Cooking with the U of U Health Crew
It's not just about cooking—it's about crafting stories, one dish at a time.
Join the U of U Health Crew as we bring you into our kitchens, sharing laughs, lessons, and love for food.
The 4-Weeks Make Your Own Meals Challenge
It's more than just cooking—it's an exploration, an experience, and an expedition.
Many of us know the benefits of cooking at home, but it can still be a challenge. Registered Dietitian Theresa Dvorak joins us weekly with a new recipe to try. Whether it's time, skill in the kitchen, lack of nutrition knowledge, or something else, join us for recipes and conversations to help overcome common barriers many face when making food at home.
Every week, Theresa will bring in a new recipe to try. The following week, the Cooking Crew will report back about how it went and if they liked the recipe. We hope you will also make the recipe and tell us what you think. You can post your pictures and experience on Facebook and find out what other listeners thought about the recipes.
Join the challenge
GET THE RECIPESTHE EPISODES
Side Quest: Four New Thanksgiving Recipes
If your goal is to lose fat and retain lean muscle mass, you have to eat properly. There are many myths and misconceptions when it comes to getting your body to let go of that extra fat. Registered dietitian Theresa Dvorak talks about which research-based lifestyle and diet changes you have to make to ramp up your metabolism to become a better fat burner. She also talks about the amount of time it will take to start to see changes and what to do if you plateau.
Savoring Success
The Cooking Crew wraps up their Make More Meals at Home challenge with a lip-smacking review of the Vietnamese-inspired Turkey Meatballs. Reflecting on their journey, the crew contemplates the challenge's impact, insights, and whether they'll continue to embrace homemade meals.
Vietnamese-Inspired Turkey Meatball Rice Bowls
The Crew shared their thoughts on last week's modified enchilada suizas recipe. Did Nayelli enjoy it enough to make it a regular meal? Meanwhile, Alex went rogue and learned a valuable lesson. Leftovers galore brought smiles to everyone's faces. For the final recipe, Theresa invites us to embark on a saucy and pickle-packed adventure with Vietnamese-inspired turkey meatball rice bowls.
Chicken Enchilada Suizas
Did Alex conquer her culinary nemesis of overcooked chicken and master the art of succulent poultry? Were the other crew members equally triumphant in their roasted chicken challenge? With their newfound knowledge of quinoa, how did they fare in the cooking process? The anticipation builds as the crew dives into a new Chicken Enchilada Suizas recipe with a vegetarian alternative. However, Nayeli, the guardian of Mexican culinary tradition, is uncertain about this nontraditional take on enchiladas.
Roasted Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, and Quinoa Pilaf
Did last week's sweet potato and black bean chili recipe leave the U of U Cooking Crew craving more? Find out as they dish on the tweaks, insights, and hurdles they encountered. Theresa raises the stakes for week two with a whole roasted chicken challenge and shares the secret to restaurant-quality Brussels sprouts. She also introduces the Crew to a different take on rice pilaf, using a hard-to-pronounce but healthy grain high in fiber, protein, and all the essential amino acids.
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili with Cornbread
Theresa faces skepticism from the crew about her black bean and sweet potato chili's taste compared to meat-based chilis. She offers baking tips for cornbread and debunks the myth that high-carb recipes are unhealthy.
Meet the Crew and Kick Off the Challenge
Dive into the very first episode of "Cooking with the U of U Crew"! Get acquainted with the members of the U of U Health Crew: Scot, Alex, Jhonny, and Nayeli.
Listen as they candidly share their personal challenges and barriers that have kept them from crafting healthy meals at home. With guidance from Registered Dietitian Theresa Dvorak, they set ambitious goals for the upcoming 4-week 'Make More Meals at Home' challenge. Whether you're a seasoned home cook or just starting out, join the journey, share your own challenges, and be inspired to elevate your kitchen game!
The 4-Week Make Your Own Meals Challenge
Many of us know the benefits of cooking at home, but it can still be a challenge. Registered Dietitian Theresa Dvorak joins us weekly with a new recipe to try. Whether it's time, skill in the kitchen, lack of nutrition knowledge, or something else, join us for recipes and conversations to help overcome common barriers many face when making food at home.
Every week, Theresa will bring in a new recipe to try. The following week, the Cooking Crew will report back about how it went and if they liked the recipe. We hope you will also make the recipe and tell us what you think. You can post your pictures and experience on Facebook and find out what other listeners thought about the recipes.
