“Fun Food Fridays” Experiential Plant-Based Cooking

The Department of Nutrition in the KPCOM would like to share some highlights from a new elective undergraduate course offered for the first time in the Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition program in the winter 2021. BSHN 3400 Plant-based Nutrition introduced the nutritional and health benefits of plant-based eating to human health. Through a hybrid, blend-flex model, students engaged with an innovative curriculum using a contemporary textbook, YouTube videos, debate, interviews, documentaries, and community events. After mid-terms, with sufficient background nutrition knowledge, the entire class agreed to turn one class meeting each week into “Fun Food Fridays.” Students opted into the live virtual cook-along or prepared a video of them giving a vegetarian cooking demonstration.

During the Friday class time, students would lead a cooking demonstration via Zoom and highlight beneficial nutrients and any substitutions that they had made to make it “plant-based.” They also gave suggestions for future changes that they might make.  Some of the items prepared were Chana Masala, Lentils with Quinoa and Tofu, Oatmeal Cookies made with a “flax egg,” Almond Butter Energy Bites, and Drunken Noodles. Of course, the best part was the taste testing. Below are two photos that I took of the recipes I made as the students taught the class.

Above is Chana Masala on the left and Lentils with Quinoa, and Tofu on the right.

Some students chose to make a TikTok video creating Chickpea Cookies, or a PowerPoint presentation presented by student Kendall Hutchinson detailing each step in creating Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles. Here is her picture showing start to finish. Begin on the bottom left corner with the final product on the top right.

A quote from one student, Lia Leone:

“One of my most favorite courses taken in the nutrition program is the plant-based course. Being able to learn about nutritious foods, how to prepare them, and enjoy these delicious recipes with classmates was a treat! I left this course with a full list of nutrient dense recipes that I shared with my friends and family! This course encouraged me to try new things as well as enlighten others on the benefits of incorporating plants into the diet. I’ve learned you can definitely win someone over with a tasty treat!”

Certainly, the addition of food and the live cooking activity made learning memorable and fun. The end of the course concluded with topics such as animal welfare, farming, the environment, and sustainability. For more information about this course or the Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition, which also offers a minor, please contact Dr. Ioana Scripa at iscripa@nova.edu.