Inaugural Day of Service Shopping Matters Group Training

The Inaugural Day of Service is this Saturday, January 19^th.

To honor this, we are hosting a group training for Shopping Matters at the Sterling Heights Walmart for potential facilitators.

For those of you interested in Shopping Matters, this event is a great way for you to receive face-to-face training so that you can lead tours of your own.  After taking part in a training, you can volunteer to lead a tour with us or organize and facilitate tours in your community!

Not familiar with Shopping Matters?

Shopping Matters is a one-time grocery store tour (built on the success of Week Five of the Cooking Matters for Adults course) that is designed to teach the primary food shoppers for households to select nutritious and low-cost ingredients.   A typical Shopping Matters tour lasts 1-2 hours and entails a grocery store tour guided by a trained expert (you!), a supplemental curriculum that elaborates on the topics covered on the tour, a post-tour survey, and a reusable shopping bag incentive.  Participants should walk away from a tour having learned key skills such as: buying fruits and vegetables on a budget, comparing prices, reading food labels, and finding whole grains.

Consider this an opportunity to participate in an ongoing service project in your community and highlight the work you do in a national context!

The training will take place this Saturday from 11am-2pm at the Sterling Heights Walmart located at 33201 Van Dyke Ave.

 To participate in the training, contact Jake Williams (jwilliams@gcfb.org) or Rebecca Blauw (rblauw@gcfb.org)

Extreme Food Makeover Holiday Edition Winners

This season, Cooking Matters challenged participants via social media to makeover a typically unhealthy holiday-time favorite.  The only rule:  incorporate healthy ingredients and cooking techniques when recreating your dish!  Bonus points were awarded for use of the secret ingredients.

The secret ingredients were:

1. Winter Squash

2. Peanut Butter

3. Cinnamon

Cooking Matters staff voted for their favorites based on the following criteria:

1) Health Value (Incorporation of healthy ingredients and techniques)

2) Thoughtfulness (Incorporation of holiday theme/meaningfulness to its creator)

3) Presentation

4) Creativity

Best Overall:  Peanut Butter Cookies with a Healthy Twist by David Moss

Why did David win best overall?  Voters appreciated the simplicity of his recipe.  With only 9 ingredients total, the 3 secret ingredients can really shine.  This whole grain recipe is approachable even to baking beginners (such as participants in a Cooking Matters class).  Cookies are undoubtedly a holiday indulgence, but this recipe gives them a healthy and unexpected twist!

Most Thoughtful:  Winter Squash Peanut Butter Cheese Cake w/ Whipped Yogurt by Chef Mike

Why did Chef Mike win most thoughtful?  He chose to recreate his mother’s traditional pumpkin pie recipe, but with a healthy twist.  Chef Mike gave us the most background about his family’s holiday traditions (adding the whipped “cream” because his mother wouldn’t allow it otherwise!).  Judges loved this recipe’s use of greek yogurt and low fat ricotta.  We also loved the idea of using Chef TJ’s healthy cookie crumbs for the crust!

Best Presentation: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Mousse Tart by Chef TJ

Why did Chef TJ win best presentation?  Well, in a recipe contest where we can’t try the foods, we eat with our eyes– this one blew us away!  We appreciated this recipe’s use of nutritious ingredients like flax, chia seed,  wheat germ and whole wheat flour.  Using greek yogurt and egg whites give the mousse a healthier spin.  If this dish tastes half as good as it looks I’d like some now, please.

Most Creative:  Pumpkin Casserole by Dawn Claybrooks

Why did Dawn win most creative?  Two words:  homemade marshmallows.  What an idea!  Everyone has had sweet potatoes with marshmallows, but Dawn put a creative spin on this classic through the use of pumpkin.  We also liked her use of natural peanut butter (meaning no hydrogenated oils) and use of unsaturated fats instead of butter!

A big thank you goes out to all the participants. Contests like this one help us promote healthier eating habits and demonstrate the array of ingredients and techniques that can be used to make any dish healthier.  We couldn’t have a competition without competitors– thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to share your skills and creativity!  We hope you had fun!

Winners should contact aeisenberg@gcfb.org to receive your prizes!!!

Happy and Healthy Holidays Everyone!

Extreme Food Makeover: Holiday Edition!

 

It’s that time of year again….Extreme food makeover!!!

