Cooking Classes

Cook enticing plant foods for well-being.

Healing Cuisine is enticing natural foods cuisine with a focus on plant foods. Award-winning cookbook author Meredith McCarty’s style of cooking brings a relaxing sense of balance to the demands of a healthy lifestyle, a full schedule, and the sensual pleasure of eating. Meredith brings a wealth of knowledge, practical experience, passion and creativity to her classes. Rich in flavor and cultural diversity, menus and recipes are tailored to the American palate and will inspire you to get back in the kitchen. Classes may be hands-on or demonstration-style. Choose from three seasonal menus provided by Meredith. The healing qualities of each food are discussed, and there is ample opportunity for questions and lively, interactive discussion. Recipes are provided.

Healing Cuisine cooking classes are Vegan.

Veganism eschews animal foods for the health of both we humans and our environment, and for ethical reasons. According to an article, “Where it all Vegan” by Joseph Connelly, former publisher of the magazine VegNews, it was a man named Donald Watson who, in 1944, “broke away from the nearly century old venerable yet stodgy Vegetarian Society of England and founded a little ideal called Veganism.”

Classes are also Macrobiotic.

Often mistakenly called “microbiotic,” a Macrobiotic diet features plant foods in balanced proportions and includes specific healing foods that have been found historically to prevent and reverse disease. Since the original teachers were Japanese, and the traditional Japanese inhabitants of the island of Okinawa are still the longest-living people on the planet, there is much to be learned here. Meredith demystifies Macrobiotic cooking so you can access its benefits for healing.

Healing Cuisine’s “Menu Mantra” is “Grains, Beans & Vegetables.

Menu Planning is the first step in visualizing and then creating meals that heal. Review the foods in a whole foods plant-based diet. Learn to make rich-tasting soup stocks based on healing foods such as medicinal mushrooms and mineral-rich seaweeds, known in Japan as “bone of the sea.” Learn to make digestible beans, the staple protein in a plant-based approach to eating (and which brand of canned beans is best). Beans are the healthiest source of protein on the planet being high in fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium and phytochemicals. Learn how to season plant foods so they become irresistibly appetizing, using pantry ingredients to pull together quick dressings for greens and salads.

Recipe Conversion

Recipe conversion is a fun way to enjoy wonderful-sounding dishes presented more healthfully. Learn what to look for in creating dinners where fat calories are kept to 20% or less. Convert favorite chicken recipes to ones based on tempeh. Like chicken, tempeh is a protein-rich food with substantial texture that takes on flavors well. Unlike chicken, tempeh is a plant food with lots of fiber (chicken has none), and with no animal hormones, saturated fat or cholesterol.

Other recipe conversion practices include substituting whole grains and flours for refined white grains, flours, breads and pastas; including seasonings such as tasty herbs and spices instead of large amounts of fat and salt; substituting small amounts of good-quality oils for animal fats; and favoring natural sweeteners over white sugar.

Team Building Events

Corporations can save precious time and money by ensuring their employees’ health. Culinary team building prepares employees to practice self-care, the most effective way to prevent sick days. Making good food together creates a synergy of group support to ensure the possibility of long-term success. It fosters open communication, cooperation, appreciation of individual skills and successful risk-taking.

Let’s Get Cooking!

Fee:

$500 for up to 5 people; $50 per person thereafter. Food, as well as shopping and travel time, is free. Host to provide cookware, serving items, and one assistant to help with prep-work, serving and cleanup.

Payment options:

PayPal, Cash or Check

Cancellation policy:

48-hour cancellation notice is required for a full refund.

Testimonials

“Thank you for teaching your ‘Bountiful Beans, the Perfect Protein’ class as part of our UCSF Cancer Center Healthy Eating for Cancer Survivors Cooking Series. Your knowledge and enthusiasm for healthy, plant-based cooking made following nutrition guidelines for cancer survivors not only realistic for our patients but also simple and delicious.” —G. Macaire, MA, RD, CSO, Dietitian

“Fabulous job! The class was a great learning experience and a fun team building event. Great recipes…interesting, relevant instruction. A positive experience that gave exposure to more natural and organic alternatives to what I’m used to. Since I’m a meat eater, I really enjoyed the veggies…All the dishes prepared were delicious and could be made in the future.” —Employees, Biomarin

“Unlike some cooking classes that can leave one feeling overwhelmed by the perceived difficulty of healthy plant-based cooking, I left your class feeling inspired by your easy recipes and thorough, yet fun, demonstration. By the way, I made the tomatillo salsa twice now and love it with so many things, even pasta. Thank you!” J. Symons

Join My Mailing List

Receive weekly diet-and-health news, upcoming events, and my favorite recipes.