This Joburg cooking class proves nutritious is delicious

When life becomes overwhelming, as many people feel it has during the pandemic, the first thing we tend to drop the ball on is healthy eating habits.

The irony of this is that both poor nutrition and obesity can increase your chances of becoming severely ill if you catch Covid-19.

Executive chef Dereck Nair, who hosts cooking classes at the Discovery Vitality HealthyFood Studio in Joburg, says that one of his main motivations is keeping people out of hospitals by inspiring them to embrace healthy foods and get into the kitchen.  

Cooking yourself and cooking with all the colours of the rainbow are two points he really tries to drive home to his students.

I joined Nair for one of his first Delicious Done Right cooking classes post hard lockdown. Just seeing the beautiful produce we’d be using — rainbow carrots, baby turnips, lush bok choy, vibrant varieties of tomato, fresh parsley and light pink salmon fillets — was enough to inspire me to relook at my own eating habits.

Taking to the pots under Nair’s guidance, we whipped up salmon-and-quinoa burgers with toasted sesame, bok choy and beetroot and a side of quick-fix golden turmeric roasted vegetables.

A few bites were enough to satisfy any vestiges of hunger left after devouring the starters of seed and nut crackers served with cottage cheese and guacamole.

But, wonder of wonders, I had enough room to finish off every spoonful of the vanilla bean yoghurt panna cotta with fresh mixed berries we’d made.

I left feeling lighter, inspired to adopt some healthier ideas this holiday season, and chuffed at having learnt a few easy, delicious tricks that I can easily apply in my own kitchen.

If you too are in need of some fresh culinary inspiration, visit healthyfoodstudio.co.za to see a selection of available courses and book your spot. One of their healthy cooking classes would also make a great festive gift and would be a good way to kick off the New Year.