Loving what you do and niacin rich foods

~ Reminder only 5 days left of the early bird pricing for the Vegan Chef Training.

Loving what I do for a living has always been a priority for me. Observing the difference I make through the work I do makes me wake up each day with joy and energy. When my work hasn’t felt this way in the past I have shifted focus and taken my energy elsewhere.
 
Do you love what you do for your work? Is it time for a possible career change or would you like to dabble in really following your passion of cooking and investigating where the Vegan Chef Training can take you?
 
Over the last 6 years that I have been offering the Vegan Chef Training, time and time again I have been rewarded with messages from graduates whose lives have changed in so many ways.
 
Ebony worked for two years as a head chef in a restaurant in Woolongong before going home to Dwellingup, WA to create her own very popular and successful food truck/café.
 
Two graduates completed the course to help family members with health issues. To learn how to cook for them and nourish them in order to get over a heart issue and one person is sole carer of their mother while she goes through Alzheimer’s, cooking her nutritious meals.
 
Sammie offers support in self help, supporting people through healthy eating by running retreats, workshops and cooking sessions.
 
Andy worked for the (now hatted) vegan restaurant Smith and Daughters in Melbourne for 2 years before relocating to Townsville where he works in a restaurant and still has the dream of opening his own restaurant and I will tell you when he does as you will definitely want to eat there.
 
Pandora who also was a nutritionist runs her own cooking workshops and has been assistant teacher on the vegan chef training for the past 3 years. Last November she launched her own cookbook and is now busy with publicity for her book, selling it and attending as a guest speaker at the local writers festival.
 
Ems and Tenzin have opened an incredibly popular café called Boneless in Bermagui, NSW. 
 
Clancy was head hunted by Sweetbones in Canberra and worked as assistant wedding cake maker for 9 months before relocating to Northern NSW where she has worked in Vegan cafes ever since.
 
If you would like to join the Foundation Course and then go on to complete modules 2 - 5 of the Vegan Chef Training this April and May there are only 5 days left to make the most of the early bird pricing. 
 
I would love to have you in the program and right now there are only 3 spaces left for these modules so I suggest that if it is something you have been thinking about for a while take the leap today. I would love to add your name to the list above.
 
Please email me or click below and fill out the application form so you can get started in April and May. 

Niacin

Now on to Niacin. Who has heard of Niacin? I vaguely knew it was a B vitamin but wasn’t sure of its exact purpose. It was one of the vitamins we learned about in my nutrition degree and I find it such an important vitamin to make sure you are including in your diet.
 
Niacin (B3) is a water soluble vitamin and its main role is to synthesize coenzymes NAD and NADP which are needed for over 400 biochemical reactions in the body. Mostly these reactions are to obtain energy from foods.  The body can make a small amount of niacin through tryptophan but is reliant on getting it from food.  Niacin helps convert food to energy.  
 
Niacin may also help increase HDL cholesterol and decrease LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is the cholesterol that carries other cholesterol to your liver and thus helps in removing it from your body.  Niacin can also reduce blood pressure as it releases prostaglandins that help widen blood vessels. 
 
Niacin deficiency is very rare in developed countries but a lack of niacin can result in the pellagra. Since the 1700’s there has been a history of pellagra in many countries including Italy, France and the US and this has been due to the introduction of corn maize into diets.  It drew the attention of scientists as traditional countries like Mexico where corn was already a staple Pellagra was not common.  What was not known to the countries new to eating corn is that the niacin in corn is bound to the carbohydrates and in order to release the niacin an acid has to be added. In countries like Mexico lime was added in the preparation of corn maize. That is why in many traditional recipes for tortilla you will see lime added to the flour and water. 
 
I do not recommend taking niacin tablets as you can obtain enough niacin through a healthy diet. There is a list of foods below and the recipe I share with you today is packed with niacin.
 

Recommended Daily Niacin Intake in Australia

Foods that are high in Niacin

Potato and Pea Latke with Tomato, Mushroom and Corn Salsa

Serve these with a salad

Ingredients
 
Latkes
3 medium potatoes washed, skin left on and grated (you want at least 4 cups grated potatoes 
200g cooked peas 
1 block silken tofu (300gm)
3 tbsp lemon juice 
3 spring onions chopped small (green and white bits)
4 tbsp herbs - I used parsley and chives
1 tsp salt
Pepper to your liking
3 tbsp olive oil (optional)
 
Salsa
300g mushrooms cut very small 
3 medium tomatoes cut small 
2 cobs corn – kernels removed 
Juice 1 lime
2 splashes olive or sunflower oil to cook the mushrooms
1 chilli (optional)
Salt to taste
 

Method

  1. Marinate the corn in the lime juice, set aside.
  2. Mash the peas a little, blend the silken tofu in a food processor then add all of the ingredients for the latkes except the olive oil then shape into patties and place on a baking paper lined baking dish.
  3. Optional step, here you can brush on some of the olive oil onto each latke patty.
  4. Bake in a 200°C oven for 30 minutes then turn over the latkes and bake again for another 30 minutes.
  5. For the salsa, fry the mushrooms in the oil then add to the corn. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste and chilli if using.
     



    Voila there are your niacin rich potato latkes with salsa.
 
 
# If you make this recipe please share on facebook or instagram to #veetsvegancookingschool

Tofu and Miso course 19th March 

Only one place left, don’t miss out as this is the last tofu and miso course for 2022 (unless you enroll for the full vegan chef training).
 

Next Vegan Foundation Cooking Course 

24th to 26th March
 
Come along and learn over 60 recipes. What you also gain in this course is 
- an appreciation for taste and how to balance flavours so food tastes amazing
- ways to adapt recipes to suit what is in season and in your crisper and pantry
- how to make meals really nutritious 
- cooking tips and tricks to make life in the kitchen easy and efficient

 

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Veet

 

Tofu & Miso Class

In-Person
Duration 4.5hrs
Cost $320
Learn how to make Tofu and Miso from scratch. It’s a hands on class where you get to take home what you make. You also get morning tea and a tote bag full of goodies. A workshop not to be missed. 
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3 Day Foundation Course

In-Person
Duration 3 Days
Cost $1,006.50
In this 3 day course, we will cover the fundamentals in vegan cooking and nutrition. The class is hands on and you will immerse yourself in three full days of vegan organic cuisine.
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Categories:Mains

Tags:Niacin Potatoes peas Corn mushrooms tomatoes

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