Laura Theodore
The Jazzy Vegetarian (www.jazzyvegetarian.com)
With a mission of making the world a better place, one recipe at a time, multi-talented, multi-media star Laura Theodore has topped the charts in music, books, and TV and is also considered tops by many vegetarian and general chefs.
Having started her career as an award-winning Jazz vocalist who released six solo albums (including “Tonight’s the Night,” which received a Musician Magazine Award, and “Golden Earrings,” which was on the GRAMMY® list for Best Jazz Vocal Album) and performed at the Night of 100 Stars and The American Film Awards as well as in many off-Broadway plays (including the titular role in the Janis Joplin biography, “Love, Janis” which won her the Denver Critics Drama Circle Award as Best Actress in a Musical), Theodore is no stranger to the spotlight. On her TV show, however, she shines a light on the healthy benefits and delicious possibilities of vegan cooking. The show is so popular, that it has won Taste Awards for Best Health and Fitness Television Program (Food and Diet) and was inducted into the Taste Hall of Fame! In addition, Ms. Theodore was a recent winner of the Top 100 Vegetarian Blog Awards.
As she prepares the latest season of her hit TV show and to continue to appear on many others (including programs on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and even in the Netflix documentary Food Choices) and as she also looks forward to the release of her latest cookbook, Theodore continues to sing the praises of the vegan diet and to show how it can be integrated into any lifestyle to make it and the person living it healthier and more…well…Jazzy!
Matt’s Meals: How did you get into cooking? Who inspired you?
As a child, visiting my grandma and watching her prepare delicious food fascinated me! Plus, helping my mom serve tasty meals and eating her yummy dinners every night was something I looked forward to.
When I was three or four years old, I remember standing on a stool in my grandmother’s kitchen, stirring apples for her yearly batch of applesauce. On Sundays or holidays, I looked forward to entering my Grandma Cook’s kitchen. (Yes, Cook was her real last name!) Grandma’s kitchen was always filled with the intoxicating aroma of a big pot of simmering spaghetti sauce or some other wonderful culinary creation that she was preparing for us to feast upon.
At home, I remember being fascinated when my mom took beautifully trimmed and cooked artichokes out of the pot, or when my great aunt came to visit and made homemade pasta noodles.
Many years later, when I became interested in cooking while living a healthier lifestyle, I started by recreating the traditional recipes from mom and grandma’s kitchens. Grandma shared handwritten recipes with me weekly, and I started preparing vegetarian then eventually vegan versions of their classic recipes. These are some of the recipes you see in my cookbooks and on the Jazzy Vegetarian television show today.
Matt’s Meals: Where was your first professional kitchen experience and what lessons did you learn that continue to educate how you work in your kitchen today?
I began my professionalcareer as a recording artist and actor. Ten years ago, we combined my love of cooking and experience behind the camera into a hit television show! I find that being a television chef is a very different challenge than working as a recording artist. Over 10 years ago, during the first season of filming the show, I needed to focus on presenting each episode in an entertaining manner, including step-by-step recipes and menu plans – all wrapped into less than 25 minutes of camera time! Developing my own on-camera style and making certain every detail for the camera was viewer friendly was a challenge! Script management and scheduling each episode around produce availability was a learning curve that I have honed over the years.
Matt’s Meals: What have been the biggest challenges you have faced and how have you handled them?
When the Food Network premiered in the late 1990’s, I became determined to have my own plant-based cooking show on television. I would say that the biggest challenge overall was launching a plant-based show on nationally-broadcast television. We started shopping Jazzy Vegetarian to the networks around 2006. The series was finally picked up by a PBS distributor in late 2010. That was a long process! We heard a lot of “nos” along the way, but I was determined to make it work. So, in 2011, we launched the first season of the vegan cooking series Jazzy Vegetarian on national public television.
When the show premiered all across the nation in 2011, I was told that, since it was a vegan cooking show, it might last for two seasons and reach 45% of U.S. television households. Ten years later, we are getting ready to premiere season nine ofour three-time Taste award-winning cooking series on May 15th, 2021. The program has regularly been available in nearly 90% of U.S. television households each week, touching the hearts and kitchens of our thousands of loyal fans all across America.
Matt’s Meals: How has your cooking and business style changed and how has the industry changed?
Since my main gigs these days are television chef, recipe developer, and cookbook author, my business style has certainly changed. Coming from a background in the entertainment industry, I was able to parlay some of my skills.
Matt’s Meals: What are you most looking forward to this year, in terms of your career?
Season nine of Jazzy Vegetarian premieres on national public television in May. The companion cookbook to the season – Easy Vegan Home Cooking: Over 125 Plant-Based and Gluten-Free Recipes for Wholesome Family Meals – will be released in October. Both the new television season and cookbook feature vegan recipes that require eight ingredients or fewer and focus on bountiful breakfasts, light lunches, satisfying suppers, and delightful desserts, designed to please vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike.
The following recipe is one of Laura’s favorites from season eight and is featured in the companion cookbook, Vegan for Everyone, published by Scribe Publishing Company ©2020. Reprinted by permission
MAPLE POTS DE CREME
Makes 4 to 6 servings
This delicate, rich dessert is based on a recipe my grandma often made. When I was a child it was my favorite dessert, but it was packed with eggs and heavy cream. Every year, on my birthday, I was allowed to choose the dessert for my special dinner, and I always chose Grandma’s chocolaty, rich pudding!
Here’s a maple-y vegan variation of my original rendition, based on my grandma’s chocolaty recipe. This pudding is so creamy, your guests will not believe that it’s based in (shhhh) tofu!
Bonus: It takes only 10 minutes to prep!
INGREDIENTS
¾ cup unsweetened nondairy milk
14 ounces firm or extra-firm regular tofu, drained and cubed (see note)
2 tablespoons maple syrup (I like Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (55% to 65% cacao)
Fresh raspberries, for garnish (optional)
Mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Put the nondairy milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Put the tofu, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a blender, and then add the chocolate chips.
Pour in the simmering nondairy milk and process for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until completely smooth.
Spoon or pour the mixture into eight to ten mini dessert glasses or espresso cups (or six to eight small dessert bowls) and garnish with a raspberry and mint sprig, or a single chocolate chip.
Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
Serve cold.