On New Kitchens and Healthy Cooking

I can't believe that we're already just 10 days away from our first NYC cooking class of 2012! I'm really excited about this class in particular, as it's also going to be the first class I'll be teaching in a gorgeous new kitchen rental space here in Manhattan.

Called City Cookhouse, the spacious, modern, and fully-equipped kitchen was founded specifically to provide an affordable and fully certified space for new culinary entrepreneurs (like me!) to begin and develop their businesses. The space is also available for culinary events, cookbook parties, tapings, and more. Even better? A lot of the chefs that rent space there are also volunteering their time to offer free monthly cooking classes for children in the neighborhood!

The first class I'll be teaching at City Cookhouse is called Light & Delicious: Healthy Weeknight Cooking. In this class I'll be teaching 8 different "mix & match" recipes specifically designed for effortless weeknight cooking. Featuring fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins, the dishes are the kind that you can come home from work on a busy night and make without much fuss.

As part of the class, I'll be teaching simple techniques and swaps that everyone can use to "health-up" some of their favorite recipes. I'm also going to be teaching easy variations of each dish so you'll actually leave the class with way more than just 8 recipes under your belt.

And here's the kicker. As healthy as all these dishes are, they're also actually delicious. I mean, my blog is called Always Order Dessert--I'm serious when it comes to deliciousness. I'm not going to be teaching you anything weird. This isn't boring diet food. It's just good, wholesome, and nutritious. Heck, one of the recipes even has bacon in it!

Here's the incredible menu for the class (the class is totally hands-on, which means you'll get to help prepare ALL of these dishes, and then sit down to enjoy them together with your classmates). By the way, if you're looking to learn gluten-free cooking, ALL the recipes in this class are gluten-free!

• Sauteed Kale with Cranberries, Almonds, and Caramelized Shallots
• Golden Herbed Quinoa with Nuts, Seeds & Dried Fruits
• 15-Minute Herb Pesto Salmon
• Vegetarian Split Pea Soup with Smokey Garlic Yogurt Swirl
• Roasted Chipotle Eggplant Spears
• Crunchy Spiced Roasted Chickpeas
• Maple Roasted Pears with Cinnamon Yogurt
• Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

Sounds amazing, right? Click here to grab one of the few spots that are left.