Guest Chef and an Award

As March is National Nutrition Month, and I am both a dietitian and a vegetarian, I was asked to be a guest chef for the monthly cooking class at the Health and Wellness Center (HAWC) on base.  The HAWC is the place to go for nutrition information on the base, and although they do not have a dietitian, they do have a very well educated nutrition professional.  The HAWC also takes people on commissary tours and tours of the local organic market.

So, for the March cooking class, in keeping with the theme of "from the ground up", we thought a low-fat, quick and easy vegetarian meal was in order.  Many people might think vegetarian meals are complex because they may not be as familiar with cooking vegetables/preparing vegetables, or they might think they need fancy meat substitutes or just be afraid to work with tofu.  Either way, it is not difficult if you just kknow what you are doing, and when it comes to veggies, just wash, chop and you are ready to go.

Speaking of ready to go...

At this point I am getting nervous because not only is there a packed class (max is 8 people, but 9 signed up...I think 8 showed), but I was told just before we started that AFN (the military provided TV station) would be coming to film the entire class.  Oh Boy!

Main Dish: Veggie Fajita Pitas

I selected zucchini, red bell peppers, portabello mushrooms and eggplant (no shown in this pic), which gave me a nice variety of colors.

Then I heated up a pan with olive oil, tossed in my veggies and mixed them up to coat, added some black pepper, covered the pan, reduced the heat and I was good to go.  Here is a picture taken after most of the participants were served.

My side dish was those black beans I created last week.  I used 1can of black beans, mostly drained, cook for about 2-3 minutes, and then added 1/2 can no added salt tomatoes (mostly drained) and a 1/2 can (the small one, and mostly drained) of green chilies.  Toss in 1 TSP cumin, or more to taste, cover, reduce to low heat, and cook for about 7-10 minutes from this point.  It may seem a little watery, so once you remove from the heat, leave covered for about 2-3 minutes to thicken.

The finished product, a quick and easy meal packed with fiber (a whole wheat pita pocket was also used) and nutrient packed veggies.

What would a delicious meal be without dessert, right?  So we did sliced bananas with drizzled choc, just some chocolate chips in the microwave, and then topped with a dab of plain yogurt.  I also think this would be good topped with some honey flavored Greek yogurt.

So, that was it for my first ever cooking class.  Everyone really liked it and many people asked me nutrition questions while I was doing the cooking, so it was nice to actually get a chance to do something in my trained profession.  I even heard people down the hall smelled the meal and later asked what we were preparing because it smelled so good.  My recipes will be written up and then later on will be put into a cookbook showcasing the recipes from these cooking classes.

Now, on to other good stuff, Simply Life passed this award on to me!

Thank you so much, I am so honored that you thought of me.  Here is a list of things that make me happy, and I am going to relate these specifically to my current life of living overseas:

1. Going outside and finding out that it is not raining and I do not need to wear my rain boots.

2.  Looking out my window, from the driveway, or down my street, and being able to see the ocean.

3.  Having the backyard space to allow my dog to run all over.

4.  Having the ability to work from home with a very flexible schedule, doing what I love, which is teaching.

5.  Trying new foods and wines, including all of the local products, likes cheeses and organic produce.

6.  Snorkelling in the ocean.

7.  Hearing from my friends and family back home, either by email, twitter, facebook or telephone.

8.  Exploring and learning about another culture, including learning the Portuguese language.

9.  Making new friends that I otherwise never would have gotten the chance to know.

and most importantly...

10.  Spending time with my husband.  Whether it is indoors or outdoors, we always have a good time.  I love that we get to have this overseas experience together.

Oh, but don't let me forget that this overseas experience has allowed for me to have time to start this blog and read many others.  I love all of the blogs I have found so far, but I can only pass this on to a few (going for different blogs this time), so here goes:

1. Beth from 990 square

2. Melissa from Melissa Nibbles

3. Rachel from Coconut Crumbs

4. Andrea from Andrea's Wellness Notes

5. Shannon from Lessons to Learn

and

6. Morgan from Live, Love, Eat, Play

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  Don't forget to checkout my blog Monday for something super exciting.  If you missed my post yesterday about my old world experience at Quinta Do Martelo, CLICK HERE.

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever been to a cooking class?  Have you ever taught a cooking class?