Vegetarian Family Dinner Crash Course
Master the skills to cook dinner for the family each week!
Recommended for returning students or kids aged 10-14.
Three weekly 90-minute lessons. All lessons are live and conducted over Zoom - join from your home kitchen! Groups are capped at 6 students. Choose your weekly time slot from the options below.
$100. Sliding scale, no questions asked. Siblings get a 20% discount.
Students will prepare a full vegetarian family meal (4-6 servings; can be scaled up or down). Recipes include build-your-own grain bowls, cozy vegetable stew with homemade dumplings, and macaroni and cheese.
You’ll receive: A recipe binder and an apron. Printed recipes, tip sheets, and home activities. Weekly ingredient list for class. Lifetime access to the Student Portal with supplemental links and extras. Lots of individual support and guidance in our small group.
“This class has really helped my child's confidence to blossom: there was a big smile on his face when we all loved his cozy dumpling stew! He knows how to safely use knives and even the oven now, he is thinking about flavor combinations, and even talks about ‘mise en place’ when we scramble eggs in the morning.” - Florence, Stir The Pot parent in Vermont
Lesson 1: Planning
In this introductory lesson we will talk about how to plan a balanced menu and how to make a grocery list. We will learn about each of the ingredients in our recipe, and discuss layering flavors and textures. We’ll practice some essential cooking skills including knife skills, working with heat on the stove top and in the oven, prepping, roasting and sautéing vegetables, cooking grains, and making a balanced sauce.
Recipe: Build-your-own grain bowls with couscous, roasted vegetables, and delicious drizzle sauce
Handouts: The Golden Rules of Making A Grocery List; Bonus Worksheet
Lesson 2: Kitchen Timing
In our second lesson we will talk about timing in the kitchen, how to multitask effectively, and how to choose which recipe to start cooking first in a meal with several components. We’ll continue to practice knife and stovetop skills as we prepare creamy macaroni and cheese and sautéed green beans, and we’ll learn how to compose and dress a simple green salad.
Recipe: Macaroni and cheese, sautéed green beans, and crunchy salad
Handouts: Kitchen Timing; Recipe Game Plan Worksheet
Lesson 3: Mise en Place
In our final lesson we will learn about the culinary term mise en place and how it can set you up for success in the kitchen. We will continue practicing our knife skills as we chop and slice a variety of vegetables for our stew, and we’ll also learn about working with fresh and dried herbs and seasonings to make a flavorful broth. We’ll also practice some basic pastry skills as we whip up a batch of homemade dumplings to simmer in the stew.
Recipe: Cozy vegetable stew with homemade dumplings
Handouts: 5 Tips for Using Mise en Place Like a Chef; Mise en Place Challenge