Need a fun green food idea for St. Patty's day tomorrow (or really any day)? I've got just the pesto recipe for YOU. I love that you can swap in cilantro or mint or even arugula to make it the perfect accompaniment for any dish. The majority of students had never tried pesto before and it was really exciting to talk to the students about this new taste! As for the kids who had tried pesto before, they couldn't believe it had carrot tops inside! I definitely had more staff than ever before come say hello for a taste, "What's that incredible smell in the cafeteria today?"
It was also perfect timing to wear my new Big Green hat and introduce the students and staff to a food ed organization that is making a BIG impact in helping school districts across the country grow school gardens. The kids were really surprised and inspired to hear about the brotherly connection between Kimbal and Elon Musk. WUT?! Tesla and real food vrooms together!?
Talk about green energy... Let's mix up some pesto!!!!
St Patrick’s Day Carrot Top Pesto
(all ingredients found at my local Jewel Osco)
Paired with a brown rice cracker, cucumber and carrot
1 small bunch organic carrot tops removed from carrots (approx 1 packed cup + bottom of stems removed)
2 boxes of Gotham Green Basil (approx 2 packed cups + tough stems removed. Also, you can sub in mint, cilantro or arugula!)
1 small bunch fresh parsley (approx 1 packed cup + bottom of stems removed)
1/4 c raw or salted sunflower seeds (just watch the added sea salt as you won’t need as much if you use salted seeds)
1-2 garlic cloves (just depends on how garlicky you want it!)
1/2 large lemon (zest + juice to taste. If lemon is small, use the entire thang)
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (if using raw sunflower seeds, start with a few pinches to taste)
1/2-2/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Pulse together all ingredients (except for the olive oil) until rough chopped. Stream in about 1/2 of the olive oil amount into food processor (while running). Turn off and scrape sides. Stream in the rest or until desired consistency is reached. See above pictures for the play by play.
See you next month for our last Chef's Tasting table for the school year!!
To the Mullies we go...
xoxoL
ps That there cutie pah-tootie carrot bag is hand stamped! Found here.
pps YES that's a tasty pesto pepper flake between my big teeth.
Jump UP! It was a really good day in the lunchroom (here is the video link if you can't see it above).
We had near 100% participation in the tasting and the blender was cleaned out! The majority of the students enjoyed it, which was awesome too.
The luck of the Irish was with us:)
At the last tasting event, a few 7th grade girls had a suggestion for me. "Why don't you try hiding the ingredients from us so we'll be more likely to try it?"
So that's exactly what we did. When the students came up to grab a cup, the ingredients were under a tent. (No pretty vege arrangement, it was a very bare table!). This tactic effected the 7th and 8th grader participation dramatically. And I noticed some of kids come through the line that had not in the past in all of the grade levels.
Now that was super great idea. Thanks girls!!!!
After everyone tasted, the lunchroom tried to guess what was in the smoothie. There was a ton of good guessing and it was fantastic to talk about the spinach (from our 1st tasting event) and the avocado (from our 3rd tasting event) and use them in an entirely different way.
Bring that luck HOME today and blend up some of this liquid gold:
D76 Diamonds Real Shamrock Shakes
Inspired by this recipe
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe banana
1 big handful of spinach
15 fresh mint leaves
3/4 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup milk of choice (I used rice milk)
1 cup ice
honey to taste (at least 2-3 tbsp for kids' palattes)
Blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of honey at a time until you've hit your sweet spot. You can also add more milk or ice to thin it out. Add a squirt of real chocolate syrup and enjoy!
To the mullies we go...
xoxoL
ps
I warmed up some shake making skills in Tommy's 2nd grade classroom on Thursday. We were onto to something good if over half of the kids wanted seconds! Thank you for having me Ms Duffy!!
Meet Jeff and Jen Miller, the owners and farmers of the beautiful Prairie Wind Family Farms located just 8 miles from West Oak School! They taught the kids fun facts about beets, watermelon radishes and rainbow carrots, three vegetables all grown and sold on their farm.
Skoop and the Chef Ann Foundation Organization teamed up to launch the Project Produce Grant Program which awarded Diamond Lake District 76's West Oak School $2500 in funds to help give all students access to more fresh produce and food education during the school day.
