For former Nak & Æd host, it was a natural choice to replace the meat with cabbage.
Økologisk Nu"Every time you shop, you help change Denmark. Either towards more of what we know, or in a new and greener direction with more organic products, bringing us back to our roots – a kitchen with plenty of crunch, lots of vegetables, and freshness." Chef Nikolaj Kirk is behind the stove on the stage in the large tent housing the Community Kitchen at Food Festival in Aarhus. The former host of Nak & Æd has been hired to lead one of the Organic Association's workshops. They aim to show that it is possible to live on organic food on a student budget if you're willing to change some kitchen habits and cut back on meat. "Because we need to move forward. We will move forward. And we will become the green Denmark. Because that's the coolest thing. And now, we’re going to cook," echoes Nikolaj Kirk from the stage, where he has a view of the long rows of participants behind tables with stoves, kitchenware, and organic ingredients. His message reaches far beyond the 150 guests in the tent, as a short video from the workshop has reached over 60,000 people in just a few days. Lentils as the engine "I wanted to highlight that we are actually starting to produce organic pulses in Denmark, and both lentils, peas, and beans are really good sources of protein. They are filling, and you get a lot for your money," explains Nikolaj Kirk to Organic Now before the workshop started. To stay within a student budget, he has chosen for participants to make fried lentils with two types of cabbage, red onion, apples, and plenty of spices, lemon, garlic, and a bit of creamy yogurt. During the workshop, participants will learn to utilize the fact that pulses are "insanely good at absorbing flavors," and once you learn how to use them, they serve as a good engine for the rest of the meal, according to Nikolaj Kirk, and they are quite inexpensive. "When you use pulses, it’s about making an effort and practicing. Just like learning to ride a bike. And the fun part is, my experience is that when people encounter well-prepared and well-spiced lentils or beans, very few people say it’s not delicious." It doesn’t taste so bad "Today, we also used palm cabbage and kale. They are two elegant cabbages. Of course, they can be stewed, as was common in the past, but I think most people have realized they can also just be torn, quickly stir-fried, and seasoned, so you get a green, crunchy cabbage leaf instead of a completely soft one." At the tables behind the stoves in the second row, a group of young students from the gastronomy line at Spir Efterskole in Snaptun are struggling to keep up with Kirk’s pace. When they saw the ingredients, which were lined up around the stove beforehand, their immediate assessment was: "It looks very healthy and maybe a little dangerous. We’ve never tried to make this kind of food before, but it doesn’t taste bad at all," smiles Caroline Mathiasen as the workshop ends, and she and her friend Amalie Nedergaard stand with a small bowl of the finished lentil dish. "In fact, it tastes really good, and I could definitely make this again," Caroline Mathiasen corrects herself. From TV icon to vegan saint According to Nikolaj Kirk, this is exactly the kind of experience that such a workshop is about. "I think the best thing about a workshop like this is that 150 people gather to make a vegetable dish I’ve come up with, and the participants say: 'That was really cool. I want to try that at home.' If I can just give people one small thing they can take home and use, I go home happily," says the popular TV chef, who by no means looks like a man under heavy criticism, which he received from several fans when, in 2025, after 16 seasons of Nak & Æd, he launched the vegetarian cookbook 'Eat. Green. Easy. Now.' They accused him of turning his back on meat, which caused some sour reactions on social media. Most likely, these came from people who had watched Nikolaj Kirk prepare campfire food from animals that his friend and co-host Jørgen Skouboe had hunted in nature over many seasons. Suddenly, Nikolaj Kirk was labeled a "vegan saint," hopefully soon to come to his senses. However, the criticism does not affect the seasoned chef. "I am a chef when I cook with game. I am a chef when I cook with fish, and I am also a chef when I cook vegetables. But when I look out into the world, it seems like we all agree that we would like to eat a bit more vegetables." In the spirit of sustainability, but also because vegetables are a shortcut to new culinary experiences, Nikolaj Kirk has chosen to act as an ambassador for the green kitchen. "The challenge for many is that they find it difficult to start using more pulses, cabbage, and vegetables. Therefore, it’s obvious that I, as a chef, step in and say that these are the ingredients we need to focus on. Otherwise, I would feel I am neglecting my profession," says Nikolaj Kirk. The Organic Association also hosted two other major workshops, where chefs Louisa Lorang and Emilie Qvist Kjærgaard filled the Community Kitchen, while a series of panel debates and open kitchens attracted many visitors to the Organic Scene in the association’s tent. The article was written as part of the project More Organic at Festivals, supported by the Foundation for Organic Agriculture.
