Last week I made a trip out to the great Northwest to visit family and my vacation just happened to coincide with Vegetarians of Washington VegFest in Seattle. What a great event! We arrived and went straight to a cooking demo class sponsored by Pacific Coast Co-op, a chain of natural food stores out west. The first recipe was Braised Kale with Chickpeas and Smoked Paprika. Not only did we get a good view of her making this recipe but we also got some good information in general on cooking greens. I’ll be the first to admit that greens are not my favorite vegetables and I need to do a better job at incorporating them into my diet, so I was the tiniest bit nervous about trying this dish, but it was delicious. Seriously. I added the ingredients to my Whole Foods list as soon as I made it home to South Carolina. I cannot wait to try it.
The second recipe was Spicy and Sweet Caramel Corn. This also was delicious. You know you have a cook recipe when you can taste all of the different ingredients and when I tried this caramel corn I could taste the spice of the cinnamon, the heat from the cayenne, the sweetness of the brown sugar . . . yum.
After the class we wandered through the exhibit hall visiting vendor booths and tried all sorts of vegetarian and vegan food products, everything from Coconut Bliss non-dairy ice cream to Gardein “beef tips,” from cultured almond milk to Field Roast “sausage.” It was a great way to try new products without having to buy an entire package in a store. There were also samples to take away such as mini Lara Bars and Odwalla energy bars.
It was a good time, good event, brushing shoulders (sometimes literally) with other people who have embraced the vegetarian lifestyle. If there are similar events in your area do yourself a favor and check it out!
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