Cooking with Chefs
Season Three: Episode Four
Eating a Healthy Plate
Eating a variety of foods in appropriate amounts maximizes your energy, attention, and overall health. One way to do this is to follow the Healthy Plate Method each meal and this week’s recipe is a great demonstration of most of these elements!
Parts of the Healthy Plate:
Healthy oils and fats
Oils and fats are an important part of healthy eating. They give you energy, help you absorb nutrients from other foods you eat and are important for your muscles. When choosing which fats to eat, opt for the least processed and most natural, like nuts, seeds, avocado and olive. This week we will use olive and sesame oil along with peanut butter.
Vegetables and Fruits (1/2 of your plate)
The majority of your plate should be a colorful variety of vegetables and fruits. Most white foods should be minimized because they often lack important nutrients. Fresh, frozen, cooked or raw are all okay. You can make this easy by buying pre-cut options or prepping them ahead for grab and go snacks or meal additions. The saying for fruits and vegetables is "Eat the Rainbow Every Day". This week’s recipe includes a variety of vegetables.
Healthy Protein (1/4 of your plate)
You can find protein in plant and animal foods. Plant based proteins, like beans, tofu, and meat substitutes often have less unhealthy fats. When choosing animal proteins, opt for fish, roasted chicken or turkey versus red meat or deli meat because they have less fat and sodium which negatively impact your heart. Some heart healthy proteins include hummus, lentils, edamame and other beans that are filling and delicious in most recipes. We will be showing you how to make crispy chickpeas, an excellent source of protein and fiber!
Whole Grains (1/4 of your plate)
A food is considered whole grain when it contains all parts of the seed. This offers maximum fiber and nutrients, keeps you feeling full and your digestive system working properly. Look for the words "whole grain" when buying breads, pastas, rice, quinoa, and other grains. Bulk bins are great places to find a variety of whole grains at affordable prices. This week we will use rice, you could substitute quinoa (also a protein), farro, bulgar, brown rice, or barley in the future.
Water and other drinks
Getting enough water every day is important for absorbing nutrients that you eat, keeping your body functioning, your energy high and your muscles working well. When not drinking water, choose drinks without calories like unsweetened tea or coffee, and avoid drinks with sugar, artificial sweeteners and a lot of caffeine.
Weekly Checklist
Unpack your groceries.
If you aren’t preparing your recipe right way, be sure to store items properly.
Complete the lessons.
Review this week’s video and read the lesson carefully to learn and enhance important kitchen skills and how to build a well-balance plate.
Get cooking!
Gather your recipe and ingredients. Review the videos for guidance as you prepare each recipe.
Share it!
Share the meals with your friends and family. Be sure to share photos by tagging @sdchefsdecuisine on IG or email us. Share your experiences with your cooking club.
Watch Episode Four
Let’s learn how to cut vegetables, roast, saute, and steam to make a Healthy Bowl!
Season Three: Episode Four
Buddha Bowls
This healthy and filling grain, protein, and vegetable based bowl is an excellent way to get a variety of nutrients and use up any vegetables you have in the house. These layered bowls are often referred to as "Buddha Bowls" after the South Asian religious teacher. We are sharing a basic recipe that you can adapt and make your own. This is an excellent example of creating a Healthy Plate!
Layer One (Grain): Rice
We are providing you with two options for cooking your rice. Choose whichever method works best for you but be careful because both methods will release steam. It’s important to protect your face and skin from burns when opening the lid after cooking rice.
Ingredients:
Makes 2 cups of rice
4 cups water
2 cups rice
Option #1: Stovetop Directions:—
Add rice and water to a pot. Bring to a boil.
Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer (just bubbling a little).
Put a lid on the pot and leave it cooking for 20 minutes. Do not stir it while it cooks or it will get sticky and clump.
After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and carefully remove the lid using oven gloves so you don't get burned by escaping steam.
You can fluff up the rice with a fork and then serve.
Cool for 5-10 minutes.
Option #2: Oven Directions:—
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Lightly oil an over safe pan or dish. Make sure that it is large enough for the rice to fluff up as it cooks. It will expand to over twice its size.
