Food For Life!
Recently I've been offered one of the most exciting opportunities of my life. In late March, I returned to Washington, DC to train as a cooking instructor for The Cancer Project. TCP is a non-profit organization which supports cancer prevention & survival through nutrition, specifically plant based nutrition.
As many of you know, I have completed a course on Plant Based Nutrition offered by Cornell University online. This is a certificate course based on the findings of nutritionist T. Colin Campbell, PHd & his ground breaking work, The China Study. Completion of this curriculum combined with my culinary school training and my love of working with people put me in the position along with only 5% of the applicants who go forward to attend the training and become Food For Life instructors. Instructors then offer cooking classes in their communities across the globe. You can read more about TCP and Food for Life here, and more about The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, & eCornell here.
There were 10 new instructors and about as many more Educational Alliance trainees present for the Spring 3 day immersion. We were initiated with a cooking course held at the local Whole Foods Market and given by seasoned FFL instructor Katherine Lawrence, who you can read more about and find loads of yummy cancer/disease fighting recipes on her blog Delectable Planet. Among many things, we learned about the Saladmaster cookware we will be using in our classes, we had a Vitamix demonstration, we were debriefed on media exposure and each of us practiced a television interview!
On the final day we all gave a cooking demonstration critiqued by TCP staff. Now it's up to us to return to our communities and start teaching! I will be very busy contacting venues in which to offer the series of classes. I already have a couple of venues in mind and will keep you all up to date as to where & when the classes will be held. I feel as though this is the time in my life when I will be giving back something valuable to my communities (I plan to teach these classes in more locations than my Maine hometown).
Last Tuesday we hosted a Saladmaster party in our Georgia home. I wanted to introduce my friends to this impressive cookware which had been kept a secret to me until I went to the FFL training. Saladmaster has paired with TCP which seems only natural given the health benefits of using this cookware. The party was fun, well attended, and I would like to send a giant THANKS to the Saladmaster staff of Lilian Gines, MD, who along with chefs Gloria & Bobby came up from south of Jacksonville, FL to prepare fabulous food for 15 guests.
I'm including the recipe for Tomato, Cucumber & Basil Salad which is from The Cancer Survivor's Guide. You can download a free PDF for this fantastic cookbook full of science based information on Plant Based Nutrition and recipes written by Neal Barnard, M.D. and Jennifer Reilly R.D. The Cancer Survivor's Guide is the book which accompanies the FFL series of classes and this salad is the recipe I prepared at the end of the FFL training. For The Cancer Survivor's Guide and other free and valuable resources, click here.
Wish me luck on my new endeavor, and if there is a Food For Life cooking series in your neck of the woods I highly recommend that you sign up!
3 to 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Arrange the tomatoes and cucumber in a shallow bowl.
Scatter the basil leaves on top, add the balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with the vinegar and pepper.
Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad is best served at room temperature shortly after it has been made.
Nutrition Information
Per serving (1/6 recipe):
20 calories
0.2 g fat
0 g saturated fat
10.4% calories from fat
0 mg cholesterol
4.3 g carbohydrate
1.3 g fiber
2.5 g sugar
1 g protein
5 mg sodium
11.8 mg vitamin C
487 mcg beta-carotene
0.5 mg vitamin E
17 mg calcium
2110.9 mcg lycopene
As many of you know, I have completed a course on Plant Based Nutrition offered by Cornell University online. This is a certificate course based on the findings of nutritionist T. Colin Campbell, PHd & his ground breaking work, The China Study. Completion of this curriculum combined with my culinary school training and my love of working with people put me in the position along with only 5% of the applicants who go forward to attend the training and become Food For Life instructors. Instructors then offer cooking classes in their communities across the globe. You can read more about TCP and Food for Life here, and more about The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, & eCornell here.
There were 10 new instructors and about as many more Educational Alliance trainees present for the Spring 3 day immersion. We were initiated with a cooking course held at the local Whole Foods Market and given by seasoned FFL instructor Katherine Lawrence, who you can read more about and find loads of yummy cancer/disease fighting recipes on her blog Delectable Planet. Among many things, we learned about the Saladmaster cookware we will be using in our classes, we had a Vitamix demonstration, we were debriefed on media exposure and each of us practiced a television interview!
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| Fellow FFL Instructor in the interview "Hot Seat" |
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| MiMi gives FFL demo of Tomato & Cuke Salad |
On the final day we all gave a cooking demonstration critiqued by TCP staff. Now it's up to us to return to our communities and start teaching! I will be very busy contacting venues in which to offer the series of classes. I already have a couple of venues in mind and will keep you all up to date as to where & when the classes will be held. I feel as though this is the time in my life when I will be giving back something valuable to my communities (I plan to teach these classes in more locations than my Maine hometown).
Last Tuesday we hosted a Saladmaster party in our Georgia home. I wanted to introduce my friends to this impressive cookware which had been kept a secret to me until I went to the FFL training. Saladmaster has paired with TCP which seems only natural given the health benefits of using this cookware. The party was fun, well attended, and I would like to send a giant THANKS to the Saladmaster staff of Lilian Gines, MD, who along with chefs Gloria & Bobby came up from south of Jacksonville, FL to prepare fabulous food for 15 guests.
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| Saladmaster gives a GREAT hostess gift!! |
Wish me luck on my new endeavor, and if there is a Food For Life cooking series in your neck of the woods I highly recommend that you sign up!
Sláinte
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| Tomato, Basil, Cucumber Salad |
Tomato, Basil & Cucumber Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
This tomato-based salad is rich in lycopene, a powerful carotenoid that has proven its importance in prostate cancer prevention and survival. With tomatoes and cucumbers in season, this is truly a salad for the summer. Serve it with fresh bread or as a starter with light pasta dishes.3 to 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Arrange the tomatoes and cucumber in a shallow bowl.
Scatter the basil leaves on top, add the balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with the vinegar and pepper.
Tomato, Cucumber, and Basil Salad is best served at room temperature shortly after it has been made.
Nutrition Information
Per serving (1/6 recipe):
20 calories
0.2 g fat
0 g saturated fat
10.4% calories from fat
0 mg cholesterol
4.3 g carbohydrate
1.3 g fiber
2.5 g sugar
1 g protein
5 mg sodium
11.8 mg vitamin C
487 mcg beta-carotene
0.5 mg vitamin E
17 mg calcium
2110.9 mcg lycopene
Recipe from The Cancer Survivor's Guide
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