In addition to Jen and Jeff, Mary and Executive Chef Silvio from Preferred Meals joined us and spoke to the kids. Chef Silvio got the students thinking about the ratio of vegetables and meat in our grocery stores, in our diets and on our plates:
There is so much more vegetable variety than meat at the grocery store
Vegetables detoxify our bodies and give us essential nutrients and antioxidants
You can eat both raw and cooked vegetables (meat mostly cooked)
Vegetables are much less expensive than meat
Preparation methods are endless with vegetables
Vegetables include essential proteins too
It was so FUN hearing Jen, Jeff and Chef Silvio speak to the students about their food passions, farming, cooking, and eating vegetables! Most especially sharing their knowledge of beets, watermelon radishes and rainbow carrots - three vegetables that most students had never seen or tasted before. Thank you SO much for volunteering your time to be with me in the lunchroom, the kids LOVED meeting and interacting with all of you.
The kids were pretty enthralled watching the beet hummus come together in the food processor.
And the ruby red hummus certainly stretched a lot of students out of their food comfort zone.
When's the last time you had anything that RED, which was NOT a fruit or colored by Red #40?
1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans drained (reserve some juice!)
Zest from 1/2 a lemon
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 large garlic clove (or two small ones)
1/4 cup chickpea juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
Combine first six ingredients into a food processor and blend. While blending pour in oil and reserved chickpea juice. Stop after 30 seconds and scrape the sides. Blend for another 30 seconds or until super smooth and creamy.
Roasted Beet Salad with Citrus and Honey
4-5 roasted beets diced
Zest + juice from 1/2 orange
Zest + juice from 1/2 lemon
3-4 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.
CRUNCH!
See you back in the lunchroom on the 28th!!
To the Mullies we go...
xoxoL
ps
The beautiful rainbow carrots can be found at the new Mundelein Jewel-Osco Store. A BIG shout out to Dan, the produce manager who finds any vege or fruit for me that is unavailable from our local organic farms. THANK YOU!!
Our second Chef's Tasting Table was all about pears!
With every trip into the lunchroom, we aim to introduce new foods, new tastes, new experiences and new ideas about REAL FOOD! How can we inspire students to think more about:
What is IN the food they eat?
Where is their food coming from?
AND of course, to inspire them to try cooking from scratch more often with their families.
Puppies and Pears... This was my favorite trip to the farm yet! These gorgeous Asian Pears are sourced from one of Prairie Wind Farm's partner farms, Mick Klug Farm in St. Joseph Michigan.
Skoopand theChef Ann Foundation Organizationteamed up to launch theProject Produce Grant Programwhich awarded Diamond Lake District 76's West Oak School $2500 in funds to help give all students access to more fresh produce and food education during the school day.
I dropped a pear off with Chef Rob at his local Mundelein Cooking School, Youthage Culinary, and you won't believe what he did with it to inspire the students!
He made us a BEAUTIFUL plate of poached pears!
I love what Sue Kruckman, the District 76 Wellness Chair and West Oak School Nurse has created for the lunchroom Tasting Table announcement board. This food education rocks!
Thank you Mary and Preferred Meals for joining our pear challenge! Every student (regardless if they purchased a lunch) received a D'anjou pear! It's amazing to collaborate and have even more real school food for ALL!
It was so fun having both Chef Rob and Chef Tracy from Youthage join me at the tasting table. The kids LOVED learning about how to poach pears and they could not believe you turned them RED!
Well, it looks like the Asian pears were the winner this time around! It was a tough call for me, but the D'anjou pears had some wonderful tartness... so the green little guys got my vote:)
Enjoy the following recipes we gave out to the students and faculty to get cooking with pears!
Inspired? We'd love to hear from YOU and see what kinds of things you are are cooking up this holiday season!! Please feel free to share any of your recipes and/or adventures in the kitchen with our local Lake County Food Revolution Facebook page so that we can inspire each other to get cooking with our kids!
Stay tuned, our next West Oak Chef's Tasting Table will be on December 13th!
ENJOY!!
To the Mullies we go...
xoxoL
Chef Rob’s Poached Pears
SIMPLE SYRUP
1cup Water
1cup Honey or Sugar (try using coconut sugar!)
1. BRING ABOVE INGREDIENTS TO A BOIL, THEN REDUCE HEAT.
2. ADD FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Pomegranate syrup or juice
1/4 cup Passion fruit syrup or honey
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 to 3 Pears (large)
3. PEAL THE PEARS.
4. ADD PEARS TO LIQUID AND COOK ON LOW HEAT FOR 40 MINUTES. 5. SERVE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM. DRIZZLE ANY REMAINING SYRUP OVER THE ICE CREAM.
Crust 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter 2 tablespoons canola oil 1-2 tablespoons cold water
Filling 1 large ripe, firm pear, peeled and thinly sliced 1 teaspoon plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided, plus additional for dusting 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Toss pear slices, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl.
