Saturday, October 25, 2014

East Boston YMCA offers free community cooking classes

Tuesday Night Classes Focus on Fresh Ingredients & Healthy Cooking on a Budget

The East Boston YMCA Cooking For Life programs offers free community cooking classes every Tuesday evening that teach basic cooking skills and emphasize healthy cooking on a budget. All of the classes are taught by the Y’s Director of Kitchen Services, Chef Meg Tallon.
 

"These classes are a great way to learn the basics of healthy cooking," said Tallon. "We’ll help you feel more comfortable in the kitchen and expand your cooking repertoire with simple healthy meals that make the most of your food budget.”

The next session of free classes include:

October 28 - Kitchen Basics: Learn how to stock your home pantry with kitchen essentials and master basic cooking techniques like sautéing, braising and roasting. 

November 4 - Make-Ahead Meals - Learn how to prepare sauces and main dishes like Beef Stew that you can prepare days, and even weeks, before you need them. With our make-ahead staples and you’ll be able to enjoy a home-cooked meal every night.

November 11 - Healthy Cooking Basics - Keep the flavors you love while focusing on fresh healthy ingredients. You’ll make over recipes like Chicken and Rice and Lasagna and see just how delicious healthy cooking can be.

November 18 - Tastes of the Season:  Fall Harvest - Cooking with seasonal ingredients ensures maximum freshness and helps you get the most for your food dollars. This class uses the fruits and vegetables of the fall harvest season to create a fall feast on a budget.

Classes are held at the Y Teaching Kitchen at 54 Ashley Street on Tuesday evenings, 6:00-8:00 pm. Free on-site childcare is available to participants. Sign up for one class or for the entire four-week session. Advance registration is required. Please call Meg Tallon at 617-418-7331, ext. 203, to reserve your spot.

In addition to the free community cooking classes, the East Boston Y also offers a wide array of cooking master classes --- including Decadent Desserts, Easy Italian and Extreme Holiday Meal Makeovers. Master classes are $40 for members and$50 for non-members. The proceeds from the master classes support the Y’s free community cooking and nutritional education programming. To find out more about the master classes, visit www.ymcaboston.org/eastboston/kitchen.

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