Back in December, I took part in a photo/recipe contest from Gardein called Escape to LA. The prize was airfare for two to Los Angeles with two nights’ stay in a hotel and a cooking class with celebrity chef, Roberto Martin.
I was so ecstatic when my entry was chosen as the grand prize winner!
Late in February David and I flew to Los Angeles for our prize-winning trip. True to the contest’s name, Escape to LA, when we left a winter storm was bearing down where we live. There were 8 inches of snow pending that very afternoon.
Thank goodness, after a short delay and some time de-icing the wings, we were off to warmer places.
When we arrived at our hotel by the Bay, we were met with a note in the room from our friends at Gardein detailing the itinerary for the next day.
A few weeks prior they’d asked what I would like to learn to make from Chef Roberto, who will be opening a restaurant in Santa Monica later this spring. Roberto has made appearances on Ellen and wrote Vegan Cooking for Carnivores.
I assumed we’d make one or two of the things I’d mentioned. Instead, the next day we were scheduled to make every single thing and more.
David and I would be at the Gardein tasting kitchen from 8:45 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. under the tutelage of Chef Roberto himself. I could hardly wait.
They also told us that they’d be treating us to dinner at one of LA’s finest vegan eateries, Crossroads! It is a restaurant that I’ve been dying to try ever since it opened.
When we arrived at the Gardein tasting kitchen, Roberto was already getting started on breakfast burritos with Gardein breakfast patties, tofu, vegetables, and warmed tortillas.
After gathering for breakfast with the Gardein team, we started on the next course – chick’n fried steak bites with country gravy using the Gardein beefless tips.
The recipe is in Roberto’s book. It was one that called out to me right away.
The recipe involves dipping the tips in flour and blackening spice, then a cashew cream made with raw cashews and water, then back in the flour, patting it until it’s dry. Then the tips are fried. And the dried bits in the pan are used to make gravy.
The whole process is similar to a non-vegan dish that my mom made often when I was growing up. It really took me back.
Roberto said that when people are learning to veganize dishes, he encourages them to go with recipes that are familiar, but using non-animal proteins instead. That way the learning curve is much shorter to get back in the kitchen, making food you already know and love, but all vegan.
Next on the list were fishless tacos using Gardein fishless filets.
The fishless filets are one of my favorite Gardein products. But I tend to just have them with a pile of baked fries, steamed broccoli, and of course, plenty of malt vinegar and lemon.
This was a totally different take on them with a roasted salsa that we made from scratch, raw cabbage, and cashew cream made with chipotles in adobo. He served them on warmed corn tortillas. They were outstanding.
(This recipe wasn’t from Roberto’s book. So once we got home, I made my own version of vegan fish tacos.)
Next, we moved on to another dish from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, chick’n and mole tamales.
I’d specifically asked about making tamales, because it’s something I’d never done before. It seemed like the kind of thing that would be much easier learning from someone who had experience making them.
First, we made mole with dried ancho chilies roasted on the stove, sautéed onions and garlic, spices, almonds, and chopped chocolate.
Then we rehydrated cornhusks and stuffed them with masa, mole and Gardein chick’n scallopini. We wrapped all of them into cute parcels, until the whole batch was ready to be steamed.
There weren’t enough tamales to completely fill the pot. So Roberto inserted a bowl into the center to fill the excess space.
While we cooked, Roberto told us stories about his family, his cooking history, and being a chef for Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi.
He had us laughing all day long. Roberto just exudes warmth and accessibility.
Finally, we made one of the most intriguing dishes from Vegan Cooking for Carnivores, southern fried chick’n.
He makes his fried chick’n in a way that I’ve never seen from anyone else. He wraps the Gardein chick’n scallopini in rice paper rolls like you would use in making a spring roll. It is then breaded and fried.
It completely gives that “fried chicken” experience, with the wrappers standing in for “skin.”
The results blew me away.
I told Roberto that I wished I had a time machine, so that I could go back to when I first went vegetarian and give it to myself. When I went vegetarian, there were a few non-vegan dishes that I had a hard time giving up, and one of them was fried chicken.
This cruelty-free version was crazy good – with all of that crisp, chewy bite that I loved.
