Mastering the Elements of Whole Foods Cooking

Sometimes it’s good to play with your food! This four-week series will empower you to get creative and feel confident in the kitchen. If the prospect of cooking without a recipe makes you want to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, don’t worry. Over the course of four Tuesday’s, you’ll cook under the expert guidance of Chef Jenny Breen, allowing you to learn and experiment while knowing that you’ll always end up with a delicious meal and a full belly.

Through four themes over four weeks, this series will explore building a pantry, using a variety of cooking techniques, and combining flavors and textures in an intuitive and playful approach to cooking. Always with an eye toward healthy, mindful eating, Chef Jenny will teach you how to turn the healthy choice into the easy (and delicious!) choice. Recipes will be based on whole foods staples–like whole grains, nuts and seeds, and healthy oils–and allow you flexibility to use whatever protein and produce you have on hand so that you can get creative without breaking the bank.

Week 1: The Cook’s Pantry (March 5)

The 15 items you need to make magic in the kitchen

Week 2: Beyond Rice and Beans (March 12)

Cooking in bulk and balancing ingredients (while keeping it exciting and simple)

Week 3: The Secret Sauce (March 19)

Tying it all together with flavor and fat

Week 4: Taste, Don’t Waste (March 26)

Repurposing and using everything up without sacrificing on flavor

About Chef Jenny Breen: Jenny has taught cooking and nutrition to every conceivable audience from SNAP recipients in East St. Paul and diabetes patients in North Minneapolis, to college students at the University of Minnesota and nurses and doctors in multiple care settings, to adults, kids, and families in public classes throughout the state of Minnesota. She owned and operated a farm-to-table cafe and catering business for many years before farm-to-table was cool, and she also has her Masters in Public Health-Nutrition.