We are always reminded of how important it is to eat nutritious, balanced meals in order to maintain a healthy heart, keep our weight in check, and properly fuel our body. But how important is “brain food”? The impact of our daily diet is more crucial on brain health than one might believe.
Join us in the kitchen with teacher and naturopathic physician, Dr. James Rouse, Annie Fenn, Chef and Founder of Brain Health Kitchen, and Kensington Executive Chef Norm. This interactive, virtual presentation will provide you with tips and tricks about The Power of Food, Breaking Bread Together and preparing the Cuisine of Consciousness.
Interested in RSVP’ing? Click below to reserve your spot!
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Join us in the kitchen for Shepherd’s Pie!
Check out a sneak peak below of the recipe that Dr. James, Annie Fenn, and Chef Norm will be making during the event. Get your chef’s hat ready!
Sweet Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 8
6 medium garnet yams
1 cup lentils
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped onions
2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
½ cup frozen peas
½ teaspoon thyme, or rosemary
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup organic lowfat 2% milk or almond milk
2 tablespoons butter or ghee or coconut oil or olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
additional salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
Cook garnet in boiling water for about 25 minutes until tender. Drain well and set aside.
Pick over lentils to remove any tiny rocks, debris or shriveled lentils. Rinse and drain the lentils and then add them to a medium pot with 2 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then reduce heat and simmer until the lentils are tender – about 30 minutes. If the lentils are not fully soft add a bit more vegetable broth or water.
While the lentils are cooking, sauté onion, garlic, and carrots in olive oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots start to become tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat then stir in green peas, thyme, salt and pepper. When lentils are done cooking, stir them into this mixture.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash yams or use an electric beater to whip them up, adding milk, butter, cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne. For additional spice you can add another dash of cayenne to the potato mixture.
Transfer lentil mixture to a medium size casserole dish (3 or 3.5 quart) that has been coated with cooking oil spray. Spoon and evenly distribute mashed potato mixture on top of the lentils. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Who are the presenters?
Dr. James Rouse is a primary care clinician specializing in epigenetics, functional and regenerative medicine. James is the author of 13 books on human potential, proactive aging and mind-body well-being and founding faculty member for the Institute for Functional Medicine. He has presented to audiences on every continent across the world ahring the stage with notables such as Sir Richard Branson, Steve Wozniak, Dr. Oz, and other luminaries and leaders. As a human performance clinician, he has worked with professional franchises in the NFL, NBA and MLB along with Fortune 10 and 50 companies including Google, Whole Foods and Tegna Media. James is a seasoned and successful entrepreneur who has founded companies in media, consumer packaged goods, nutraceuticals and sustainable living. As a high performing athlete, James is a former sponsored Ironman triathlete, an expedition leader of several successful assents in the Himalayas and a yoga/mindfulness teacher and practicioner for 30 years. James lives in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with his with Debra of 30 years.
Annie Fenn, Chef and Board-Certified Obstetrician Gynecologist and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, knew obstetrics and women’s health would be her passion. While it may seem like a strange career path for an Obstetrician/Gynecologist to be spend time in the kitchen teaching people how to cook, it makes perfect sense to her. A firm believer in the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, she not only honed her cooking skills by attending culinary schools in Italy, France, Mexico, and at the Culinary Institute of America, but mostly at home in her kitchen, cooking whole foods from scratch for her family. Dr. Fenn serves on the Science Advisory Board for actor Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren’s HFC (Hilarity For Charity) where she also creates content geared towards helping caregivers eat for brain health. She partners with Maria Shriver and the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement to host events to fund grants for female-specific dementia research. She also serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation.She says, “I created Brain Health Kitchen for you — my cooking students, patients, friends, family, fellow food enthusiasts and Baby Boomers. Brain Health Kitchen is for you to use and to share with everyone you love.”
Norm Fintz, Director of Dining at The Kensington White Plains, has been in the Food & Hospitality industry his entire life. Born & raised in Brooklyn, he attended Baruch College and graduated with a degree in Special Education. Norm has extensive experience in the gastronomy world including: Banquet Catering, retail foods, luxury hotel event planning (Waldorf-Astoria, Operations & Director for private executive clubs), and owner of a catering company plus gourmet deli’s. In essence, Norm is a practiced chef and knows how to manage successfully. Norm joined the senior living arena in 2001 as an Executive Chef and Director of Dining Services and has been with The Kensington since its inception.