My partner is German and as such, I have had the opportunity
to visit Germany two times in the past five years. Prior to my departure on the
first round, I mentally prepared my vegan body and mind of the landscape I was
to embark upon. I had heard, through unnamed and anonymous sources, of their
cuisine laden of meats, bread, and a variety of overly boiled vegetables,
mostly potatoes. So on my first trip, I cherished an apple like a pot of gold,
I stocked up on dark chocolate, and ate seeded breads. Truth be told, I’m not
giving the cuisine much credit, but this much holds true: on my most recent
trip to Germany, I was quite astonished as to how much meat was consumed in one
day by my partner and my partner’s parents. Being a vegan chef, I welcome the
opportunities to broaden my culinary landscape in both the omnivore and
vegetarian world. But, hole-mole, there was meat at every sitting – breakfast
(cold meats), lunch (stewed or some other variation of cooked meat served
warm), and dinner (more cold meat). I do not push nor shove my vegan habits on
anyone, not even my partner or family. I honor what people choose for
themselves and I only try to lead by example.
On a detour from their around-the-world cruise, my partner’s
parents were going to make an overnight pit stop at our home. Rather than a
night out on the town, it was suggested that I cook for them. Whoa. Wait a
minute. Actually, can we wait a few minutes? How was I supposed to feed people
who are so accustomed to consuming meat at every meal? I panicked silently for
quite some time. Then the light bulb went off. This was an opportunity to show
how glorious and naturally delicious vegan cuisine can be. My whole being began
to stir with excitement. A myriad of ideas of dishes and flavors rummaged
through pen and paper. I finally settled on the following menu for the big day:
~ Curried cauliflower and potato soup puree with ginger and fennel ~
~ Citrus marinated beets stuffed with herbed cashew “cheese” ~
~ Seared polenta squares with balsamic arugula and peppercress ~
~ Button mushroom and lima bean paella with smoked paprika ~
~ Raw chocolate mouse with fresh sliced strawberries ~
And just for comparison – I added fire roasted bell peppers stuffed
with organic scallion goat cheese (yes, it was real dairy)
Needless to say, and I won’t bore you with the details, I
spent quite some time in the kitchen to make this happen. I can honestly say I
enjoyed every single moment of it. As in karma yoga, we take in the spirit of
the action without any attachment to results.
When all was done and everyone was gathered home, I served
the meal and explained what was what – except I did not divulge what was
stuffed in between the marinated beets. I was watching like a hawk, but without
attachment to what they would opine. After I witnessed that they all had a
sample of everything, I asked my partner if he liked the layered beets. He
nodded, as he was still chewing.
“Do you know what’s inside?” I inquired.
He took another bite and confidently declared, “It must be
quark.” Quark is a soft spreadable cheese that is a staple dairy product in
Germany.
“Hmmm… try again,” I said.
He asked him mom. His mom also declared, “Quark.”
Side by side, next to goat cheese, the herbed cashew cheese
was mistaken as quark by cheese aficionados. Wow. From all my heart, all I can
is “wow”.
I won’t leave you hanging, so here’s the recipe for you to
share with your family and friends.
Herbed cashew “quark”
½ cup cashews, soaked in filtered water overnight (they will
expand), drained
½ tb nutritional yeast
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt to taste
1 TB extra-virgin olive oil
1 TB Italian flat leaf parsley, finely minced
In a food processor, process cashews to chop until fine.
Add nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt.
With the processor still running, slowly add in the olive
oil and process until smooth.
Remove mixture from vessel and stir in chopped herbs.
Let the mixture sit and meld together for about an hour
before serving.
Serve on crackers, cucumber slices, or marinated beet
slices.
