Spring Cooking Class Series

It has been quite a while since the last cooking class… so I am excited to be starting up again! Since I got to spend some time in Bali I thought it would only be appropriate to make some great Balinese cuisine. The most popular dish I saw and consumed in Bali was Nasi Campur (mixed rice). Sounds simple enough, but you would not believe the presentation of this dish at some of the local warungs (small cafes). Basically it involves rice with veggies, tempeh, and sambal, a hot mix of chiles and garlic for those who like it spicy! My favorite restaurant in Bali, Warung Sopa was in Ubud, more of the cultural center of Bali… lots of beautiful rice patties and artwork. I especially loved this restaurant because you got to choose which veggie and/or tempeh or tofu dish you would like in your nasi campur.

So my cooking class for April is going to be Balinese themed… we will be making Nasi Campur, with seasonal greens and tempeh or seasoned soy curls as sides. Of course there will be sambal to light our digestive fire. For dessert is a pudding made out of chia seeds and freshly made coconut milk with bananas on the top! The dessert is actually inspired by Ani Phyo, from her Ani’s Raw Food Asia book. Chia seeds are even more packed with omega-3’s than flax seeds!!! The cooking classes are on Thursday, April 5th and Tuesday April 17th. Go to my website to see the cooking class schedule for more info. As always the Creative Healthy Cooking Classes are vegan and gluten-free!

vegan nasi campur

vegan nasi campur

Vegan and Gluten-Free in Sanur Beach, Bali

Nasi Campur

Vegan and Gluten-Free Nasi Campur at Manik Organic in Sanur Beach

I found a restaurant called Manik Organik that used to be completely vegetarian (now they serve fish and chicken) in Sanur Beach. This is the only place I have seen acknowledging gluten-free and vegan on any menu in Sanur… and trust me, I have been looking. Most of our time in Bali so far has been walking around and taking it easy to get plenty of rest for our adventures to come. The only other place I have seen that has the word vegetarian on the menu is at Bonsai Cafe (right on the Sanur Beachfront).  Anyway I was so happy to find this place again via happycow.net.

I tried the nasi campur, which was labeled vegan and gluten-free. It was delicious and seemed very traditional Balinese cuisine, served on a banana leaf. There was a mountain of brown rice and spicy sombal coated tempeh and tofu. With a green bean, water spinach, and sprouted vegetable dish (this was really tasty since it has some toasted coconut mixed in… both savory and sweet) and some tempeh and tofu kabobs. They have a great selection of juices too. I had the carrot, apple and parsley blend. Our next stop is Seminyak, Bali which apparently has lots of vegan and gluten-free options. More to come!!!

Drinking some fresh juice with a bamboo straw

Drinking some fresh juice with a bamboo straw