MLK Day Cooking Class at the Natural Gourmet Institute

The menu for the "Kid-Friendly Snacks" class at the Natural Gourmet Institute was definitely sophisticated. Acknowledging that snacks do not need to be dumbed down for kids, the school provided tasty all natural foods that young (and old) cooks would love to cook and eat. The menu included pan fried sweet potato dumplings, veggie and black bean quesadillas, guacamole, quinoa banana muffins, and apple-maple granola (alone and as a parfait with fresh fruit and yogurt).

For the three hour class, the young chefs went straight to work, chopping, mixing, stirring and cooking everything. The recipes varied from simple to complex but all were fresh, natural and delivered a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals. All of the dishes were vegetarian although two contained dairy and one had a dairy option. The school is very open to those with special dietary interests, habits, restrictions and allergies, so it is an easy place to join in even if you can't indulge in every recipe.

It was inspiring to meet the chefs in training going through the institute's full-time program now and the graduates who are in the field. Not only are they very talented chefs, but they are dedicated to bringing healthy, natural options to kids and adults alike.

So, my kids really enjoyed their afternoon. At the end of the event, we all sat and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. The kids began with a parfait of organic yogurt, fresh organic fruit and the homemade granola. The granola course was followed by a sit-down meal. The sweet potato dumplings (with leeks and cabbage) were the most popular and the first to go. Our table voted that the quesadillas would have been better without the cheese but we brought some pieces home for Dad who was pretty pleased. The guacamole was excellent and probably the second most favorite. Most importantly, Chef Stef and her assistants taught us valuable lessons that we will put to use in our daily routines. We learned some knife skills to save our fingertips; we learned to peel and mince ginger without wasting it; and, we learned how to wash our leeks efficiently (I was so doing this wrong for years!)