My mother-in-law Candy Cope told me about a wonderful woman in Sacramento that teaches cooking and shopping for the vegan lifestyle, and I just wanted to share her info with you. Her name is Emily Webber, and Candy loved her cooking classes that she and a friend shared together.

I found Emily’s recipe for a tofu sour cream dip, and it looks great. Here is what she says about it:
 
"This dip reminds me a little bit of a thick, creamy Ranch-style dip served at a party with potato chips or vegetables. In this version, however, the herbs are fresh and bursting with flavor and rather than sour cream, the base is silken tofu. This dip is even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to mingle."
 
Fresh Herbed Tofu Sour Cream Dip
 
Serves 4-6
 
Special equipment: you will need a mesh strainer and cheesecloth for this recipe.
 
Ingredients

• 1 pound organic fresh silken tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (adjust to taste)
• About 10-20 turns freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons each minced fresh basil, parsley, and dill
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
• 2 teaspoons minced shallot

Steps

1. Line a mesh strainer with a quadruple layer of cheesecloth, allowing a couple of inches to hang over the edges.
2. Place the strainer inside a bowl, cut open the package of tofu and dump it in.
3. Allow the tofu to drain for 15 minutes to 2 hours (place in the refrigerator if it will sit out for longer than 20 minutes) *The longer it sits, the thicker your dip will be
4. Squeeze out any remaining water and dump into the food processor.
5. Puree until smooth.
6. Add the celery seed, salt, pepper, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and puree.
7. Add the herbs and shallots, and pulse just until combined.
8. Do not over-mix, or the dip will be green.
9. Bit of herbs should still be visible.

Variation:   Drain the tofu overnight to make it really thick.  In this way, the dip turns into a sandwich or bagel spread.  Try it for simple cucumber sandwiches.  It would be super-yummy for an afternoon tea or wedding/baby shower.  I love it in the morning, spread on half a whole wheat bagel with a bowl of berries.
 
Serve with your favorite veggies!
 
If you live near the Sacramento area and would like to take one of Emily’s classes, here is an example of a class syllabus:

Day 1: Thursday

• Southwestern Scramble; Burrito Style
• Dinosaur Smoothie
• Portabella Mushroom Stroganoff; Steamed Broccoli

Topics of Discussion: Healthy Menu Planning; Why not dairy, Why not meat; Diabetes and fat in the diet
 
Day 2: Friday

• Tempeh Reuben
• Mixed Greens with Simple Vinaigrette
• Simple Tofu with Tamari and Basil
• Delicata Squash Stuffed with Holiday Rice
• Winter Greens with Lemon, Thyme and Garlic

Topics of Discussion: Grocery shopping; Going out to eat
 
Day 3: Saturday

• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Served over Baby Spinach
• Seitan & Red Bean Pot Pie (pot pie for company; no crust-serve over brown rice for everyday dinner)
• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Cinnamon & Maple Syrup
• Kale & Caramelized Onion Gratin
• Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee with Raspberries (if you want to, we can experiment and make ½ the batch chocolate!)

In addition to her classes, Emily accepts private clients and can be reached at webber1973@sbcglobal.net. Have you taken any great cooking classes recently?