In Colorado, one in five children are at risk for hunger and malnutrition.
But thanks to Cooking Matters Southwest Colorado and Surya Health and Wellness, some of those at-risk families are getting a helping hand from educational programs now being held in a permanent kitchen recently established at Surya’s downtown Durango location.
A program of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, Cooking Matters enables low-income families to help themselves by teaching them how to prepare healthy, low-cost meals. Professional chefs and nutritionists volunteer their expertise and time to lead hands-on courses that instruct adults and children living in low-income families how to get the most nutrition out of a limited budget.
Ayurvedic practitioner and Surya owner Amita Nathwani has been volunteering with Cooking Matters since 2000 and recognized an underserved segment of the Durango community that would benefit from increased access to a healthy lifestyle. When she started planning her new business, which opened in February and offers health consultations, classes and wellness-related products, Nathwani also incorporated a kitchen for Cooking Matters.
“I was amazed every day that at the end of the class you got a really good sense of what was accomplished, where do those dollars go, where does the hard work go. And you got that direct feedback from the people that were being helped,” Nathwani said. “I had some times in my life where my community really came to support me … so this was kind of my way of wanting to give back.”
Cue Erin Jolley, the Cooking Matters Southwest Colorado program manager.
“While Amita was developing the business plan and volunteering for us, she came up with the idea to put the two together and have a supporting nonprofit where health, wellness and good eating are a part of her business, as well,” Jolley said. “We’re able to bring a diverse audience into her new business.”
As the Surya business model came to fruition, Jolley and Nathwani worked together to create an ideal kitchen that would be conducive to learning for those new to the cooking world. They designed the kitchen to look like a standard home kitchen instead of a commercial kitchen, so the lessons would be accessible, understandable and easily translated back to the home environment.
“Cooking Matters helps families who are struggling to make ends meet and to put healthy food on the table,” Jolley said. “We help them to make the most of their resources by shopping as healthy as possible, while saving money and time by meal planning and making cooking fun and something that the whole family does.”
Though the kitchen also will be used for other types of cooking classes for the general public, it was developed with the primary purpose of acting as the permanent home base for Cooking Matters classes, something the program has not had in the past. This also will be the first time that Cooking Matters is able to offer classes downtown, which increases program visibility and accessibility.
“It’s a positive environment; everybody interacted and participated, and you get the groceries to go home and cook it for your family that night,” said Jessika Walker, a mother of a 3-month-old who was referred to Cooking Matters through the Nurse-Family Partnership, a program that works with women who are having their first baby.
“I think it’s fun, especially for younger people. I don’t think people really cook anymore, which is sad, and it’s a fun way to learn how to do it, learn new ways to cook, substituting new items,” she said. “I like that they went over the food pyramid and put it into a diagram that’s more understandable ... It puts a better visual on what I need to be doing when I’m cooking.”
White Bean Basil Chicken Chili
NOTE: To save money, purchase a whole chicken instead of pre-cut pieces.
Servings: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour cooking time.
Total cost: less than $10
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless chicken pieces
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatoes or 1 (14½ ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 large lime
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
2 (15½ ounce) cans great northern beans, no salt added
2 tablespoons oil
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1½ teaspoons chili powder
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
Method:
Remove any excess fat and skin from chicken pieces. Cut chicken into ½-inch cubes.
Rinse, peel and finely chop onion. Peel and mince garlic.
Rinse tomato. Remove core and seeds. Chop.
Rinse lime, cut in half. In a small bowl, squeeze juice from one half. Discard seeds.
Rinse and chop basil and cilantro.
In a colander, rinse and drain beans.
In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add garlic and onion. Cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. If garlic or onion starts to brown, lower heat.
Add basil, broth, chicken, cilantro, lime juice, spices and tomato. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Top with red pepper flakes, if desired.
Serve over a bed of cooked greens such as chard, kale or spinach, or serve over brown rice.
Nutrition information per 1½ cup serving: 300 calories; 80 calories from fat (27 percent of total calories); 9 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 50 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 25 g protein; 290 mg sodium.
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Matters.
To help
A fundraiser to help offset the costs of the new Cooking Matters kitchen will be held at 5 p.m. June 17 on the back patio at Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave. Donations to Cooking Matters also can be made in person at Surya Health and Wellness, 1032 Main Ave.
Volunteer chefs and nutritionists always are needed for Cooking Matters cooking classes. Volunteers also are needed to lead grocery store tours to help families demystify the shopping experience and navigate the confusion that can happen in the grocery aisles. For more information or to volunteer, call Erin Jolley at 529-8085 or email ejolley@strength.org.
For information about Cooking Matters and upcoming events, visit www.facebook.com/CookingMattersSWColorado.
For information about Surya Health and Wellness, call Amita Nathwani at 382-8332, email info@suryawellbeing.com or visit www.suryawellbeing.com.
