“I Will Show You That It Is Possible To Make Cakes Without Sugar, Without Gluten Or Without Milk”

The story of the vegan chef Virginia García with the kitchen has not a hint of romanticism, but of practicality: “I had to start cooking for myself and make me like everything, because otherwise I would have a poorer diet”, we confesses. But that does not mean that this has become a true passion, with which he not only enjoys experimenting with ingredients, flavors and textures, but also sharing all that knowledge that he never stops expanding.

From now on you can find chef Virginia García at the Cuerpomente School, where she has prepared the course “Healthy biscuits “. In this course he teaches us to prepare authentic delicacies without the need to use animal products or gluten, soy or nuts. A complete challenge that you cannot miss!

–In your latest project, the “Healthy Cakes” course at the Cuerpomente School, you propose to prepare healthy cakes, without sugar, without gluten or without milk … Is that really possible?
-Many people find it inconceivable to be able to make cakes without eggs or dairy. But you can! And in this course I go much further. I have been adding complexity to each of the doughs that I show until I get cakes that, in addition to being vegan, do not contain the main allergens that usually cause problems (gluten, soy, nuts …). In addition, so that it can be better understood, I made a very extensive syllabus explaining all the ingredients and functions. I am very proud of it.

– Do you think it is important to learn to cook cakes at home?
If we like sweets and learn to cook, cakes are a good way to practice at home. All in general are more complex than it seems to us, so getting to know the functions of the ingredients and experimenting ourselves provides us with a lot of knowledge about baking in general and about making cakes in particular.

“What have we been doing wrong so far?”
–Until now, what we have done the worst is to think that there are essential ingredients, such as eggs, since they are included in all traditional recipes. But it is not like that, there are many other ingredients whose characteristics supplement and even improve the properties of the egg in baking. We anchor ourselves in “the traditional” but we do not see that everything has a meaning and a function, and that these functions can be perfectly occupied by other vegetable ingredients.

– Is it difficult to cook the cakes that you propose in the course?
Although it seems complicated it is not so much, and more if we are making the cakes from more “traditional” to more “restrictive”. In addition, I have adapted the recipes to be able to measure the ingredients by volume and so that even if there is a difference of 5-10 grams, it does not affect the dough. This way it is much easier.

-What was it before being a vegan or a chef?
-I went vegan before. At the time I had no idea about cooking, but I thought it was the best choice for me, for ethical reasons. He was not going to wait another day, he would learn what was needed as he went, but the first thing was to get the animals off the menu.

I remember perfectly the moment when I decided to go vegan. I stared at a carton of milk and thought how cruel was the production of meat as that of any other food that meant animal exploitation.

“I had to change everything, and that was the moment.”

– Was it easy to discard ingredients of animal origin from recipes?
-Very easy. When I became vegan, instead of thinking about substituting those ingredients of animal origin, what I did was expand the catalog of ingredients that came into my house. The refrigerator began to fill with foods such as broccoli, pumpkin, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini …

When you have more plant-based ingredients than anything else, there is no room to miss anything. Also think that when I became vegan there were not even vegetable drinks in the supermarkets, much less “substitutes” for meat. What we vegans did, and what we vegan people did at that time, was eat a lot of legumes.

–How did your passion for cooking start?
-When I became independent and became vegan I did not like any vegetables and I did not know how to cook, it had not caught my attention, until I had to start cooking for myself and make me like everything, because otherwise I would have a poorer diet … Then, I was amazed at the things that could be made and the pride I felt in cooking them myself and eating them! From there I decided to train and work on it whenever I could.

–What does cooking mean to you?
-A lot of things. In the artistic sense it is like painting: you add colors and textures, you create your work on a blank canvas, which in this case is the frying pan, the saucepan or the utensil that you are using. It is also learning. I do not know everything and I will never know, each experience in the kitchen is unique and there is always something, no matter how minimal, that is different.

It is also nutrition. While I compose a dish I keep in mind that this is my food, what will nourish me, and I modify things on the fly depending on the activity that I am going to have or that I have had, or what I have eaten before, or what I have in mind. do at the next meal. It seems like a lot of things to consider, but when you have been around for so many years it is an almost automatic process.

–Of the adaptations that you have been able to make of traditional gastronomy, which one are you most proud of?
– Of the stews in general. I love dipping bread, and with so much variety of things we have now, veganizing any of these dishes is a walk. With textured soy, tofu, seitan, legumes and vegetables I will make any stew that will remind you of the traditional ones both in flavor and textures.

– What are those ingredients that you most enjoy creating?
“Buff, everyone!” I have a weakness for powdered gluten though. When I feel like saying “let’s see what comes out”, I usually make some kind of “vegetable meat” from wheat gluten. I think I have made over 50 different recipes. I do not have all the notebooks at hand (I am writing everything down), but the figures will go around there.

Virginia García: gastronomy artist

“I am a vegan chef and photographer. I dedicate myself to exploring gastronomy, yes, everything vegetable. I have fun with vegetables and, from time to time, also with video games,” Virginia García tells us about her.

“ I love cooking everything and eating everything I prepare as well. Some dishes that remind me of childhood I take with more affection. This is the case of brown rice with tomato and tofu, with cream and salt Kala Namak, an adaptation that it evolved from simple rice with tomato, “explains chef Virginia García enthusiastically, who has prepared the course” Healthy biscuits “at the Cuerpomente School.

– Do you have a professional reference?
– I have many small references, there are many professionals who inspire me in some aspect. To tell you a close friend, Zaraida Fernández, although she is not known worldwide, has a passion for cooking that matches her professionalism, and that shows a lot. I like the way you do things.

–What do you inspire when creating?
-In the images or concepts that come to mind that day. In my case it has a lot to do with the state of mind. Sometimes I am inspired by cuisines from other regions, by the landscapes of those places or by what they evoke to me. Other times I am inspired by the colors of a series, a game, a book or a comic. Sometimes I also think first of a concept like “this giant sandwich is the sandwich of your dreams”, and I add ingredients and processes that have to do with it.

“Who is the first person to test your experiments?”
“It’s always me.” I look at it, I smell it, I look at it again and I taste it. And I try it a little more, just in case. And then I offer my partner, who also judges the dish in all aspects, his feedback is very useful to me.

–You share a large part of your knowledge in a blog. How did the idea of ​​starting this adventure come about?
-It was 2006 and the Internet was not like now. There weren’t many blogs and not much information or quality recipes, so I thought it would be a good idea to start sharing my creations, both for people who were just starting out and for those who already had enough experience in the kitchen and what they were looking for was beyond .

– What is the purpose of this blog?
-Teach to cook 100% vegetable, well, globally. Each recipe is a tutorial. If they are not my ideas I am attaching a lot of bibliography so that you can expand your knowledge. Cooking is a constant learning process, and I want it to be understood that way.

–Any new project you are working on and can you tell us something?
–I can tell you that a new book is coming, but up to here I can read;)

–And to finish, what are you dreaming about?
–With a world free of animal exploitation. Although I have found my passion in cooking, I never forget why I do it. And that keeps me going.