Dining

'What's Cooking Coogs' creates no-bake cheesecake

Cheesecake usually involves a few hours of mixing and baking, but the latest edition of the "What's Cooking Coogs" tour demonstrated a creative no-bake method for making it.

UH Dining Services Dietitian Sarah Feye and District Executive Chef Michael Bargas led the program, which was held March 4 at Cougar Village I.

All of the ingredients used in the cheesecake can be found in any Cougar Xpress Market on campus. The final product was an Oreo-crusted, honey yogurt filling that was topped with dehydrated bananas and strawberry puree.

"We wanted to demonstrate how to make healthy and delicious dessert fun," Bargas said.

Students were given examples of what can be substituted to make any dessert lower in calories.

"You can use a non-fat Greek yogurt to make the filling and that will add more protein and flavor without all the fat," Feye said. "You can also add toasted oats or granola as a substitute for your crust."

Students enjoyed learning how to create a Cougar Xpress Market cheesecake.

"I like how Chef Bargas and Sarah teach us how to cook and then I can go home and cook things for myself," said freshman pre-business major Jonathan Gaudlitz.

The "What's Cooking Coogs" cooking tour is designed to demonstrate how easy it is to make delicious, healthy foods right out of a residence hall or at home with a few ingredients.

"We feel that we have educated more students about easy, healthy cooking with little to no baking time," Feye said.

The final stop in the "What Cooking Coogs" tour will be in the Green Mountain Energy Room of the Fresh Food Company in Moody Towers on April 8 at 7 p.m. Students will be making sweet chili chicken lettuce wraps.