“It actually has changed the way I eat,” said Antonio Copeland, a volunteer kitchen assistant for the Cooking Matters class at the ProMedica Ebeid Institute on a recent Tuesday. “It makes you look at food differently.”
Cooking Matters is a six-week program of two-hour sessions designed to educate adults about healthy eating. It offers hands-on food preparation classes that teach how to make nutritious meals on a budget. Students meet in a spacious room above Market on the Green, 1806 Madison Ave., which boasts a large, modern kitchen.
Free for participants, the program is funded by ProMedica and offered in partnership with Share Our Strength, a national organization working to end childhood hunger and improve dietary health; the latter provides educational materials for the class.
“We start with a nutrition lesson, and then a cooking session,” said Chloe Plummer, a clinical dietitian with ProMedica Advocacy and Community Health who teaches the first portion of the class. The health corporation’s chefs take turns leading the meal preparation; on this day, Miguel Cueto, executive chef at Sodexo ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital, was running the kitchen.
To begin, Ms. Plummer separated the students into groups and distributed cards showing pictures of popular fast food items. Each card indicated the number of fat grams in a particular item, and the assignment was to measure an equal quantity of shortening to display. The number of fat grams divided by four would equal the number of teaspoons to portion out.
One three-member group was given cards with Panera items: broccoli cheddar soup and a roasted turkey avocado BLT sandwich. They calculated the quantity, and then Brandy Bowersox measured out the shortening — 14 teaspoons of it.
“That’s a lot of fat,” said Nicole Broadway, giving significant emphasis to the word “lot.”
“That’s disgusting,” said Laura Kujawa, who was given a new perspective by visualizing the large mound. “I hear ‘grams,’ but I don’t use that system so I have a hard time seeing it.”
“That’s pretty much what’s going on my thighs,” said Ms. Broadway, as everyone realized how unhealthy the food items are despite containing broccoli and turkey breast, generally considered to be nutritious ingredients.
“When we go out to eat, we try to eat healthy,” said Davyta Kynard. “So it’s kind of shocking to see” how much fat is hiding in many dishes.
The demonstration led to a discussion of methods for lessening quantities of fat, sugar, and salt in students’ diets. Suggestions included swapping olive oil for butter, using Mrs. Dash all-purpose seasoning, baking or broiling rather than frying, cutting out cheese from sandwiches and burgers, and choosing smaller portion sizes. Ms. Plummer suggested paying attention to health information posted on menus and looking up restaurant websites to peruse nutritional data before going out to eat.
And she encouraged students to take control of their health: “You can make healthier choices,” she said.
Next, it was time for Mr. Cueto’s hands-on cooking lesson, during which the classmates would make a nutritious lunch of turkey burgers and sweet-potato fries.
First, the chef addressed food safety issues. He noted that the turkey would need to be handled and cooked carefully, or else “we can get sick.” And since they would start by preparing the fries, “We leave the turkey in the refrigerator to stay cold,” Mr. Cueto said, to lessen the potential for bacterial growth and spoilage.
To reduce fat, the sweet potatoes “are going to bake instead of fry” once cut into spears, said the chef, and non-stick sheet pans were used to further that effort.
As the baking trays were placed into the oven, Mr. Cueto said, “Now, let’s move on to the turkey burgers.”
Diced green peppers and red onions were mixed into the ground turkey. “It livens up the normally bland” meat, said Susan Kanwal, another class volunteer who’s “a dietician by trade ... and I like to cook.”
Patience Kusz said, “Don’t they look pretty?” as she admired the patties with their flecks of vegetables. “I like making food with lots of color,” Jennifer Krill replied. “That’s what makes food enticing,” Ms. Kusz responded, “when it’s bright and colorful.”
As a timer rang, the classmates called out, “Gotta flip the fries!”
“Ooh, they smell good,” someone said. “I’m getting so hungry,” said Ms. Bowersox.
The turkey burgers were placed into skillets to brown on each side. “We add a little bit of oil, or we can use non-stick spray,” said Mr. Cueto. Once seared and caramelized, a bit of water was added to the pans with the turkey patties; then they were covered so that the burgers could steam, keeping them moist as they cooked to 165F.
Once everything was ready, it was time for everyone to sit down to eat.
The burgers were served on whole-grain buns. Ms. Plummer said that it’s sometimes difficult to find ones that are 100 percent whole wheat; “but make sure it’s the No. 1 ingredient, at least,” she cautioned, for a nutritional boost.
Among the condiments offered was olive oil mayonnaise, which many of the students were unfamiliar with. “It tastes like regular mayonnaise,” said Ashley Gaither after trying it. Ms. Kanwal cautioned that it still has fat, but it’s a better type of fat than what’s in the standard version.
The turkey burger contained only 3 teaspoons of fat (using the visual model from the nutrition portion of the class) versus 11 teaspoons in Burger King’s Whopper with cheese; the baked sweet potato fries had less than 1 teaspoon of fat, as opposed to more than five in regular french fries.
But this healthier lunch was still such a hit that when Mr. Cueto asked, “How did it turn out?” the students just nodded enthusiastically with approval as they continued to eat. Ms. Kusz said, “It tastes just as good.”
Ms. Plummer ended the class with a review of the day’s nutrition lessons. And she talked about healthier unsaturated fats — found in nuts, avocado, and fish, for example — and less healthy ones, such as those in animal products, fried foods, and coconut oil.
Students get to bring home a bag of groceries each week that contains the necessary ingredients for the meal prepared in that day’s class.
“One good thing, when we leave,” said Dorethea Reynolds, “is that we’ll be able to make different dishes for our families,” using the new techniques and recipes that are taught during the six-week class.
Students can then show their loved ones, too, how much healthful cooking matters.
The next session of Cooking Matters begins Oct. 3. For more information, go to promedica.org/event/cooking-matters, email EbeidInstitute@promedica.org, or call 567-585-0055. Attendance at all six of the two-hour classes is required.
Turkey Burgers
¼ small bell pepper
¼ small red onion
1 pound ground turkey (93% lean)
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
1½ teaspoons onion powder
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
¼ cup water
4 whole wheat buns, for serving
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, for serving
Rinse and finely chop bell pepper and onion.
In a medium bowl, combine pepper, onion, ground turkey, garlic and onion powders, parsley, salt, and pepper. Divide mixture into 4 portions and form into patties 4 inches across.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add burgers and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
Add water to the pan. Cover and cook until the burgers reach 165F, about 10 minutes more.
Serve on whole wheat buns with preferred condiments and garnishes.
Yield: 4 burgers
Source: Adapted from Ramona Baptiste, Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters
Sweet Potato Fries
4 medium sweet potatoes
1½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
Non-stick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450F.
Scrub and rinse sweet potatoes. Pat dry with a paper or kitchen towel. Leaving skin on, cut sweet potatoes into thick French fry strips, about 1/2-inch wide.
In a large bowl, mix paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add oil. Blend with a fork until there are no lumps.
Add sweet potato strips to the bowl. Toss until they are coated on all sides.
Coat baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn fries over and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until fries are tender.
Note: White baking potatoes can be used in place of all or part of the sweet potatoes.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source: Adapted from Jean Galton, Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters
Contact Mary Bilyeu at mbilyeu@theblade.com, and follow her at facebook.com/thebladefoodpage, bladefoodpage on Instagram, or @BladeFoodPage on Twitter.
First Published September 25, 2017, 5:00 p.m.