Whisk 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl. Cut in butter with fork until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle oil over the mixture and stir with a fork until evenly combined. Add 1 tablespoon water and stir until the dough just stays together when pressed with a fork; add up to 1 additional tablespoon of water if the dough seems too dry.
Line a work surface with parchment paper, generously dust with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Form the dough into a small patty, dust the top with flour and roll into a 10-inch circle, adding more flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Transfer the crust to a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Lay the pear slices in decorative, overlapping circles on top of the crust, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Spoon any remaining pear juice over the slices. Pick up the edges of the crust using a spatula and fold over the pears. The crust will not meet in the center.
Bake the tart until lightly browned and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 2-3.
The students placed their tally on any of the boards they liked!
Super high Ambassador fives!
Sara put this fantastic video together! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!! Thank you so much... I still cannot believe how fast you made it:)
It's been a week and I still can't stop smiling ear to ear! What an awesome day we had at West Oak School last Wednesday!
I know I have thanked everyone, but I must do so again.
Thank you Principle Chris Willeford - You said "Aces Day" and we said YES!
Thank you Pilot Light Chefs - Alex, you and I have been dreaming for a long time and finally, FINALLY we were able to get your common core aligned food education out to the suburbs. I can't wait to do it again!
Thank you Preferred Meals - Mary, it was wonderful having you in the lunchroom with us and the kids LOVED tricking out their tacos! Thank you for jumping into our hot food education balloon and Let's take it again up uP UP next year!
Thank you Ambassador Sara Lohrman + Stevenson High School Food Revolution Club - I have never had so much fun speaking, teaching and working alongside a group of students! By the last lunch (there were four of them!) you all were making everything on your own and running the entire tasting line. BOOM.
Thank you Chef Rob - Your presence, your wellness story and your sweet potato hummus rocked our worlds! I cannot wait to work with you again. What great energy we have together!
Thank you Sue Kruckman - You deserve Wellness Chair + Nurse of the YEAR! Thank you for spear heading this day from the "inside". It could not have happened without your passion and organization. You are my school wellness hero.
Last but not least, thank you Jamie's Food Revolution for inspiring us all to get food education back into our schools and to cook more from scratch at home together. We've been at it together for 4 years now and I love volunteering for this fantastic campaign.
What a team effort! What a day! Every smile, every tally mark, every conversation was one.more.drop into the good food conversation. There were so many students who had never tried hummus, let alone sweet potatoes or a pesto. "What is cilantro? What is pesto? You can put that on your taco? WHAT!?" The "Tacos Al Pastor" lesson connected the students to their food, a tangible take away lesson with real world application. My "No Guts No Glory" presentation made them laugh and it made them think a little bit more about what is in their food + where their food is coming from. It linked our gut health to our mental and physical health and encouraged them to take ownership like an athlete takes charge of the game!!
Wanna make what we whipped up on Aces Day? I know you will enjoy Jamie's Simple Hummus along with the other 9 recipes that are now LIVE on our website to download and cook for your family table. Here is the link: Jamie's 10 Food Revolution Day Recipes (Simple Hummus included) - And don't forget to sign your name as a fellow food revolutionary!
Chef Rob’s Sweet Potato Hummus
1 cup Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon Sea or Kosher salt
1 whole Sweet potato Roasted and Diced
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional)
Add all ingredients to a blender, food processor or nutribullet and blend! Feel free to use reserved garbanzo bean juice to thin out the hummus rather than add extra oil for a creamier consistency (thanks for the great tip Chef Rob!)
Super Food Ambassador Lindsey’s Cilantro Pesto
1 zucchini diced
¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 bunch fresh cilantro (stems included)
1 lemon juiced
2-3 Tablespoon avocado oil OR extra virgin olive oil
A healthy pinch of sea salt
Add all ingredients to a blender, food processor or nutribullet and blend! Feel free to add more lemon juice or oil to get to your desired consistency.
What's up NEXT!?!?!?
FOOD REVOLUTION DAY - May 20th!
Our Food Revolution Day Community event will be on Saturday from 10-2pm at the Liberty Prairie Organic Plant Sale and Farm Open House. Please come out and see us! We will have a booth with kids' cooking kits for sale, FRD recipes and loads of suggestions on what to buy for your kitchen garden so you can cook up a storm with us this Summer!
Connect up with us on Facebook at our Lake County Food Revolution Page for great articles, recipes and information on upcoming community, school and workplace events.
