Learn how to cook with Healthy Teaching Kitchen

When Air Force Veteran Lisa Pugh retired from the military after 27 years of service, she decided it was time to explore her interests and learn something new. One of her goals was to learn how to cook.

When she found Alaska VA Healthcare’s Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) at a women’s spring health event, she thought this was her chance to finally learn how to cook.

“I knew for a fact that I couldn’t cook but taking this class and learning the panty, the spices, how to cook healthy instead of doing ready-meals and going out to eat is so easy and fun,” says Pugh.

Before she started attending HTK, Pugh’s husband did the cooking at home, so there was no need for her to learn. It was only after starting to go to HTK that Pugh started learning about all the cooking spices she could use, not just a little salt and pepper. Right now Pugh really enjoys cooking with garam masala, an Indian spice the combines cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods.

Pugh has done HTK twice, taking a total of 12 classes with the six-week long sessions. She says that a big part of her love of the class is the camaraderie with other Veterans while learning to cook during the virtual sessions.

Many Veterans attend HTK because they have a goal in mind, whether it is weight loss or just being able to cook a meal for their family like Pugh.

Camille Irvine, registered dietician at Alaska VA Healthcare, heads these virtual cooking sessions in what she says is one of the largest teaching kitchen programs in the United States. The classes are usually either a recipe demonstration or a cook-along class, with the curriculum tailored to the needs of the Veterans attending.

“We try to use seasonal ingredients available in Alaska and accommodate people around the state, whether that be for food storage, cost, or time,” says Irvine.

One of the most important things taught in HTK is planning. Irvine says healthy cooking gets much easier when you anticipate what you need ahead of time and organize your kitchen so you can cook easily. She also says new cooks should think about balancing their meals so there are different food groups each time.

With each new session there are new recipes, leading HTK to help Veterans challenge themselves in the kitchen and try new things.

“Healthy cooking helped me be adventurous in my cooking and learn new styles to cook healthy,” says Pugh.

For interested Veterans enrolled at Alaska VA Healthcare, they can talk to their health care team about joining Healthy Teaching Kitchen for future sessions or call 907-257-4720.

You can find healthy recipes at https://www.nutrition.va.gov/Healthy_Teaching_Kitchen.asp