For as long as I can remember, I've always been one of those people that enjoys school. Even now, years after graduating college, I am constantly taking classes for my own enjoyment.
Ever since I lost a lot of weight, the thing that has preoccupied most of my not-at-work time has been cooking. Actually, let me clarify that: healthy cooking.
I realized pretty quickly on that simply cutting calories wouldn't work this time. I had to really change the way I ate in order to successfully keep the weight off this time, which is why I adopted a veggie-loving mentality. It hasn't come easy, though, since our culture isn't exactly heavy on the vegetables. But I'm learning, little by little, how to make healthy vegetarian meals and enjoy them—even though I still occasionally eat meat.
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My latest forays into taking a class, of course, came straight from my new exploration for eating healthy and, in particular, eating vegetables. I was a very picky eater as a kid but now I try my hardest to force myself to eat new things, which is exactly why I signed up for four week series called "Essential Techniques of Vegetarian Cooking" at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. And, at my first class last week, I learned a ton!
One of the first things I learned was how to hold a knife properly, which my teacher equated with holding a bat of a golf club. You want to hold the knife's handle close to the base, so that your thumb actually is on the edge of the top of the knife and your index finger is underneath. This helps you control your cutting much better. After a few practice rounds, I definitely saw what he meant!
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Then there was the lesson on making soups. The first thing we did was make a vegetable stock using veggies that we actually roasted in the oven beforehand, which gave the stock a real depth of flavor. Then we were divided into three groups and each worked on a different kind of soup: a creamy carrot soup (topped with fresh dill), a white bean soup (topped with pesto) and a Russian borscht (a beet soup topped with cashew sour cream). They were all really delicious but, I have to say, the bean soup (which my group made in the pressure cooker) was by far my favorite.
Working with a pressure cooker was fascinating, actually. I had used one before, just a few times, when I made frijoles negros with my mom but using it on my own was an even better lesson. I learned about how to make sure you're keeping safe and that the easiest way to lower the pressure is to actually run it under cold water, which cuts down on the time you have to wait to open it.
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We also made a sautéed kale salad (in the middle) and a tabbouleh salad using three different kinds of grains (quinoa, bulgur and couscous). I learned about these three different grains and how to easily chop herbs (you basically roll them into a ball and just slice).
All in all, I feel that I learned some great techniques and can't wait to go back. I'll be sure to share more tidbits and things I learn for my next class, so look for Part 2 next week! In the meantime, happy cooking!
Have you ever taken a cooking class? Do you like to make healthy veggies at home? Share with us in the comments below!
Image via Irina Gonzalez
