What’s Cookin’?

I know yesterday I wrote about keeping my mind calm and blank, and not adding anything new to the mix. Staying the course, and enjoying the course. And day one into it- I think I have.

Except I received a notice in my email today:

My Plant-Based Cooking Level 1 course is now ready for me to begin. It was something I had signed up for awhile ago, something I’ve wanted to do for some time. And to be fair, I have been a member of Rouxbe.com for a couple of years- so ‘officially’ it’s not something new I’m adding to my life.

I don’t normally plug web sites or products or anything here. It’s usually just my musings and ramblings- but I figure, since my brain is quiet, I’ll talk about my experience with Rouxbe instead.

If you are a home chef, or wanting to be a home chef- but after hours and hours of watching Food Network or perusing Pinterest, and you still have done nothing about it- Rouxbe can help you get there.

The thing I love most about Rouxbe is the instruction- the videos are unlike any other cooking/recipe video show out there. The real focus is on the technique, the philosophy, and the “whys” behind cooking. Why meat sticks to a pan- why it doesn’t. Why gluten is important for breads and pastas. The focus is not on the celebrity chef- the focus is on the food. It taught me how to make the most amazing and delicious scrambled eggs.  I cooked my entire Thanksgiving dinner from scratch two years ago- based on Rouxbe’s three-day planner and videos. Everything from brining an organic turkey to yams… I can’t speak highly enough about this site.

So when Rouxbe started offering full courses on Plant-Based Cuisine, I signed up (there are all sorts of courses on there, not just plant-based).

I have been implementing an “Inside Outside Diet” for a few months now, hoping to lower my cholesterol below 200. Quick recap: my Inside Outside diet is eating vegan at home (no meat or dairy) and anything else everywhere else (friends/family house for dinner, foodie restaurants, traveling around the world). My digestive system, surprisingly, has been quite receptive to it.

I haven’t fully learned how to properly cook a plant-based diet at home. I’ve been experimenting and trying- reading a lot… but to see it in action in the Rouxbe format is spectacular. Not only does Rouxbe cover the recipes, they cover basic cooking techniques, lifestyle changes for plant-based diets, and nutritional aspects. They use a philosophy of cooking that makes sense. Here, check out their diagram for The Map of cooking:

The website is amazing and usually offers a few free videos to check out. You may not necessarily be interested in a plant-based diet, but Rouxbe has something to offer anyone wanting to further your craft or learn more about the food you eat. The basis for healthy eating is getting away from foods you know nothing about and start learning about the things you put into your body. Learning to cook for yourself, for your family, is one way to do this. Check it out!