The holidays are here, and no matter how you celebrate, we all gotta eat!  Holiday foods=comfort foods and comfort foods=unhealthy, right? WRONG!

This holiday season, Cooking Matters challenges YOU to makeover a typically unhealthy holiday favorite.  This is a totally nondenomenational competition– whatever your family eats over the holidays is fair game!  The only rule is that you incorporate healthy ingredients and cooking techniques when recreating your dish!

The competition begins TODAY, Friday the 14th of December, 2012.

The secret ingredients are:

1. Winter Squash

2. Peanut Butter

3. Cinnamon

Although secret ingredients are optional, using them awards you bonus points.  The more secret ingredients you incorporate the more points you win!

Entries are due via the Cooking Matters Michigan facebook page by midnight on Sunday.  Post your recipe along with a picture or 2 of the final product.  We encourage you to share your inspiration for this dish, how you prepared it, and what this dish means for you and your family!

What’s at stake here?  PRIZES!!!  The winner and the runner up will be able to choose from an array of awesome goodies.

Winners will be announced on Monday.

Get Cooking!  Good luck and Happy Holidays!!!

Volunteer Spotlight: Billy Genterola

Billy really wowed us with his fruit carving skills at the volunteer appreciation event at Le Petit Zinc this fall.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Billy Genterola. I came from the Philippines. I have management degree in the Philippines and worked with various multinational companies including retail and restaurant chains. I recently finished my Culinary Arts degree at OCC. I am actively volunteering in the dining room management classes. I love working in the restaurant especially in the dining room. I love talking with guest and suggesting wines to pair with their food. Last June 2012, I won the gold at SkillsUSA National Food and Beverage Competition held in Kansas City, MO.

What made you decide to pursue a culinary career?

I always love Cooking. My mom taught me how to cook when I was 7 years old. I came from a family of cooks too! My great grandfather was a cook during World War II. When I came to the US I decided to go back to school and pursue my first love.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love running. I read books (mostly cooking books). I carve fruits for display. I also like adventure and dining out with friends.

How did you find out about Cooking Matters?

I was talking to my friend about my volunteering activities and she told me about her volunteer job at Gleaners. So during an ACF convention I was able to talk to a CM coordinator and learned about the program.

Do you have a highlight from a Cooking Matters class that you’d like to share?

Nothing in particular. I taught seniors and teen classes. They were all great! They have lots of questions and always ask for my favorite foods.

Do you have a favorite recipe?

Edamame Hummus!

Ingredients

1/2 pound frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans), about 1 1/2 cups
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons), juiced
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Boil the beans in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or microwave, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes.
2. In a food processor, puree the edamame, tahini, water, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix until absorbed.
3. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the parsley and drizzle with remaining oil.

Serve with the　pita or vegetables, or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day.

Recipe adapted from foodnetwork.com

Thanksgiving Dinner Remix

Editor’s note: We welcome  Chef A’Donna Fuller to our blog today as she writes about how to repurpose Thanksgiving leftovers.

Let’s face it, some foods just taste better the next day. Foods like pasta, soups, and meaty stews taste better after the flavors have a chance to develop.

But what about those Thanksgiving Day leftovers? I am not sure about you, but my family ALWAYS cooks way too much and there are always tons of leftovers. If you are like me and get tired of just warming up Thanksgiving dinner all week ‘as-is’ – OR – what about those boring turkey sandwiches year after year?

I am going to show you some quick and easy ideas to liven up those Thanksgiving leftovers, including desserts! I think these are especially perfect if you are hosting family/friends for a few days after Thanksgiving and you don’t want to serve them the same thing day after day. Above all, you know what the best news is? You probably have most of the items in your pantry already to pull it altogether!

First let’s look at a traditional Thanksgiving menu:

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

• Roasted Turkey
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sauteed Green Beans
• Collard Greens
• Macaroni & Cheese – Chef’s note * try the recipe for the mac and cheese in the Cooking Matters curriculum. It’s low in fat and yet still cheesy and creamy
• Sweet Potatoes
• Dressing
• Corn
•  Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Pie/Sweet Potato Pie
• Pound Cake

Thanksgiving Dinner Remastered -  You can do a web search for these recipes or use some of your favorites!

