Hands-On Heritage: Cooking, Learning and Connecting as a Family

Calling all hands! As the holiday season approaches,  now is the perfect time to start adding more family cooking nights to the calendar. Here at Oldways, we celebrate the legacy of cooking as a daily skill and as a way to connect and share heritage. If you’re looking for inspiration from our heritage diets on cooking with your loved ones, we’ve got you covered. 

Hot Pot 

Popular in Asia, hot pot is an interactive meal made with a variety of broths, where raw ingredients are added to a pot of simmering stock. While many restaurants often have individual burners for diners, when I was growing up, we had a single cooktop and pot that we had at the center of our table. We added a variety of fish, tofu, vegetables, and noodles and took turns watching the ingredients and serving the table. This was my first experience with cooking. I got to see firsthand how the colors of the broccoli would change the longer it cooked and got to practice carefully ladling broth for my brother. 

To try this at home, have everyone choose a vegetable and prepare pieces of each type on a plate, adding your favorite protein and noodle shape. Although the cooking is best suited for adults or older children, getting to see the pot boil and watching the ingredients cook is exciting at any age. The cooler fall temperatures are perfect for adding soup to the rotation, and this interactive dinner table is a great way to connect after a long week at work and school. 

Pita Pizza 

Perhaps the most hands-on of these family cooking ideas, a pizza night is a great way to get even the smallest members of the family involved. Designate someone to be on vegetable-washing duty, someone else to chop, and finally, the coveted clean-up role. We love this recipe for a pita pizza because it allows everyone to add their favorite toppings and sauces. The portion is a great size to get creative and adventurous with vegetable and cheese pairings. To add seasonality, try picking one or two in-season vegetables, and discover a new favorite. 

Pizza-making is a great time to connect with the family and catch up on the day while getting everyone involved in the process. While it might take longer than making it solo, all it takes is one dinner to inspire a lifetime love of cooking.

Taco Bowls 

Taco bowls are everything you love about a taco, but with fewer crumbs and more real estate to add toppings. These can be enjoyed at home and made interactive by putting the ingredients on the table or kitchen counter like an assembly line, allowing everyone to add their favorites to their bowls. 

Getting the family involved is easy with this dish. Add a leafy greens base, as they’re great for small hands to wash and tear in a large bowl. Practice knife skills by preparing peppers, onions and tomatoes. Try our favorite guacamole recipe, making sure to pick a ripe avocado, and scoop out the insides to pair with your favorite bean or bean salad. The seasons may impact the ingredients available to add, allowing the whole family to learn what vegetables are in season and taste the delicious variety. Cooking together and trying new recipes may lead to discovering and celebrating new-to-you heritage diet ingredients! 

Loaded Sweet Potatoes 

Sweet potatoes are amazing because they’re versatile, delicious and nutritious. Beyond these qualities, they also make a great base for a number of different toppings. These baked potatoes have a long bake time and can be started before preparing the toppings. Smaller hands will enjoy scrubbing the potatoes and poking holes for ventilation before they go into the oven. 

Once baked, these spuds are ready for your favorite sauce, chili or curry. They’re a great option for an end-of-week fridge cleanout or an evening where everyone in the family wants something a little different. Try cutting the potatoes and having someone else prepare half in their favorite way to try new flavors. 

While some traditions can only be celebrated a handful of times each year, cooking and meal sharing is a heritage tradition we can practice daily. What is your favorite way to prepare a meal with loved ones? 

Bri dela Torre MS, RDN, CLC
Community Engagement Dietitian