Add your rice and water.
Stir it around.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Cover it tightly again with foil.
Put in oven for 30 minutes.
Remove and very carefully remove the cover using oven gloves because the steam will escape and can easily cause burns.
Layer Two: Vegetables
Ingredients:
Watch the video to learn how to cut each vegetable.
Roasted Vegetables:
1 large, sweet potato or yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large red onion, diced
1 large carrots or 2 medium, thinly sliced on an angle
1 head of broccoli, cut into even sized florets
2 tablespoon olive oil (provided in a previous recipe kit)
Sauté Vegetables:
2 cups of spinach
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°.
Add all cut roasting vegetables to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well with 2 tablespoons of oil, making sure everything is coated.
Pour unto a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread them out evenly on the pan.
Bake until tender on the lower rack of oven, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ½ tbsp of olive oil sauté spinach until it is softened. Add salt to taste. Set aside.
Layer Three (Protein): Crispy Chickpeas
Ingredients:
15 oz chickpeas (1 can) drained, rinsed, and dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Carefully dry the chickpeas. Removing the skins is optional and they will come off easily. The drier you get them, the crunchier they’ll be!
In a medium bowl, add dried chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Toss well to coat evenly. Note: although this recipe actually isn't spicy, if you are sensitive to spice, you can eliminate or reduce the cayenne.
Spread chickpeas out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Roast for 20 minutes and then stir them and return to oven.
Roast for additional 20-30 minutes, or until browned and crispy. The cooking time can vary so watch them carefully and be sure they are crisped.
Cool for 5-10 minutes.
Layer Four: Peanut Sauce
Ingredients:
1 small clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons peanut butter (provided in past recipe kit)
1/4 cup juice of lime (about 2 limes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons toasted sesame
2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional: hot sauce, chili flakes
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, and honey. Blend until the peanut butter is smoother.
Whisk in sesame oil and remaining olive oil until smooth.
Creating Your Bowls:
Ingredients:
Cooked Rice
Cooked Vegetables
Peanut Sauce
Cilantro
Sesame seeds
Directions:
Divide rice among four bowls, about 1/2 cup per bowl.
Top each bowl with roasted vegetable mixture and baby spinach.
Drizzle with dressing before serving.
Sprinkle with cilantro and sesame seeds.
Assignments for Episode Four
Snap some photos!
Time in the kitchen is about de-stressing, having fun, challenging yourself, and nourishing your mind, body, and soul. Our hope is that you find great pride in your efforts after each lesson. We also want you to learn and grow! Take a photo of your recipes and share them with the group. After each episode, you'll be talking with your group about what went well and where you were challenged.
Share your photos!
Upload your pictures to Instagram and tag @sdchefsdecuisine
or email them to cwc@sdchefs.org
Chef's reflections
Chefs take notes! Each experience in the kitchen will provide you with wins and some fails. Writing down what you liked and where you can improve will expand your chef skills and guide you toward your own culinary creations. Start a chef's journal, you'll continue to use it years from now.
Discussion Topic
What did you think when you saw the Healthy Plate? What surprised you?
What about it is easy for you? What makes it challenging to eat this way?
Knowing that for optimal health, energy, and focus that half of what you eat should be fruits and vegetables, what are 2 ways that you can make it easier to eat more each day?
How close are you to eating the Healthy Plate way? What gets in the way of you eating fruits and vegetables?
What is one thing you can do in the next week to im
Share your Weekly “Wow!”
Here’s your chance to tell us about something that struck you in the video. Maybe it was something the chef said or an idea for how you can improve the look, or the texture or the taste of your dish. Write down your response in your handbook and feel free to share with us by emailing cwc@sdchefs.org
Season Three: Episode 4 Handout & Recipes
We’ve created a printable Handbook for each episode of Cooking With Chefs which includes all the recipes!
You can find this Handbook in your ingredients package or download and print it from here.
Great Job Chef!
This concludes Season Three: Episode 4 of Cooking with Chefs.