I’m now a graduate of Rouxbe’s Plant-Based Professional Certification Course!

But I think my favorite part was creating dishes for my final cooking assignment: making canapés! But, before I go into that, I just wanted to thank all of the Rouxbe chef instructors who gave such great feedback, guidance and encouragement throughout the course. In addition to the great platform and expert instruction, having them cheer you on and give insightful feedback for each cooking task was a great motivator to make each lesson count. Thanks Chefs Chad, Ken and Dawn for your expertise, enthusiasm and guidance, and for making it challenging and fun!

The next Rouxbe course seating starts November 5. Whether you want to learn all about plant-based cooking or already have a good working knowledge of plant-based cooking and want to hone your skills, Rouxbe is designed for both!

Micro-Wedge Salad with Maitake Bacon, Toasted Walnut and Vegan Ranch

If you were around in the 80s, you probably ate a wedge salad or two, which was a big hunk of iceberg lettuce with bacon, eggs, sometimes walnuts and some kind of creamy dressing. This is a mini, veganized version of that concept, but here I’ve used a raw Brussels sprout leaf, then layered it with smoky and salty maitake bacon, toasted walnut pieces, some softened shallot rings and vegan ranch made from Vegenaise, parsley, vegan Worcestershire, agave, garlic powder and a little black pepper, then topped with a microgreen.

Sweet Watermelon Radishes on Toasted Rounds with Vegan Feta and Balsamic Reduction

I had never seen a watermelon radish until we moved from Boston to the West Coast. They are always plentiful here. Bright and crisp with a peppery bite, they resemble watermelon only in appearance. I either eat them raw or pickle them but, for this canapé, I sprinkled them with sugar to offset some of their pepperiness. These rounds are tortilla wraps I cut out with a mold ring, and gave a quick toast to in a lightly oiled cast iron pan.

One of my favorite recipes from Rouxbe is Chad Sarno’s raw, cultured cheese, which is a raw nut base (in this case, macadamia nuts) which are blended with probiotic powder and cultured overnight to develop a rich, cheesy flavor by the next day. Once this cheese was cultured, I added enough salt until it resembled a crumbly dry feta cheese. A dot of this was placed between the round and radish to help them stick, then I added a touch of a balsamic reduction and layered again with more cheese and topped with fresh basil and black sesame seeds.

The pasta unit was probably my favorite part of the course. Getting the right dough consistency, learning how to roll it out and cook it once done is a fun challenge, and Rouxbe walks you through how to do each one. Here I made some cashew-cheese stuffed tortellini, topped with a dehydrated tomato slice, paper-thin shallot and fresh basil leaf. These were brushed with oil and baked, and made a fun two-bite appetizer.

Rouxbe generously waived my tuition in exchange for blogging about my experience and sharing my honest opinions about their Plant-Based Professional Certification Course.