Afternoon Snack News

The afternoon snack system is changing, we are evolving the fare to include more protein. Over the past couple of weeks many new foods have been tried out.

Some of the recipes that are being worked on are Hummus and other bean dips like White Bean, Black Bean Hummus and an Egyptian style Fava Bean Dip that will be tested next week. Last week edamame was tried with mixed results, but the kids that liked LOVED it, so we'll be trying again. 

Your child may have mentioned that the Corn Bread has been different lately. Corn bread is making the switch from lunch to snack. With the recipe has been altered to reduce the sugar, and increase the protein by switching to whole wheat flour and using soymilk.

Two other snack bar recipes have been tried with great success. The first was a Banana Oat Bar and the other was a Oat and Flax Seed Bar. Both recipes have only been tried once, they still need a bit of tweaking before they're ready for the camera. With the bars Soy or Cow's milk will be served. 

The smell of fresh roasted Pumpkin Seeds has been filling the air more often. They are roasted in a similar style to Sunflower Seeds. 

Recipes for the bars and such will be available soon, as will the recipes for the beans and grains. I'll let you know when in the weekly email with the menu.   

How to Prepare...Mushrooms

I would really like to know the story of how edible mushrooms were discovered. I'm glad that someone was strange enough to look a (most likely) slimy fungus and think, "I wonder how that would taste sauteed with garlic?". Not to mention who brave they must have been considering that most mushrooms are poisonous. I would like to thank the pioneers of gastronomy for ensuring that we can enjoy what is one of the most delicious foods safely.

Nutritionally mushrooms are just so-so. If you need Selenium in your diet, mushrooms are the answer. They also have a good amount of B Vitamins, Phosphorus, Potassium and Iron. Mushrooms may not be the best thing to eat when you are feeling under the weather, the copper in them may reduce the Vitamin C absorbed in the body.

It can be difficult to get adults to eat mushrooms, so I was a little weary the first time they were served. The younger kids downstairs gobble them up, upstairs they're still a little skeptical, there is hope though. Roasting them seems to be the most popular way, stewing them was a disaster.

This time I used Crimini Mushrooms from Ostrom's in Olympia WA. 

Using a small knife cut the mushroom into quarters. Then drizzle with olive oil, salt and dried thyme and mix well. At home try adding finely chopped onion and garlic. 

Use a pan so that the mushrooms will be crowded on, no more than two layers deep.

Roast in an extremely hot oven, 450-500 for around 20 minutes. They're going to look a bit dried out and nicely browned.

Let them rest on the pan for 10 minutes, they will start to release their juices. The older rooms get parsley added at the end. A squeeze of lemon or splash of balsamic would be great to try at home.