Demo and Dine serves up last meal for the year on October 29th

Do you wish you were a better cook? Clients often express frustration about their lack of cooking skills. For many, it seems easier to eat out than to prepare meals at home. But eating out too frequently may contribute to obesity, high sodium and low nutrient intakes.

Since September 19, 2013, the WMHS Food and Nutrition Department’s Brenda Ridgway, RDN, LDN, Clinical Nutrition Manager and Chef Pete Lippold, have been dazzling diners with their program, Demo and Dine, which aims not only to teach cooking skills, but also to give participants a healthy, delicious and fun dining experience.

And they have done just that, nine times, with topics including “Quick and Easy Meals,” “Eat Right so Your Clothes don’t Fit Tight,” and “Dietitians’ Summer Favorites.”  Their last Demo and Dine, “Full on Fiber,” will be held in the WMHS auditorium on October 29th. For $15.00, participants receive a delicious healthy meal, see how to prepare all the dishes served, from appetizer to dessert, learn interesting nutrition nuggets, and take home all the recipes prepared and more.

According to Brenda Ridgway, “My goal for the program was to get people to try new foods and to realize that cooking healthy can be easy and reasonable. I have attempted to choose recipes with ingredients that can be found in most grocery stores, recipes that have 10 or less ingredients and are not majorly time consuming. I feel that if we want people to eat healthier we have to show them it may require less effort and expense than they realize. I also wanted the demo to be somewhat entertaining as well as informative. I have found many of the recipes from Eating Right, Cooking Light, American Institute for Cancer Research, The Well Fed Heart, Meal Makeover Moms, and even Bon Appetit.  Additional recipes and nutrition information relevant to the topic are provided at each class.”

Thank you to Brenda and Pete for providing such tasty edutainment. They have opened up a world of new foods to many and all of us who have participated appreciate their hard work. There are still openings for October 29th. To register or to request more information, call Brenda at 240-964-2312. But call soon, seating is limited and fills up quickly.

Here is a recipe that got rave reviews from the August Demo and Dine:

Chicken & Asparagus with Melted Gruyere

Number of Servings: 4                Serving size: 4 oz chicken and ½ cup sauce
Ingredients:
· 8 oz. asparagus trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
· 2/3 cup reduced sodium chicken
· 2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup all-purpose flour divided
· 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb)
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
· 1 tablespoon canola oil
· 1 shallot thinly sliced
· 1/2 cup white wine
· 1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
· 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon chopped or 1 teaspoon dried                        
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 2/3 cup Gruyere cheese
1. Steam asparagus for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside
2. Wisk broth and 2 teaspoons flower in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
3. Place the remaining 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flower, shaking off excess.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown (3 to 4 minutes per side). Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
5. Add shallot, wine in the reserve broth mixture to the pan; cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened about 2 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in sour cream, tarragon, lemon juice, and the reserved asparagus until combined.
7. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top of each piece of chicken, cover and continue cooking until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving: 306 calories; 15 g fat (6 g sat, 6 g mono); 7 g carbohydrates; 31 g protein; 1 g fiber; 298 mg sodium    Recipe Source:  Eating Well  May-June 2007   Recipe Submitted By: Kay Leigh