Winter 2012 CookWell Newsletter & Group Class Schedule

Spring is here early! May the buzzing of new life bless your awareness with joy, and bring you peace...

ANNOUNCEMENT: we’re now teaching on Sunday Afternoons instead of Saturday Mornings at New Frontiers (new schedule posted below for you). This means that more people will be able to attend!

I’ve included one of my all-time favorite recipes for you - Contagious Coconut Curry - at the end of this newsletter.

FEBRUARY TIP: be sure your probiotic supplement contains “Acidophilus DDS-1" which is one of the few strains of beneficial bacteria which survives our stomach acid to make it into our large intestine where it’s needed.

Private CookWell sessions have been so much fun lately! If you have a few friends who want to get together to learn to CookWell, I’d love to talk to you about your needs. Sessions are 2 hours long and cost $25 per person for a group of 6. I also have course outlines posted on my site for kid’s classes! Whether you want to have either of us, or both Don & I come to your kitchen for a private CookWell session, OR if you just want to show up to one of our group classes listed below, we look forward to meeting you and helping you incorporate the whole foods diet & lifestyle that works best for you. An outline of exactly what you’ll learn and what we can cook together in each foundational CookWell session is posted on The Course page of my website www.cookwell.org.
In conjunction with teaching, Don & I offer on-site cooking for parties and events, or meals to store & re-heat for your busy work week. And we’ve been updating our CookWell blog with past newsletter content, recipes, and links to informative articles.
 Don’s website for life path counseling is www.gingerbuddha.com, in case you or anyone you know needs help in quieting their mind, enjoying the journey of life, or in simply finding personal balance. Don also makes handmade kitchen & camp knives!
Thank You So Much for spreading the word about what we offer. We feel blessed to share this wonderful community with you, and welcome any questions you may have via phone or email (courtney@cookwell.org OR 528-8837). We hope to see you sometime soon to share lots of learning, laughter and incredible food!

Hands-On CookWell Course at Cal Poly!
Cooking & Baking With Whole Foods

Four Wednesday Evenings: April 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 5:30 - 8PM
Course Fee: $179 (includes meal in each session)
Location: the only hands-on teaching kitchen in SLO! Cal Poly’s Food Processing Building #24, room 103A
Enroll Online: www.continuing-ed.calpoly.edu OR 756-2053
Course Description: Increase your culinary know-how and expand your recipe repertoire in our instructional kitchen which offers affordable, recreational culinary experience for all ages. Whole foods expert Courtney Coleman (www.cookwell.org) will lead students in intermediate level cooking techniques for flavorful ethnic dishes, casseroles, sauces, soups and baked desserts. Using lots of seasonal vegetables and only unrefined ingredients, students will gain experience cooking according to their dietary needs and taste preferences, grinding & culturing nutrient-dense whole grains for gluten free, low-glycemic desserts such as cookies, cakes, quick breads and even pizza crust! Unrefined sweeteners will be used in desserts, as well as stevia for sugar-free desserts. Courtney will review foundational concepts and apply principals of whole foods cooking as preventative medicine throughout the course. Class is limited to 16 participants.
List of dishes we’ll prepare and eat together:
Yellow Curry Casserole
Chipotle Black Bean Stew 
Thai Coconut-Curry Soup
Gluten Free Gourmet Pizza!
Savory Jalepeno-Cheddar Loaf
Gluten & Sugar Free Gingerbread-Coconut Cookies
Gluten & Sugar Free Ginger-Orange-Carrot Spice Cake   
Gluten & Sugar Free Nutmeg-Almond Loaf


Group Classes at New Frontiers, SLO       
$30 per person (includes meal)
NOW ON SUNDAY AFTERNOONS!       
Please RSVP and pre-pay to reserve your spot at least 3 days before class 
(805) 528-8837 or courtney@cookwell.org  THANKS!

