Last night I had the opportunity to go to a fun cooking class at Whole Foods in Chicago taught by Amanda Skirp, a natural foods chef and wellness consultant. Jess from Dishin’ about Nutrition was the lady who thought of having this meet up — boy am I glad she did! It was fun!
When I arrived to the Whole Foods Kitchen, I was immediately greeted by a glass of red wine. Don’t mind if I do!
Whole Foods also had a huge spread of snacks for us to try — all of which were gluten free and vegan. This doesn’t happen too often for me, so I was in heaven!
After a few minutes of mingling with a few other bloggers, it was time to get the cooking class started — which was a good thing, as I was hungry!
We all received a menu for the night, along with recipes for each one of the dishes we would be trying.
Amanda was a pro — discussing ingredients, coaching, and teaching all while making her delicious recipes. The first thing she started to make was the dessert (as it had the longest cook time). While she was cooking, she asked us all a question — What is arrowroot powder used for?
Any takers?
It is used for thickening dishes in place of cornstarch — and since I answered the question correctly, I got to choose a prize from the prize basket. Unfortunately, I’m afraid some of the other bloggers were going to maul me for my choice as it was everyone’s top pick.
I’ve never been so happy in my life.
We tried a lot of dishes last night, asking questions and talking the entire time Amanda was cooking.
The first dish we tried was a Gingered Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk. It had an amazing flavor — and the ginger was very prominent (which I love!). It definitely had a kick, and is super easy to make. I will definitely be making this sometime soon!
While we were sampling the soup, Amanda (and her lovely helper Ollie!) got started on a Brown Rice ‘Risotto’, which was a hit in my book!
The base for the Brown Rice Risotto was to use up leftover rice from another dish. It was full of flavor with kale, cannellini beans, and maitake mushrooms (which I have never had before!).
It was simple, and only took about 15 minutes to throw together, which is right up my alley.
The last “main dish” Amanda made was a spaghetti squash salad, packed with great flavors like arugula, Dijon mustard, and almonds for a crunch!
I must admit, however, that the star of the show was the Sesame Seed Brittle.
I think I have a new addiction. This is seriously a perfect snack, chock full of great seeds, nori, and maple syrup. It is salty but sweet and literally melts in your mouth. Of course being the polite and dainty woman that I am, I only had four portions. I just really wanted Amanda to know how much I liked it.
Up last was dessert! We were able to sample Baked Pears with a Pecan Crumble. This was definitely delicious. The crumble was made from pecans, oat flour, coconut oil, sugar, and some spices. Super simple and a huge crows pleaser!
All in all, it was such a fun night. The only thing us bloggers failed to do? Take a group picture! #fail
I did, however, take an action shot (please don’t hate me) so I can show you who I got to know last night!
(Closest to the camera and moving away) Jessica, Katie, Tracey, and Cait. I had such a great time getting to know these bloggers — such fun ladies and just as sweet in person as they are on their blogs!
Despite my late bedtime, it was deifnitely worth it. Thanks again for a great night Whole Foods, Amanda, and Jessica (for setting it all up!).
Question: Have you ever been to a cooking demonstration before?
Edit: Amanda shared with me the link for her sesame brittle recipe. You can find it here!
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
{ 1 trackback }