cooking class with J

Thanks J for doing a cooking class with me.
Like many of my clients J is a vegan and like me she doesn't like to be called a "vegan"
Sometimes I tell people that I am vegan because it's sort of easy to explain what I prefer not to consume in a form of food. But what if I purchase something with leather form a shop or what if I ate something with fish stock? What I am then? Labelling yourself and other people can limit your potential to be flexible and adventurous.
It is not just a food choice. It could be your personality or ability to do things. Do you say something like "I am shy" or "I am not good at giving speeches" When you voice that out it becomes something that is hard to reverse or change.
I try not label my daughter in front of other people as well. "he is a bit timid", "she doesn't like sports" hearing someone else talk in this way children can start to think they are, even if that is not true.

anyway i wanted to talk about the class!

J wanted to learn how she could use more legumes in her dishes instead of opening a can and eat them as they are. She found the beans from a can tend to make her feel bloated.
I agree. Even though they are convenient foods in aluminium are not ideal for your health, Also I don't know how they are prepared. In order to digest legumes well they need to be soaked, sprouted if possible and cooked in a certain way that make them more digestible. Like everything else they should be cooked from a scratch. (Again I know we can't be perfect all the time!)

Our dishes were

Pink quinoa with ginger infused beets and wakame
Creamy mushroom, onion and white bean pie with white sauce topping
Warm spiced vegetable and lentil coconut salad

Even her partner gave us a thumb up!