How to Cook Real Food: An Online Cooking Class

Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed a distinct decline in the number of posts here at Nourished Kitchen.  Don’t worry, it’s because I’ve been busy – super busy – with an exciting new project: an online cooking class.  After hearing over and over again from readers who needed a simple, but thorough way to better incorporate local foods and back-to-basics, traditional cooking into their kitchens, I began work on How to Cook Real Food, which is scheduled to launch on June 1st.  If you’ve read Nourished Kitchen for any length of time, or participated in our recent 28-day challenge, you know what a great value I place on whole, traditional natural foods, but this knowledge has taken me several years to master, and it’s always a constant process of learning, evaluating and re-evaluating.

The blog here at Nourished Kitchen offers a glimpse into my passion for real food and natural cooking – and a peek into the work my husband and I accomplish as farmers market managers, but as yet – aside from weekly recipes – there really hasn’t been an opportunity for me to truly reach out to readers and teach them the basic approaches that I take in cooking from scratch using the bounty of my local foodshed.  That’s why I’m so very excited about this new project – with an online, multimedia approach we will take a comprehensive and thorough look at learning how to cook traditional, real foods from scratch in ways that meet your family’s needs and preferences as well as the seasonal bounty and availability of foods in your area.

The Lessons & Recipes

Lesson #1: What is Real Food & Where to Find It
Lesson #2: Soaked Grains: Pilaf & Scones
Lesson #3: Homemade Sourdough Bread
Lesson #4: Salads: Vinaigrette & Enriched Dressing
Lesson #5: Seasonal Vegetables: Roasted & Braised
Lesson #6: Fermented Vegetables: Sauerkrauts & Sour Pickles
Lesson #7: Pasture-raised Meat: Roasts and Slow-cooked
Lesson #8: Mineral-rich Broth: Soups
Lesson #9: Raw Milk Yogurt & Yogurt Cheese
Lesson #10: Brewing and Flavoring Kombucha & Water Kefir
Lesson #11: Natural Sweeteners & Fruit: Compotes, Ice Creams and Desserts
Lesson #12: Menus & Meal Planning

We’ll cover the fundamental principles behind a nourishing diet based on traditional foods – the natural foods I write about at Nourished Kitchen (view the course outline here).  I post a lot of nourishing, wholesome recipes at Nourished Kitchen, but they all rely on simple techniques and once you truly master those simple techniques – from soaking whole grain to fermenting vegetables or roasting meats – you can prepare any dish.  And that’s the beauty of this class – it’s not only about mastering the fundamental techniques that are essential for maximizing nutrient density and minimizing cost in the kitchen, but also about learning to apply those basic techniques in creative ways so that you can always shop in season and create simple, nourishing recipes from locally available fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats and milks that meet your family’s needs.  For this reason, the class is particularly important for those who suffer from food intolerances or sensitivities – as every lesson is adjustable to your family’s needs.  We’ll even cover gluten-free sourdough bread in our class on sourdough baking!

Each week, through online video tutorials, downloadable print materials, easy-to-read charts and other comprehensive materials I’ll provide you with simple tools, techniques, tips and advice on preparing whole, local foods from scratch easily and affordably.  After covering tips for sourcing local, fresh nourishing foods in the first week, you’ll learn how to master a recipe for a basic soaked, whole grain pilaf that you can adjust as your kitchen creativity dictates.  Then we’ll move on to baking whole grain scones from soaked flour including which flavors, herbs and spices best complement one another.  We’ll also cover how to prepare a basic vinaigrette and creamy, enriched salad dressings (can you imagine a healthy, homemade  ranch dressing without soybean oil or weird additives?), how to braise, roast and season vegetables, how to roast and flavor grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, how to make the most of inexpensive cuts, how to create your own recipes for probiotic, naturally fermented foods.  We’ll also address how to make yogurt from fresh milk – while even including a discussion of dairy-free yogurts for those families who suffer from food sensitivities.  We’ll cover making the switch from soda and soft drinks to water kefir and kombucha as well as how to exchange natural sweeteners for refined sugar in basic recipes, and how to make healthy desserts without any sweetener at all.

I will teach you the basics, and by mastering those basics through the 12-week online cooking class, you’ll be able to expand your techniques in the kitchen and ensure that you can create beautiful, healthy recipes and meals from scratch for your family.  You can read more about the class, contact me with questions or sign up.  It is a comprehensive look at real food designed to help you master the art of preparing wholesome, natural meals from scratch.  The class begins June 1st, and space is limited, so sign up today – it averages to only $10 a class!