"Every time you shop, you help change Denmark. Either towards more of what we know, or in a new and greener direction with more organic products, which brings us back to what we came from – a kitchen with lots of crunch, lots of vegetables, and lots of freshness."
Chef Nikolaj Kirk is behind the pots on the stage in the large tent, which houses the Community Kitchen at Food Festival in Aarhus. The former host from Nak & Æd has been hired to lead one of Organic Denmark's workshops. They aim to show that it is possible to live on organic food on a student budget if you're willing to change some kitchen habits and cut down a bit on meat content.
"Because we need to move. We will move. And we will become the green Denmark. Because that's the coolest. And now we’re going to cook something," echoes Nikolaj Kirk from the stage, where he has a view over the long rows of participants behind tables with stoves, kitchenware, and organic ingredients, his messages being heard by far more than the 150 guests in the tent, as a short video from the workshop over a couple of days has reached well over 60,000 people.
Lentils act as a motor
"I wanted to advocate that we are actually starting to produce organic pulses in Denmark, and both lentils, peas, and beans are really good sources of protein. They fill you up and you get a lot for your money," explains Nikolaj Kirk to Organic Now before the workshop started.
To stay within the student budget, he has decided that participants should make fried lentils with two types of cabbage, red onion, apples, and lots of spices, lemon, garlic, and a bit of fatty yogurt.
During the workshop, participants will learn to utilize the fact that pulses are "insanely good at absorbing flavors," and once you learn how to use them, they function according to Nikolaj Kirk as a good engine for the rest of the meal, and they are quite inexpensive.
"When using pulses, it’s about making an effort and practicing. Just like learning to ride a bike. And the funny thing is, my experience is that when people encounter lentils or beans that are well-cooked and well-spiced, very few people say that it’s not delicious."
It doesn’t taste so bad
"Today we also used palm cabbage and kale. They are two elegant cabbages. Of course, they can be stewed, as was common in the past, but I think most have realized that they can also just be torn, that is, picked, and then quickly stir-fried and seasoned, so you get a green, crunchy cabbage leaf instead of a completely soft leaf."
Down at the tables behind the stoves in the second row, a group of young students from the gastronomy line at Spir Efterskole in Snaptun are struggling to keep up with Kirk’s pace. When they saw the ingredients, which had been lined up around the stove in advance, their immediate assessment was:
"It looks very healthy and maybe a little dangerous. We’ve never tried to make that kind of food before, but it doesn’t taste bad at all," smiles Caroline Mathiasen as the workshop ends, and she and her friend Amalie Nedergaard stand with a small bowl of the finished lentil dish.
"Actually, it tastes really good, and I could definitely make that again," Caroline Mathiasen corrects herself.
From TV icon to vegan saint
According to Nikolaj Kirk, that is precisely the kind of experience that such a workshop is about.
"I think the best thing about a workshop like this is that we meet 150 people to make a vegetable dish I’ve come up with, and the participants say: 'That was really cool. I want to try that at home.' If I can just give people one small thing they can take home and use, I go home happily," says the popular TV chef, who by no means looks like a man who is under the heavy criticism he received from several fans when he, in 2025 after 16 seasons with Nak & Æd, launched the vegetarian cookbook 'Eat. Green. Easy. Now.'
They criticized him for turning his back on meat, which triggered some sour comments on social media. Most likely, these came from people who had watched Nikolaj Kirk prepare campfire food from animals that his friend and co-host Jørgen Skouboe had hunted in nature over many seasons.
Suddenly, Nikolaj Kirk was labeled a "vegan saint," who hopefully will soon come to his senses. However, the criticism bounces off the seasoned chef.
"I am a chef when I cook with game. I am a chef when I cook with fish, and I am also a chef when I cook vegetables. But when I look out into the world, it seems like we all say that we would like to eat a little more vegetables."
In the spirit of sustainability, but also because vegetables are a shortcut to new culinary experiences, Nikolaj Kirk has chosen to act as an ambassador for the green kitchen.
"The challenge for many is that they find it difficult to start using more pulses, cabbage, and vegetables. Therefore, it’s obvious that I, as a chef, step in and say that these are the ingredients we should focus on. Otherwise, I would feel I am betraying my profession," says Nikolaj Kirk.
Organic Denmark also hosted two other large workshops, where chefs Louisa Lorang and Emilie Qvist Kjærgaard filled the Community Kitchen, while a series of panel debates and open kitchens attracted many visitors to the Organic Scene in the association’s tent. The article is part of the project More Organic at Festivals, supported by the Organic Farming Foundation.