Roberto teased me that it would be a terrible use of technology to use a time machine for transporting a recipe instead of killing Hitler. Clearly Roberto hasn’t been watching Doctor Who or else he’d know about fixed points in the space/time continuum. 😉
(It was such a great idea, I had to use the rice paper “skin” for my own vegan fried chicken!)
Feeling like I couldn’t eat another bite, we were given a sneak peek into one of Gardein’s newest products, crabless cakes.
(Update: Be sure to try the crabless cakes in my vegan crab rangoon recipe!)
The cakes have a wonderful light flakiness to them. They are a perfect size to be an appetizer or loaded up on a plate as a full meal.
Roberto then surprised us with signed copies of his book, which he not only autographed, but also left little notes throughout.
He made note of the dishes we’d made that day, along with notations about which recipes we needed to make next.
It was truly a day I will never forget. I had high hopes and expectations, and Roberto and the crew from Gardein exceeded them every step of the way.
A huge thank you to the folks at Gardein – Ashlyn, Marissa, Sara, & Roberto! You really outdid yourselves!
Joann @ Woman in Real Life
That looks like my dream trip! Warm weather and lots of yummy vegan food prepared by a chef! Nice. Glad you had a great time. I love Gardein foods and they are great for vegetarian kids too!
Cadry
Thanks, Joann! It was a dream come true for me too!
Jojo
Wait a second…you’re meant to REHYDRATE the corn husks?!! This goes some way towards explaining why I found making tamales so freaking hard! I clearly need a cooking lesson. This looks like such a fun and interesting day and you made such great choices with the things you wanted to make, I especially want to eat the fish tacos and the fried chicken. Yum! I also can’t wait to get my hands on the new Gardein products when I’m over in the US for VVC – I still haven’t even tried the Fishless Fillets!
Cadry
Making tamales is a lot easier and more user-friendly than I thought it would be after just reading about it in cookbooks. Ever since I got Viva Vegan 5 years ago or so, it’s been on my list of things to do. Now that I’ve done it with a chef on hand, I wouldn’t be afraid to try it on my own at home. Although, it’s certainly easier with a group of helpers to do all of the folding!
Coming from the home of fish ‘n’ chips, I can’t wait to hear what you think of the fishless filets when you’re in Austin!
Patty
Hi Cadry, So happy for you, it sounds like an amazing experience!! I’d love to go to Crossroads one day = )
I want to eat meat at least as possible. I’m very new at this and still trying to find healthy and sustainable substitutions that I can enjoy. I’ve read bad things about protein isolates, specially soy protein isolate which is one of the top ingredients in Gardein products. I’d love to hear your opinion about it.
Thanks!
Cadry
Hi, Patty! Thank you! I was so thrilled to have been chosen the winner. It was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go to Crossroads this time around, but I’ll definitely use my gift card on my next trip to California.
That is such a great question about soy protein isolates. There’s a lot of conflicting information out there. Personally, I am not worried about soy or soy protein isolates, especially in comparison to the harmfulness of animal products. Those are especially bad for the health of animals like cows, pigs, and chickens! 🙂
That said, I think it’s good to diversify with foods and try to eat the rainbow so to speak. Personally, I try to keep whole foods as the foundation of my diet. I think of more processed foods as the dessert of entrees. They are “sometimes” foods. I find it creates a more sustainable diet in the long-term when I have the option of grabbing a convenience food on occasion that is a fun novelty. Ginny Messina, who is a registered dietitian, wrote a really interesting post on this topic recently on her blog called Pinto Beans or Tofurky? It talks about the idea of whether adding things like veggie dogs is helpful or harmful long-term when it comes to vegetarian diets. I thought it was an interesting read, and you might like it too.
Richa {VeganRicha.com}
wow. what an incredible trip! the rice paper wrapping is a fantastic idea!
Cadry
Thanks, Richa! Isn’t it such a fun idea? I thought it was so clever.
Caitlin
what an amazing experience! how could you even eat dinner afterwards?