THE RECIPES
- Vietnamese-Inspired Turkey Meatball Rice Bowls
- Chicken Enchilada Suizas
- Roasted Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, and Quinoa Pilaf
- Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili with Cornbread
Vietnamese-Inspired Turkey Meatball Rice Bowls
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Pickled Vegetables
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 radishes, cut into matchsticks or thin slices
- 6 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
Meatballs
- 1-pound lean ground turkey
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3 scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
Sauce
- 2 ½ tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
- ½ tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
Bowls
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup thinly sliced English cucumbers
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- hot sauce for serving (optional)
Directions
- Prepare the Rice per package instructions.
- Prepare the pickled vegetables: In a small bowl, toss carrots and radishes with the vinegar, sugar, and salt and place in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the meatballs: Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Spray a large sheet pan with olive oil.
- Prepare the sauce: In a medium pot, combine all the sauce ingredients, then add the cooked meatballs, tossing to coat. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 1 minute, to thicken the sauce slightly.
- Drain the pickled vegetables.
- Assembling the bowls: Place ¾ cup rice in each bowl and top with 5 meatballs and sauce. Add ¼ cup shredded cabbage, ¼ of the pickled vegetables, and ¼ cup cucumber, and top with the sliced jalapeños, cilantro, and green parts of the scallions. Drizzle with hot sauce (if using).
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 435
- Total fat: 13.5 g
- Saturated fat: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 131 mg
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Sodium: 894 mg
Meet the Crew
Are you ready to stir up some fun and flavor with the U of U Health Crew? Embark on our 4-week challenge and transform the way you see home cooking. We're diving deep into easy, mouth-watering recipes while tackling the misconceptions surrounding nutrition.
With our eclectic crew—from a new mom figuring out her way around the kitchen, to a gen-x foodie looking for healthy yet tasty recipes—we're all about embracing the joys and hiccups of the culinary world. Engage with us on social media, share your cooking tales, and become part of a community that celebrates good food and better company.
Scot
As a busy professional with an evolving palate, Scot's looking to gain some new go-to recipes and kitchen skills. He wants healthy meals to add to his weeknight dinner rotation.
Alex
A busy working mom, Alex hopes to gain some kitchen confidence and find quick, healthy recipes to feed her family. With a toddler keeping her on her toes, she needs fast, fuss-free meals that don't take time away from playtime.
Jhonny
Jhonny loves whipping up special holiday dishes but is looking to cook nutritious meals that he can easily recreate at home without breaking the bank!
Nayeli
Nayeli enjoys cooking up new recipes from TikTok and family favorites from her mom. Now, she's looking to take her skills up a notch and learn how to prep healthy meals for the week ahead.
Theresa Dvorak
Theresa Dvorak is a registered dietitian and assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology at University of Utah. Theresa's background as a certified athletic trainer led her to specialize in sports dietetics as a certified specialist in sports dietetics as well as weight management at Intermountain Health Care for nearly 15 years.
Currently, she directs the Culinary Medicine program at University of Utah where she strives to provide meaningful and practical nutrition education and culinary skills to graduate-level students within University of Utah Health Sciences. She also teaches and oversees community culinary medicine classes. Theresa's passion for teaching kitchens is palpable in all that she does!
Learn More with Theresa Dvorak
Eating for Fat Loss
If your goal is to lose fat and retain lean muscle mass, you have to eat properly. There are many myths and misconceptions when it comes to getting your body to let go of that extra fat. Registered dietitian Theresa Dvorak talks about which research-based lifestyle and diet changes you have to make to ramp up your metabolism to become a better fat burner. She also talks about the amount of time it will take to start to see changes and what to do if you plateau.
Seven Questions for a Dietitian
On this episode of Seven Questions for a Specialist, we speak with Theresa Dvorak, registered dietitian at University of Utah Health. What's the best and worst thing you can eat? What often causes people to fail at their diet? How do you know if you're eating healthy? Hear what answers Theresa has for these questions and more.
Leftovers: Keep or Toss?
Last week’s dinner has been in the fridge for several days now, is it still safe to eat? Registered dietitian Theresa Dvorak answers all the questions you might have about leftovers. She goes over some food safety basics concerning storing, freezing, and reheating food so it doesn’t go to waste.
Let's cook, learn, and laugh together
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