feature story / 29 changed with the generous donation of a new kitchen by a JESPY House supporter. At a recent cooking class, six cli- ents gathered in the kitchen, each with a copy of the recipe for porto- bello mushroom and arugula que- sadillas. Schildiner and her assistant, Sharon Brunner, introduced the dish they would be making and gave each person a different job. Dominique and Ken cleaned and sliced the mush- rooms while Kelly sautéed the arugula and peppers. Once the prep was com- plete, Matt, Jessica and Sarah helped set the table and read the cooking instructions aloud. They concluded with enjoying their meal together and, of course, cleaning up. The classes have proven very popu- lar. More than 55 clients have gone through the program and cooked a total of 166 recipes. What’s more, the program has succeeded in helping the clients change their eating hab- its and become healthier, some with stunning results. Jeff is an example of positive change, having lost 100 pounds. Jessica dropped 52 pounds over the course of a year by learning to cut out ob- vious culprits such as pizza, ba- gels and soda, replacing them with healthier choices. What emerged over time, though, was a core group of six clients who enrolled for the cooking sessions over and over. Having taken so many classes together, they’ve gelled as a group, not only through cooking but from the familiarity that grows as those with a common, elemental in- terest spend time together. They joke with each other, converse about the plans each of them has for the week- end, and attend plays at the Paper Mill Playhouse. The four women have be- come veteran tourists, traveling as a group to places like Lake Tahoe and Salt Lake City. This summer they plan to visit Los Angeles as well as Mexico. Their abilities in the kitchen enable them to throw dinner parties (some- times with each other) and invite PORTOBELLO AND ARUGULA QUESADILLAS directions ingredients 1. Saute arugula in 1 T oil over med. heat in skillet until arugula is wilted, about 2 mins. 2. Slice roasted peppers. Add to arugula. Season with black pepper and transfer to plate. 3. Clean bottom of mushrooms and saute in remaining oil in same skillet over med. heat until lightly browned on both sides, 4-5 mins. Transfer to plate. 4. Arrange mushrooms, arugula, and cheese on one side of each tortilla, then fold in half. 5. Cook 2 quesadillas over med. heat in same skillet until cheese starts to melt and tortilla browns. Flip and cook other side. 6. Transfer to cutting board, cut in half. Repeat process until all tortillas are cooked. ¼ c jarred roasted peppers 2 Tbsp. shredded parmesan cheese 1 bag fresh arugula (5 oz.) 3 Tbsp. olive oil 3 portobello mushrooms, stems removed 4 burrito-sized flour tortillas 1½ c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese Black pepper Top: Dominique cleans the mushrooms. Above: Sarah readies the pan for saute- ing the arugula, peppers and mushrooms. MINI MEAT LOAVES directions ingredients 1. Peel outside layer of skin from onion. Wash in cool water, pat dry with a paper towel and cut into very small pieces using a sharp knife. 2. Heat oven to 400. Put the onion, ground beef, bread crumbs, ½ of the tomato sauce, pepper and Worcestershire sauce in the bowl. Add egg and mix the ingredients all together. 3. Put mixture in baking dish and shape into a rectangle. Cut into 4 rows the short way. Separate loaves with a knife into 4 little meat loaves. 4. Pour rest of tomato sauce over meat loaves and bake uncovered for 25 minutes. 1 small onion 1 lb. lean ground beef ½ cup dry bread crumbs Small can plain tomato sauce ¼ tsp. pepper 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 egg their families over for a meal they’ve prepared – rituals that help these men and women further integrate into society and gain the deep satisfaction of accomplishment. These JESPY House chefs are now taking their efforts to a new level. Tired of working from grease-spattered reci- pes and anxious to organize the recipes they’d collected over the years, they proposed publishing a cookbook us- ing the name “JESPY House Nutrition Company.” Work- ing with Schildiner over two years, they homed in on the recipes they wanted to fea- ture, chose the cover art and named the book Healthy Bytes Cookbook. Ken, the writer of Mini Meat Loaves are a JESPY House favorite. the bunch, penned the foreword as well as introductions to each chapter. “The members of this group have dedi- cated themselves to living and learn- ing about a healthier lifestyle. They at first went there for their health,” Ken writes. “But as certain people left and certain people stayed the group became more dedicated. It became a place of deep socialization and great personal growth.” The group hopes to have their cookbooks printed and ready to sell this month. You can find them on the JESPY House website (jespyhouse.org), at the South Orange Farmers’ Market and at various JESPY House events. Ellen Donker can’t wait to get her copy of Healthy Bytes and plans to have each member of the group autograph it. n Kelly flips the quesadillas and checks if they’re ready to eat.