Soon to be released and upcoming workshops

Yes... This is the cover of the cookbook. 

It will be released this year so please stay tuned. 

Upcoming vegan cooking workshops so mark your calendars!
May 10 – May 12 weekend cooking retreat and workshop
Location: SF Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center
Details: TBD

July 12 – July 14 weekend cooking retreat and workshop
Location: Sivananda Yoga Farm, Grass Valley
Details: TBD

In the meanwhile, please check out the essen organic raw vegan chocolates page.

Vegan Pasta Carbonara

Pasta carbonara's staple ingredient is bacon. It my be accompanied with other vegetables, eggs, and cheese. Sans egg and cheese, and add roasted tempeh bacon tossed in oil can be a segue into the vegan world. Throw in some green peas for color. And for the richness that's typically found in eggs and cheese, accomplish this using a herbed cashew cream, a blend of toasted garlic, soaked raw cashews, fresh Italian parsley and marjarom, veggie stock, miso, tahini, Dijon mustard, and a touch of lemon juice. When tossing the pasta, drizzle some extra-virgin oil for a finishing taste.

Nouveau rouladen

Rouladen is a German dish made of a spiced stuffing, typically with ground meat, and stuffed into cabbage leaf. Applying similar concepts, a vegan makeover was in order. The stuffing was made of sauteed onions, carrots, toasted ground caraway and fennel seeds, savoy cabbage, green peas, parsley, ground tempeh, and risotto style rice all rolled into brick dough and baked. Served atop a pool of crimini mushroom lager sauce (crimini mushrooms, Köstritzer Schwarzbier, porcini stock, and a cornstarch slurry) and simply roasted white and green asparagus, the once-bland looking rouladen got a major upgrade. For better or worse, that is for you to judge.

A little truffley for depth

Truffle oil is a very potent and flavourful oil that is to be used in moderation. I say moderation is key. So what goes well with truffle oil? How about a salad medley of spicy mizuna, roasted golden beets, roasted chef mixed mushrooms, whole leaf Italian parsley, French green lentils, and a vinaigrette made of Dijon mustard, white balsamic vinegar, honey, orange juice, extra-virgin olive oil, with just a touch of truffle oil. It's a very deep salad.

Forbidden rice bowl

Forbidden rice is a black rice, usually heirloom, and has a chewy and nutty texture and taste. When cooked, it releases purple colors. The rice was paired with sesame studded steamed bok choy, sauteed shiitake mushrooms with garlic and tamari, Hodo curry tofu nuggets, and orange sesame sauce (orange juice, ginger, garlic, tahini, Asian sesame paste, rice vinegar, organic honey, and grape seed oil).

Vodka sauce sans cream

Vodka pasta sauce, the sauce with the pinkish hue, is creamy, tomato-ey, and absolutely delicious. In the vegan rendition, the good-old cashew "cream" comes to the rescue. It's important to soak the cashews for at least 4 hours so that it blends smoother. Add a bit of lemon juice and salt to create the slightly sour taste that cream has. The sauce started with a saute of garlic, shallots, and vodka-soaked red chili flakes. I added a bit of sherry wine to impart a sweetness and cooked until the wine reduced. Tomato paste and canned tomatoes with basil were then stirred into the pot and simmered, after which the sauce was removed from heat and blended until smooth. Meanwhile, saute asparagus and allow the water to cook out a bit. Stir in the blended sauce and allow to simmer so that the subtle tones of the asparagus infuses the sauce. Lastly, stir in the cashew cream. toss with your favorite pasta and garnish with chopped roasted cashews and parsley.

A piece of the bowl

One of the items featured in the raw Buddha bowl was a marinated shiitake mushrooms. It was marinated raw, with raw garlic, nama shoyu, and a touch of sesame oil. As it sat overnight, the flavors really penetrated into the mushrooms. Fold in some scallions on the day of serving.


The whole bowl encompassed raw baby spinach, cauliflower and macadamia nut rice with whole mint, whole cilantro, julienne basil, sea salt, lemon-infused olive oil, and extra-virgin olive oil, shredded carrots, sugar snap peas, mangoes, and a coconut-peanut sauce. The sauce was a blend of raw peanuts, ginger, garlic, curry powder, toasted coconut, coconut water, red chili flakes, apple cider vinegar, kaffir lime leaves, maple syrup, and a touch of sesame oil.