Pecan Pesto & Lisa Following Her Dreams

  
 
Almost a year ago I got a phone call an hour before day one of the Vegan Foundation Cooking Course was due to start from a woman named Lisa wondering if there was a space left in the course that day. I had never had such a late booking before. I said “yes if you can get the application form filled out, sent back to me and be here in an hour then the spare place is yours.”
 
Lisa did just that and still managed to arrive to the course bang on time. A few months later I put a call out on the school’s closed Facebook group page for anyone who would like to come and work for me on a few upcoming retreats. Lisa contacted me straight away and shared that she actually wanted to complete the full vegan chef training but she had the opportunity of a lifetime coming up and wondered if she could work with me until then to get some experience. I said yes straight away as I knew what Lisa was about to embark on would not only be a wonderful experience for her but also such an incredible act of community work. 
 
Lisa is now working as a volunteer cook on one of the Sea Shepherd boats. And she is rocking it. I feel so honoured to have helped Lisa with increasing her skill set in the kitchen and developing organisation skills to a place where she felt confident to run a kitchen herself.
 
  
 
I have been following Lisa’s journey on social media and feel so proud and so grateful that I had that one place available for her at the last minute in the Vegan Foundation Cooking Course.
 
A big shout out to Lisa and all of those that dedicate months and years of their lives to helping save the gorgeous sentients of our planet. You guys rock.
 
This week I’m sharing a scrumptious pesto recipe made by two of the vegan chef trainees, Paula and Simone, during a recent module four course.

 

  

Pecan Pesto

Paula and Simone used coriander, as there was no basil at the market when they created this delicious pesto. I recreated it with basil. It works well with either and would be wonderful with watercress too.
 
Ingredients
2 cups fresh basil or coriander
⅔ cup pecans oven roasted
2 cloves boiled garlic 
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 tbsp olive oil 
3 tbsp water
Juice of ½ lime
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Method
  1. Place the nuts and coriander or basil in a food processor and blitz for a minute or two or until the nuts have broken down. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined. 
     
  2. Serve with pasta, polenta, on toast, through steamed veg, on pizza and the list goes on. So versatile is this mighty pesto.
 
 
# If you make this recipe please share on facebook or instagram to #veetsvegancookingschool
 

A Supportive Environment

After a recent conversation I realise that I need to point out that the Three Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course I run most months is held in a very supportive environment. I choose to hold this class in my home so that those who may feel nervous about attending a three-day cooking course can also feel at home while they are learning. 
 
I also hold it in my home so that if you feel the need to sit down at anytime you can, or you can even put your legs up against the wall or lay on the day bed. I have even had one person come with a bad back and she laid down on a yoga mat whenever she got pain and watched and listened to the class from there. I like people to learn how it best suits them so they feel supported in learning. 
 
Also I have been sharing a lot on social media that you get to develop a signature dish with one other person during the course and this is nothing like a master chef challenge. It is a beautiful experience to help you find ways of creating food with whatever seasonal produce you have available to you. It is in no way competitive, rather a collaborative approach is taken in this part of the course where groups that may have finished first help those who are still creating. It is a very worthwhile and fulfilling part of the three-day program.
 
If you are thinking about coming along to one of the three-day vegan cooking classes and have any concerns or questions you would like answered please send me an email.
 
There is currently only one place left in the November 14th to 16th Course and then the next course is not until the 16th of January.  
 

The dates in 2020 are as follows 

16th to 18th January
13th to 15th February
12th to 14th March
2nd to 4th April
18th to 20th June
13th to 15th August
20th to 22nd August 
3rd to 5th September 
19th to 21st November
 
 
Have a great week everyone
 
Love Veet 

Categories:Snacks/Sides

Tags:basil coriander pecans

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