• Roasted Turkey – Turkey Stromboli and Tortilla Soup
• Mashed Potatoes –Potato Cakes
• Sautéed French Green Beans – Baked Green Bean Fries *its important to note, this recipe will only work with sautéed or steamed green beans that still have some ‘snap’ to them. Here is a good visual – if you can ‘smash’ them with little to no pressure in between your fingers, they won’t work for this recipe
• Collard Greens – Collard Pesto
• Macaroni & Cheese – Broccoli & Cheese Bake
• Dressing/Stuffing – Stuffed Chicken Breast w/ Caramelized Onions
• Corn – Corn Fritters
• Cranberry Sauce-Cranberry Aioli
• Pound Cake/Sweet Potato Pie or Pumpkin Pie – Pumpkin Cake Pops

Bonus Recipe*

Pumpkin Cake Pops

• 1 cup of pound cake  (prepared)
• 1 cup of pumpkin pie OR sweet potato pie w/ or w/o the crust (prepared)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (optional)
• 2 cups of white chocolate (melted)

Mix all ingredients until it is the consistency of soft cookie dough – adding more pumpkin pie filling as needed.  Form round balls about 1½ inches in diameter and place on a cookie sheet and put them in the freezer until they are firm enough to work with (about 30 minutes).Dip the firm round balls in the white chocolate to completely cover.  Use a fork to rotate and release the excess chocolate.

Place dipped cake balls on a cookie sheet lined w/ parchment paper and set in the refrigerator until the chocolate gets hard.

Optional: Once you dip the cake balls in chocolate, garnish w/ a pecan or a sprinkle of brown sugar

Don’t worry if you don’t get to all the recipes in one week. Simply freeze the leftovers and repurpose them at another time with these imaginative ideas

Of course, these are just my ideas – let your imagination run wild and give new life to those leftovers.

 Happy Thanksgiving!

Live Twitter Chats: #CMMchat

2 weeks ago Cooking Matters hosted our second live twitter chat with one of our bloggers, Colleen Berendt, AKA Miss Petite Sweets

Never heard of a live twitter chat before?  This is how it works: a “host” (in this case, Colleen)  logs into their twitter account (@misspetitesweets) at a prearranged time interval (usually 1 hour) and tweets tips and answers questions on a given topic (in this case, healthy baking).  Each tweet includes the hashtag #CMMchat, along with other personalized tags specific to that topic (#healthybaking).  CM’s then “retweets” our host, in order to reach the host and CM’s followers simultaneously.  CM will also pose questions for followers to encourage conversation(Q1, Q2, etc.).  Over this time slot, followers “live chat,” meaning they can ask for advice or provide their own tips on the subject (A1, A2, etc.).

To promote these chats, we will now be offering prizes to followers that participate by answering/asking questions live on twitter.  Don’t worry, there are no “right” answers, we are just looking for good, honest discourse!

Our next live chat is this Monday, November 19th  from noon to 1pm.  Chef A’Donna, AKA @UrPrivateChef is hosting a chat about Thanksgiving menu planning, reusing Thanksgiving leftovers, and saving money in the process.

To participate in this chat:

• log on to your account and follow @CMdetroit (we also encourage you to follow @UrPrivateChef)
• To join in the conversation, use the hashtag #CMMchat
• To win prizes, answer questions.  Make sure to denote which question you are answering (for example, if answering Q1 include “A1″ in your tweet)

If you’re not familiar with twitter or its lingo, this may seem confusing, but you’ll be surprised how easy it is to catch on. Creating a twitter account is fast and easy.  I dare you to give it a shot if you haven’t hopped on the bandwaggon yet.  Before you know it you’ll be following Cooking Matters and hosting a live chat of your own!

If you are interested in hosting a chat or want to learn more about utilizing our social media platforms (including facebook and the blog), please contact me at aeisenberg@gcfb.org.  We are always looking for guest bloggers, twitter chat hosts and finding different ways to share your strengths!

Volunteers Needed Throughout the Holidays

We at Cooking Matters know how busy our volunteers are, especially around the holidays.  We understand that obligations to your loved ones, in addition to your professional obligations,  fill up a majority of your time.  Still, Cooking Matters continues to conduct classes throughout the November and December months.  Most likely due to our volunteers’ increasingly busy schedules at this time, we are in somewhat desperate need of your time.

We urge you to look at the upcoming class schedule, and although consistency is our priority, please contact Rebecca even if you know you will miss one, or even a few of the classes.

We value your time and effort.  If you can fit it in your busy schedule, please find the time to give back this holiday season in any way you can!