This Omnivore's Dilemma

To those who've cooked with Essen, spoken with me or read the periodic emails, this will come as no surprise - I love my veggies. I love their interesting forms and array of colors. I love the way the sum of their parts make for a more robust whole. I love that they're not only gentler to the planet, but that growing a variety of veggies, everywhere, is key to our survival. Okay, I love that they're good for me, even with relatively modest additions of yummy lipids and carbs of choice. And I want you to love them too.

I've also been listening to all of you. Vegetarian classes are no stranger to Essen. I've been teaching them all along, just never labeled as such. Last year's "Holiday" class featured side dishes and desserts and were totally meat-free. By request, many of you have cooked meatless menus at Create Your Essen experiences. Like it or not, we still live in the land of "meat and three." Essen's goal is to appeal to a wide audience, getting the community in the broadest sense of the word excited to cook, excited to pass along the tradition, skill and community of cooking. I was concerned that the label "vegetarian" would scare away 95% of you, afraid you'd feel you spent your hard-earned dollars and may walk away hungry, unsatisfied and still not know what you were making for dinner.

A couple of things happened. First of all, you surprised me, Susquehanna Valley. Client cooks were ecstatic with the (surprise!) vegetarian menus. They couldn't wait to tell their friends. And I read one more compelling piece by Michael Pollan, "Farmer in Chief," convincing me I could no longer hide behind my thin veil of fear (October 17, 2008 post).

As promised in October, Fossil Fuel Buster classes, designated as (FFB), are "What's New" at Essen for 2009. At least one Essen Class each month will be 100% vegetarian. Okay, not such a big deal, you may be thinking. I can do veggies, I should do veggies ... Problem is, all you can think to make is tofu or beans. And, to make matters worse, you think tofu is bland (which it is) and beans give you gas (debatable - depends on the technique!). That's where Essen comes into the picture.

We're already ahead of the game as Essen's cooking philosophy is rooted in sun-based foods, not petroleum. Yet we can all do our part to do even more. Join us at our debut FFB, "Routine and Lovin' It" on Wednesday, January 21, 6pm - 9pm. We'll prepare and dine on a meatless menu that you'll make again and again. Who knows, pretty soon you may forget to ask, "Where's the beef?"