And the Burgh. I recently bumped into an old friend who is now a small business owner, belly dance instructor and vegan chef extraordinnaire. Her web site, Healing Arts by Amethyst is a neat introduction to belly dancing, vegan living and sacred dance.

And guess what? her Bellydance and Veil Work for Beginners class starts this Monday, so we can let it all hang out! From the web site:

6-Week Course, beginning this Monday, March 13, 2006
Mondays, 6:45-8:00 p.m.
Stanwix Towers
625 Stanwix Street, Floor 2
Cost: $60 for entire 6-week course

Come learn a choreography using a veil as a prop! Students have the option of performing in a student dance recital “Elements”, on April 28, 2006. If you don’t want to perform, no worries, you can still come to class and learn the choreography for fun and exercise! If you have a veil or other large piece of fabric, please bring it to class. Limited extras are available for use in class, so if you don’t have one, don’t let that stop you from coming to class! Please note, you must first contact Amethyst if you would like to attend classes downtown, as the building is a secured building. You may call any day, including the day of class.

Amethyst also offers massage therapy and other courses and workshops. Check it out!

Last but not least, our resident bellydancer is also a dedicated vegan, and her site includes powerful video on the subject, as well as helpful nutrional information and answers to the perennial question, “What do vegans eat?” Apparently, vegan Coffee-Chocolate Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake is an option. Click below for the recipe and see the site for more.

Coffee-Chocolate Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake!!!

Note from the chef: This cheesecake is thick and rich, like cheesecake should be! For best results: Do not over-bake or under-bake it.

Ingredients:

1 Ready-made frozen pie shell (9 inches)

3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) tofu cream cheese (vegan), softened
1 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 T corn starch
1/3 or 1/2 C coffee chocolate chips or other vegan chocolate chips
4 1/2 tsp. Ener G egg replacer mixed with 6 Tablespoons Water
2/3 cup strawberry jam (100% fruit)
3 T. flour

Preparation:

Egg Replacer Mixture:
Mix 4 1/2 tsp. Egg Replacer powder with 6 Tablespoons Water, mix with fork until all powder is dissolved. Set aside.

Mix the tofu cream cheese, organic sugar, corn starch and vanilla together until smooth (by hand or with tools). Add the egg replacer and beat until well blended.

Divide the cream cheese mixture, half in one mixing bowl and half in another.

Mix the strawberry jam and flour together in a seperate bowl.

Combine the strawberry mixture with half of the cream cheese mixture in one bowl
and mix until well blended; set aside.

Add coffee/chocolate chips to the other cream cheese mixture and mix/stir; set aside.

Pour about 1/4 of the strawberry/cream cheese mixture into the the pan, over the baked crust.
Pour about 1/4 of the coffee chip/cream cheese mixture on top.
Repeat, until all mixture is used in layers.
Decorate the top of the pie with coffee/chocolate chips

Bake in a preheated oven at 350º for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight (or at least a few hours if you can’t wait all night)!

Note: Many “egg replacers” contain real egg product, some pie crusts contain animal products, and many chocolate chips contain dairy.
Read labels to be sure products are vegan and do not contain egg or dairy products.
A link is in the ingredients list (above), click on it to find Ener G Egg Replacer, which is vegan and inexpensive.

© 2005 Healing Arts by Amethyst.
Site by Tony Zilionis.