Cadry
I couldn’t! We ate the tamales & fried chick’n around 5:30 pm, and we were too stuffed to do anything that night! So we rescheduled our reservations for Crossroads. But sadly, David and I got sick the next day, and we were sick for the remainder of the trip. So we weren’t able to use our gift card. It was such a bummer. However, I know we’ll be back to LA, and when we go next time, we’ll use it then.
An Unrefined Vegan
Wowwww!! What an absolutely incredible trip and opportunity, Cadry! It sounds like a truly magical day.
Cadry
Thanks, Ann! It was an unforgettable experience. The folks at Gardein made it really special.
Veganopoulous
How absolutely BRILLIANT! What a super experience and thanks for sharing because I loved reading this. I wish we had Gardein in Australia!
Cadry
Oh, that’s great to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed the post, even though you can’t get Gardein where you live yet. Maybe someday!
Susan
What an amazing trip, so much food!
When I first read the part where he said you should use a time machine to go back and kill Hitler, I was all ‘hang on a minute, fixed points in time’, but then I saw you mention that in the next sentence and was relieved that someone in that room understands how these things work. 😉
I am intrigued by the rice paper roll crispy chicken thing.
Cadry
I know – so much food! I thought I’d never be hungry again.
Ha!! That is so funny that you had the same thought about fixed points in time. I love that! You are my people! 😀
Randi (laughfrodisiac)
This is too much! Oh my gosh the generosity and the kindness and the awesomeness are all completely overwhelming and it wasn’t even me! I’m so excited for you and I can’t wait to see what you make from the cookbook.
Cadry
Overwhelming is the perfect word for it! The Gardein crew told me that before I was picked as the winner, they’d planned on having it be a sights-of-LA kind of visit. Then after I won, they read my blog and saw that I’d lived in LA for 13 years. So instead, they gave me a true foodie experience. I was so blown away by their generosity and kindness. When the day we was done and we were all gathered together saying goodbye, I got teared up. They really went above and beyond. I feel so grateful.
Laura Black
That was an awesome share! What a great experience. I felt like I was right there with you. I’ve honestly not tried Gardein products, but I’m inspired now. I’ll check out Chef Martin’s cookbook. Everything looked fantastic.
Cadry
Thank you! It was such a fun day. It’s going to be hard for another day in 2015 to beat that! My favorite Gardein products are the 7 Grain Crispy Tenders, Beefless Burgers, and Fishless Filets. You’ll have to let me know if you check them or Roberto’s cookbook out!
cookeasyvegan
I don’t say this often, but I think in this case it’s totally appropriate — OMG! What an experience. I love the idea of wrapping food in rice paper before frying. I’ll have to think of some way to use that little tidbit.
Cadry
It was such a fabulous day. I wish I could re-live it all over again! But it will be a wonderful memory for years to come. I look forward to seeing what you come up with where the rice paper is concerned! Lots of possibilities there!
Shannon Y-I-V
Wow, what a wonderful experience! Gardein is one of my favorite veg brands and it is so very cool that you got to hang with them and meet Chef Martin. Will be keeping my eyes peeled for those crabless cakes!
Cadry
It was such an amazing day, and they are a special bunch of people! I’m hoping it won’t take too long until the crabless cakes reach my area too. 😀
Bianca
Oh my gosh Cadry!!! This is SO EXCITING!!!!!!! Congrats on winning and what an awesome prize! All that food looks soooooo good. And I LOVE Roberto’s fried chicken. That was the first recipe I tried in Cooking for Carnivores, and I don’t think I could make fried “chicken” any other way now. It’s genius.
Cadry
Thank you! That recipe made me think of you! Maybe I read about it on your blog? It seemed like something you would love. It wouldn’t have occurred to me in a million years to use spring roll wrappers, but wow, it’s such a cool addition.
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
This is so fun Cadry! I’m so excited for you that you won the contest and got to cook with a chef! Also, that fried chicken is calling my name : )
Cadry
Thank you, Abby! It was such an amazing day. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend the fried chick’n. It is crazy good!
Kristy
That looks so awesome! You were so right about the fried chick’n- the spring roll wrappers really make all the difference!
Funny, though- I didn’t see anywhere about the group outing to the Marina del Rey library… 😉
Cadry
Oh, my god. You made me laugh out loud. There will be a full review of the library in the next post. Promise. 😉