Raise your hand if you’ve been grilling tofu this summer.

Yeah, didn’t expect to see many takers. How about snacking on kale chips? Or whirring up a batch of almond milk?

I have to confess I was skeptical of all these culinary notions until I attended “Grilling with the Girls,” a vegan cooking class at Whole Foods Market in July. The free class was taught by Cindy Harrell, healthy eating specialist at the 7635 N. Academy Blvd. store and Brooke England, assistant store team leader for the store at 3180 New Center Point.

“People doing a vegan diet are on the rise,” Harrell said at the beginning of the class. “They are desperate to know how to cook without using meat, eggs, dairy and other animal ingredients. Brooke and I took vegan immersion classes and have learned some delicious ways to vary vegan dishes and satisfy all your nutritional requirements.”

That’s why they have started giving cooking classes, store demonstrations and offering Health Starts Here 5 for $5 dinners.

At the grilling class, the first dish they made was BBQ Tofu & Slaw.

“Buy the extra firm tofu and press between paper towels to remove excess moisture,” Harrell said.

She sliced the tofu into six “steaks” and marinated them 30 minutes in a mixture of Italian dressing, low-sodium tamari and garlic powder.

England grilled the tofu on a hot gas grill for about seven minutes per side to give the slices grill marks.

“The last minute of grilling I like to brush the tofu with our Austin’s Own Mild BBQ Sauce,” she said.

I have to admit the BBQ tofu was much better tasting than I had expected. Eaten with the slaw there was a nice balance of texture — the crunch slaw with the softer tofu.

The slaw was simply two cups of shredded purple and white cabbage and one shredded carrot mixed with 1/4 cup prepared Vegenaise, two tablespoons almond milk and one tablespoon fresh lemon juice.

“This salad has a whole, whole bunch of veggies and not much fat,” Harrell said. “There are lots of crunchy vegetables.”

Speaking of crunchy, Harrell asked, “Have any of you tried kale chips?”

I’m sure I had the Bambi-in-headlights expression. The idea of kale chips was totally beyond my food imagination.

“Kale chips are so easy to make and so much lower in fat than regular chips,” Harrell said. “They’re high in fiber too. And there are so many varieties of kale (that) it’s fun to try different types.”

I found a recipe to try and must say they are surprisingly tasty. Here’s how you make them: Cut leaves from the thick stems of one bunch of kale. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Wash and spin dry. Spread the leaves over a baking sheet, lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

They taste good and make great conversation starters at parties.

At the end of the class, Harrell told us about a free almond milk demonstration she would be doing later in the week and about the weekly Health Starts Here 5 for $5 Dinners offered 4-6 p.m. Mondays. The dinners are offered at the North Academy store off and on. For five bucks you get five big scoops of different vegetable-based dishes. I tried it and thought it was a quick way to get a healthy meal for not much money. You can buy as many as you like.

At the almond milk demo I learned how to whir up three cups of nut milk in nothing flat. Plan ahead because the cup of whole almonds need to soaked in water overnight. The next day drain the almonds and blend them with 3 cups of water at high speed in a blender until the liquid is smooth. I’d recommend a Vitamix to get the job done. The mixture is drained through cheese cloth or a nut milk bag (which are sold at Whole Foods Market).

“The leftover almond pulp can be dehydrated and used for baking,” Harrell said. “It’s a great source of low-fat protein and fiber.”

Call 531-9999 to learn about classes and demos.

Contact Teresa J. Farney at 636-0271, Twitter @tffoodie, Facebook Teresa Farney