through, Santana's Vegan Grill, which serves up burgers, hot dogs, etc., using meat and cheese analogs. JL recommends the Willamette Market & Deli, The Burrowing Owl, Chaang Thai, Arabian Nights Cafe, and Switchback Roaster (which offers coffee and breakfast items) as good restaurants in Colorado Springs for vegans and vegetarians. She also recommends the local Mountain Mama Natural Foods for vegan produce.

I'm not vegan (yet), but I'm totally enjoying the nutritious and delicious vegan food I've been eating lately. I hope my family members, not known for being particularly adventurous about sampling new foods, will be willing guinea pigs in trying out my new recipes.