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Cooking Sustainability
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Making sure that no food goes to waste was the lesson behind the Oct. 16 Maverick Kitchen class. Students learned about the importance of zero-waste cooking as they prepared a pot of wild rice soup.
Leading the class were agriculture producers John Paul and Heather Dineen. The Dineen's shared their years of experience with students that they have gained from running a successful farming and ranching business in Ellis County, Texas.
Heather Dineen stated the goal of this session of Maverick Kitchen is to teach sustainable cooking practices. Learning this lesson early on saves money and maximizes the groceries people purchase.
"This is a zero-waste cooking class, and its purpose is to avoid food scraps ending up in landfills. So, we picked a recipe, wild rice soup, which had several different vegetables in it," Heather said. "As you prepare them for your recipe, you cut off things like the skins and outside layers. Those items you would have previously thrown away, but they have another use."
Agriculture producer Heather Dineen teaches students how to make wild rice soup at the Maverick Kitchen Zero Waste Cooking class on Monday, Oct. 16.
Heather explained to the class that these food scraps can be put into a zip-close plastic bag, placed into a freezer, and used later to make vegetable broth.
When it comes time to use the vegetable scraps to make the broth, Heather explained that you first sauté them in butter or olive oil. Once cooked, you transfer the scraps into a boiling pot of water; it releases the flavors and nutrients over time, creating a flavorful broth.
Heather also showed students how to create a simple green smoothie containing a mixture of spinach, fruit, and mixed berries using a blender.
Students cook wild rice soup during the Monday, Oct. 16 Maverick Kitchen Zero Waste cooking class.
Alhussein Mohamed, an information systems major, stated that he came to Maverick Kitchen not only to satisfy his physical hunger but also his hunger for knowledge.
"This is my first time making a broth and it was pretty easy," Alhussein said. "I thought that it would be a lot more complicated. I think that with cooking, it is mainly just waiting and having patience."
Agriculture producer John Paul Dineen III gives students taking part in the Maverick Kitchen event spices for their soup recipe. John and his wife Heather led the class and taught them how to make wild rice soup.
Ronit Savbhaya, a computer science major, stated that classes like this not only teach you essential life skills but you get the chance to learn from others who are cooking alongside you. He added that events like this help to build a person's confidence in the kitchen, where they can take what they learned in the classroom and cook it at home.
Agriculture producer Heather Dineen teaches students how to make wild rice soup at the Maverick Kitchen Zero Waste Cooking class on Monday, Oct. 16.
The next Maverick Kitchen event is set to take place at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, at the UTA Central Library. Follow the UTA Libraries website and social media pages, Facebook, X and Instagram, for the latest information on upcoming events.
People can also learn more about John Paul and Heather Dineen through their company's website, The Yellow Farmhouse and official Facebook page.
Students attending the Maverick Kitchen Zero Waste Cooking class on Monday, Oct. 16, learned how to make wild rice soup.
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