     

Whole Foods Cooking 101 For Busy People

Sun Feb 19, 2-4PM at New Frontiers
Courtney will show you how to prepare the foundation of a healing and revitalizing whole foods diet, from which you can change and add to according to your tastes. She’ll teach you how to streamline your routine to make your journey into preparing your own whole foods meals easier and less expensive than you imagined possible. She'll discuss with you several important whole foods diet & lifestyle topics such as the basics of macrobiotic theory, the basics of the blood type diet to begin individualizing your diet, the CookWell list of whole foods preparation staples for your kitchen, the best cooking oils for various temperatures, and the importance of & how to start drinking enough re-mineralized water daily. You'll receive several informational handouts for your reference, as well as a list of fantastic recipes! Then, together you'll make ghee to use as a delicious, stable oil in your cooking, sprouted & simmered whole grain millet & amaranth, a dark leafy greens & seasonal veggies stir-steam, and a beautiful pot of black beans. Then, of course, you’ll get to feast together!

Individualizing Your Whole Foods Diet
Sun March 4, 2-4PM at New Frontiers

We’ll discuss: the Ayurvedic body types and beneficial foods for each, the blood type diet guidelines, protein/fat/carb ratios for different metabolic types, basic guidelines for diet & lifestyle according to macrobiotic constitution, maintaining proper body alkalinity through diet, and practicing mindfulness as it relates to preparing healing food.
You’ll get 4 handouts for reference:Ayurvedic body types and beneficial foods for each, general principals re: Ayurvedic diet & lifestyle, blood type diet basics, and a list of fantastic recipes!
Then, together we’ll prepare: kichadi (tasty East Indian stew of mung beans, brown rice, & seasonal veggies), and fantastic custom cole slaw.   

Delicious Cooking w/ Sea Vegetables For Beauty & Longevity
Sun March 18, 2-4PM at New Frontiers

We’ll discuss: how to cook flavorfully with various types of sea vegetables (including those which bind and expel heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body!), how to maximize vitamin/mineral assimilation with whole foods combinations, and hormone balance guidelines with whole foods diet & lifestyle.
You’ll get 4 handouts for reference: benefits of 7 different sea vegetables with recipes for each, CookWell calcium protocol, guidelines for hormone balance, and fantastic recipes #5 w/ list of tasty herb/spice combinations for seasoning.
Then together we’ll prepare: black beans and seasonal veggies with wakame & hijiki sea vegetables

Pre-Natal Nutrition and Whole Foods Cooking For Mommies!
2 possible dates & places to join in the fun:
Sat 2/25 at the new Sukha Wellness Center in Avila Beach, 12-2PM
Sun 3/25, at New Frontiersfs SLO, 2-4PM

Courtney will teach you how to create delicious whole foods snacks and meals for optimal pre-natal nutrition and for the long term health and happiness of you & your family.  She’ll show you how to develop a practical, inexpensive routine around preparing amazingly flavorful, whole foods meals for balance of mind body and spirit according to the ancient principles of Macrobiotics & Ayurvedic cooking.
We’ll discuss these concepts: whole foods as preventative medicine, whole foods snack ideas for kids, discovering the diet & lifestyle that’s most balancing for your body type and blood type, sprouting & simmering the nutrient-dense whole grains, the CookWell list of wholefoods preparation staples for your kitchen and the best cooking oils for various temperatures, better digestibility of beans, and how to drink enough re-mineralized water daily
We'll prepare 4 dishes: beautiful pot of black beans with a bit of cumin, coriander & ginger, sprouted whole grain millet & amaranth, ghee to use as a cooking oil, dark leafy greens & seasonal veggie stir-steam.
You'll get 4 handout pages for reference: list of whole foods preparation staples for your kitchen, recommended reading list, blood type diet & lifestyle basics, and a list of fantastic recipes.


Gluten & Sugar Free TEA PARTY CLASS!
Sunday, 2/26, 1-3PM, at Courtney’s home in Los Osos  cost: $30 per person
We’ll discuss: how to grind fresh & culture whole grains such as millet, oat groats and amaranth for gluten & sugar free baked recipes, and strategies for getting lower glycemic in your diet as preventative medicine
We’ll serve: The Secret Garden’s  blended herbal teas alongside our gluten & sugar free desserts!
ginger-orange-carrot cake made with fresh ground & cultured amaranth, millet & oat groats, minced carrot & ginger, orange zest, virgin coconut oil & vanilla stevia
almond-amaranth cookies made with fresh ground & cultured amaranth, virgin coconut oil, brazil nuts, almonds, coriander, nutmeg & stevia
heavenly lemon-lavender poppy loaf made with fresh ground & cultured amaranth & millet, virgin coconut oil, lavender, lemon zest, coriander & poppy seeds

ORGANIZE A GROUP OF YOUR FRIENDS FOR A PRIVATE COOKWELL SESSION!

