Getting Comfortable in the Kitchen

Week 1

Getting Comfortable in the Kitchen

Let’s get started! This week has more content than future weeks. Take your time to work through all these fundamentals to build a strong foundation for future cooking.

Nutrition Presentation

Watch the Week 1 Nutrition Presentation for an overview of the Mediterranean Diet, the Model for Healthy Living, and how to read a recipe. (16 minutes)
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Knife Skills

Watch the Knife Skills video to learn the some basic knife safety, how to hold and use your knife safely, and how to cut a variety of commonly used ingredients. (20 minutes)

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Measuring Skills

Watch the Measuring Skills video to learn how to accurately measure a variety of wet and dry ingredients.
(1 minute)
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Print out and review the following handouts:

Knife Skills and Safety

Learn the basics around knife skills and safety.

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Read in Spanish

Model for Healthy Living

The Model for Healthy Living is a tool that shows us the interconnectedness of life by focusing on seven key dimensions.

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Read in Spanish

The Mediterranean Diet — Weekly Goals

The Mediterranean Diet is good for many types of eating plans, including those for diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Check off each box (or half a box, it all adds up) as you eat during a week

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The Mediterranean Diet: 9 Principles

The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes: DAILY consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats; WEEKLY consumption of fish, poultry, beans, and eggs; MODERATE portions of dairy products; and LIMITED intake of red meat.

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Read in Spanish

Print out and review the following recipes:

These recipes focus on increasing fruits and vegetables in your meals and give you lots of knife skills practice.

Choose one recipe to cook this week. Each recipe makes at least 8 servings and directions for freezing, where applicable, are included on the recipe. The Autumn Salad recipe ingredients can be easily halved to make 4 servings.

Shop for and cook your chosen recipe. Enjoy your recipe creation with family and friends.

Warm Autumn Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Dark leafy greens—such as spinach—contain many valuable nutrients. Toasting brings out the flavor of walnuts—which are a healthy fat. Salad dressing made with olive oil, which is a healthy, monounsaturated fat; is a healthier option than a creamy salad dressing such as ranch or blue cheese.

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Read in Spanish

Watch the video (2.5 minutes)
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Equipment needed

Bowl (large)
Bowl (medium)
Bowl (for mise en place) – optional
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Fork
Hot pads
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Parchment paper
Sheet pan or skillet (for walnuts)
Sheet pans
Slipmat or damp towel
Tongs
Vegetable peeler
Whisk
Spoon (wooden)

Apple and Carrot Muffins

Replacing some of the oil in a recipe with mashed bananas will reduce the amount of fat and calories in the muffins. Adding chopped apples and shredded carrots to the muffin batter adds texture and additional nutrients. Whole wheat flour contributes to your whole grain requirement for the day.

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Read in Spanish

Watch the video (3 minutes)
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Equipment needed

Several bowls
Box grater
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Dry measuring cups
Fine mesh sieve (optional)
Fork
Hot pads
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Muffin tin
Spoon
Rubber spatula (optional)
Whisk

Homework

Watch the Reading Food Labels video to demystify labels.
Put the Mediterranean Diet — Weekly Goals handout into practice
Cook the second recipe included this week.
Review the Nutrition Label on each recipe.
Email questions to nutrition@churchhealth.org.
Post a photo of you and your recipe creation and tag @churchhealthmemphis on facebook or Instagram.

Click the green button when you’re ready to advance to week 2!