Flexitarian Fun at The Chopping Block

Flexible + Vegetarian = Flexitarian. This term, coined by Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet, was the recurring theme of her cooking class at Merchandise Mart’s The Chopping Block. As my fellow classmates and I gathered into the instructional kitchen, our tastebuds waited anxiously for the 5-course meal to come. Dawn not only served up tasty dishes, but shared her nutrition knowledge, and culinary how-to’s, along with a side of laughs! “Hey, if sprinkling a little sugar on your fruit or a little salt on your vegetables means that you’ll eat them, go for it!” she jokes.

Dawn’s flexitarian approach to healthy eating is so down-to-Earth—literally! It is pro-plants, not anti-meat, which is great for anyone that still wants to enjoy grass-fed beef and pasture-raised poultry like me! Being pro-plants is something we all need to be though, and if you never thought you would CRAVE vegetarian dishes, think again. Take beans, for example. If you add a citrus flavor in the mix, blah becomes BAM! And it’s not just with beans. I learned some tricks about mixing the right type of flavors with the right type of foods—this is extremely useful for when I have only a few food items left in my fridge and pantry to work with. My favorite recipe of the night was the simple and refreshing Zucchini Carpaccio with Mint & Pinenuts. The highly-touted mandolin (a kitchen tool used for quick and precise slicing and cutting juliennes) is the MVP for this recipe, convincing me that I must invest in other culinary tools beyond the apple slicer if I really want people to take my cooking seriously! Other delish recipes included: Three-Ingredient Honey Apple Tart, Slow Roasted Tomatoes with Giant Beans and Olives, and Portobello Parmesan. Mmmmm.

When I asked Dawn what her favorite part about teaching this class is, she replied, “Showing people how to use super nourishing ingredients to create delicious food fast is my passion and in class I get to experience people trying and enjoying my food which is beyond rewarding.”

Dawn teaches at The Chopping Block each month at both the Merchandise Mart and Lincoln Square Mall locations. To learn more about her class, view her recipes, or purchase her book, The Flexitarian Diet, visit: dawnjacksonblatner.com.

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