For a fun & informative time with friends or loved ones, I’d love to come to your kitchen (or you’re welcome to come to mine) to show you how to prepare the foundation of a healing and revitalizing whole foods diet, from which you can change and add to according to your tastes. I’ll teach your group how to streamline your routine to make your journey into preparing your own whole foods meals easier and less expensive than you imagined possible. I’ll discuss with you several important whole foods diet & lifestyle topics - whichever ones you’d like from my CookWell course outline. You'll receive several informational handouts for your reference, as well as several fantastic recipes. Then, together we'll make 3 delicious whole foods dishes you’d like, and then of course, we’ll get to feast together! The fee is $25 per person with a 6 person minimum (for smaller groups, see “rates” page of cookwell.org). Everyone who participates should bring a notebook & pen to take notes, as well as a glass, ceramic, stainless steel or wooden container to take some amazing food home.


And, I’m gathering participants for our CookWell Teacher Training series !
Anyone interested can call or email me - once we get 6-10 participants, we’ll schedule the dates which work for everyone. courtney@cookwell.org  OR  528-8837


Notice: Arroyo Grande Farmer’s Market has moved to Spencer’s parking lot (corner of Grande Ave & Courtland). Market time is Wednesday mornings, 8:00 till 10:30. See you there!



FEBRUARY RECIPE       
Contagious Coconut Curry
I call this dish contagious, because it’s that good!
In a large, deep stainless steel pot / cast iron pot / wok with a fitting lid, place 3 Tbsp virgin coconut oil over low heat until it melts & coats the bottom of the pan. Immediately add 1 Tbsp curry powder, 1 Tbsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp cayenne. Stir and let spices sizzle for about 20 seconds on low heat before adding 3 cups diced yam (or carrot) and 2 cups diced burdock root OR fennel bulb (diced into ½ inch cubes), and any diced meat if you like. Add 2/3 cup filtered water and stir, making sure the spices spread evenly over the root veggies & as many veggies touch the bottom of the pan as possible. Okay, turn heat up to med, cover & simmer w/out stirring for about 2 minutes. Next add any medium-dense, bite size, chopped veggies on hand (potabella mushroom, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, cabbage, celery or bok choy stalks, etc.) and stir well. Keep cooking another 2 minutes or so, stirring every 30 seconds so all the veggies have a chance to cook on the bottom of the pan for 30 seconds, and any meat (if used) is cooked through. Next, layer 2 bunches chopped, dark kale or collard greens (the darker the greens, the more minerals they have!) and green bok choy tops if you’ve got ‘em, until the pot is stuffed full of greens - it’s okay if you can barely get the lid back on - they’ll cook down. Cover and simmer for another minute until greens wilt down slightly. Then sprinkle in 1 Tbsp tarragon, 1 tsp dill, and 1 tsp marjoram OR rosemary on top of the greens and stir. When all the greens have wilted slightly & softened TURN OFF the heat - we don’t want to overcook the greens. Then stir in 1 can Thai Kitchen brand coconut milk (full fat, not light), 3 - 5 Tbsp Nama, San-J, or Eden brand shoyu or tamari soy sauce to taste, and the juice of 2 - 3 ripe limes. Stir again & serve over brown rice or millet with lime halves on the side for those who want more tanginess. Also, some fresh chopped chives or cilantro on top is a nice garnish. Enjoy!


As always,
        Don and I welcome any questions you may have via phone or email. For more information on the ancient whole foods philosophies we teach about, see the “about the food” page of my website www.cookwell.org.
        We hope to see you sometime soon to share lots of learning, laughter and incredible food!

Namaste ~                            
Courtney & Don