Hello ChildRoots Families!

This is my inaugural post as the chef of ChildRoots. Thank you to all of you who have been waiting for the blog to start up again, your patience is greatly appreciated! I have spent the past 7 months becoming acclimated to life in the ChildRoots kitchen and getting to know all of your amazing youngsters and now I am so happy to be able to communicate with you as well.

First off, a little about me…

My name is David for those of you whom I haven’t yet had the pleasure to meet. I have lived in Oregon all 26 years of my life, surrounded and nurtured by northwestern food culture. I was born and raised in McMinnville, just southwest of Portland about 45 minutes. My educational background is in business administration, specializing in business management and leadership. Nearly all of my short work life has been spent in the restaurant industry, first as a waiter and later as a cook in a variety of positions. Prior to my arrival at ChildRoots I was working under Dominique Geulin at St. Honore Boulangerie in Northwest Portland.

My personal philosophy of cooking has been really cohesive with the ChildRoots way. I believe that food should be simple, approachable and be the best representation of the ingredients. I am also passionate about local sourcing. Living in Oregon provides our community with access to amazing farms, and it’s really important to support these high quality sustainable producers.

I am drawn to the kitchen not only because of my love of food but also my passion for using food as a medium of communication. I believe that we use food to show that we care for one another; that by providing something made with care and love we can show one another how much they are valued. That is why when I am cooking for your children I try to provide healthy food that is prepared thoughtfully. I take tremendous pride in what I do and cooking for our school has been a great experience so far. I look forward to growing and developing the kitchen in any way that I can!

So that is my story. From this point forward you can look forward to seeing more regular blog posts from the ChildRoots kitchen. I will be writing new posts as often as I can on a variety of topics, including:

• Farmer’s Market updates: I will be visiting our markets to source more local organic ingredients and build on our existing relationships with local farms
• Recipe ideas for integrating the staples of the ChildRoots menu at home
• Ideas for continuing the ChildRoots food philosophy after preschool
• Ways to get involved in advocating for quality food offerings at your local public schools
• How we can be involved in co-ops and CSA’s that support local farming and sourcing directly to your table

So that is a little more about what you will be able to find in the upcoming blog posts. I hope to able to provide your families with an additional resource to utilize in supporting the great food choices that we are fostering at ChildRoots. Your children are amazing people, and I have been truly impressed with their willingness to try new things.

Last but not least, if anyone has yet to check out the recent article on the ChildRoots food program, here it is again:

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2011/07/taking_a_fresh_approach_to_day.html

If you have any questions, ideas or suggestions for me I am always available. Feel free to stop in the kitchen, or email me at cook@childroots.com. I look forward to continuing to serve your families!

Injera

A stable of Ethiopian cooking—but a familiar part of meals throughout Africa and the rest of the world—injera is a wonderfully spongy bread made from teff flour. The kids loved tearing and eating the bread with their hands—which is the excepted manner to eat injera—and enjoyed its slightly sour taste and one-of-a-kind porous texture. While some children thought it reminded them of a tortilla, injera is actually closer to the taste of sourdough bread, mixed with the feel of a soft pancake.

The only challenge harder than making it from scratch—the flour normally needs to sit for upwards of 24 hours—is finding fresh injera here in Portland. But given our town's bountiful Ethiopian community, and with a tip from the owner's of Queen of Sheba, I found fresh injera at Awah Market (2322 MLK Blvd.). Only available for a few hours each day, it usually sells out shortly after noon, their injera is delicate and fluffy, yet still maintains a wonderful flavor.

But kids can't live by plain injera alone, so I served the bread with my spiced tofu dip. If these pictures are any indication, it went over quite well.

Good to the Grain

We are very excited to have pastry chef Kim Boyce baking for ChildRoots. Kim will be providing two delicious, whole grain baked goods for us each week. This week our students have enjoyed banana oat bars and pumpkin cookies. Sweetened without sugar and packed with whole grain goodness, the kids love them! 

When Kim Boyce, a former pastry chef at Spago and Campanile, left the kitchen to raise a family, she was determined to create delicious cakes, muffins, breads, tarts and cookies that her kids (and everybody else) would love. She began experimenting with whole-grain flours and Good to the Grain is the delicious result. Boyce has truly reinvented the wheel with her collection of 75 recipes that feature 12 different whole-grain flours, from amaranth to teff.

Want a copy for yourself (you do) and learn tips from a profession pastry chef? Kim has two upcoming speak engagements....

Pastaworks

Saturday, October 16, 2010 01:00 PM

Bob's Red Mill

Good to the Grain Brunch with Pastry Chef Kim Boyce! Tuesday, October 19, 2010 5:00-7:00 p.m. 

How to make clouds

"Tofu! I love tofu! That is the stuff that tastes like chicken and looks like clouds" - ChildRoots Student

Tofu is not only popular, but nutritious as well. It is low in calories, contains a relatively large amount of iron, and has little fat as well. Our tofu comes from Surata Soyfoods. Based in Eugene, Surata has been making soy products using organic, U.S. grown, non-GMO soybeans since 1977. It takes 24 blocks of tofu, roughly 24 pounds total, to feed the hungry little mouths at ChildRoots. The best method we have found for cooking that volume of tofu in a small oven, and in a relatively short time, involves roasting it. At home I like to use Wildwood brand firm tofu, which is available at most major groceries and co-ops around town. If you can not find that particular brand, make sure to get firm tofu.

The process is simple: 

1. It important to have a very hot oven, 450 degrees.

2. Strain and rise the tofu.

3. Depending on the desired consistency, cube the tofu or cube and crumble by squeezing the tofu through your fingers (this is kind of fun, I am sure kids would love to help with this part).

4. Coat the tofu olive oil and desired seasonings. We use salt-free stock powder, dried thyme, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, and salt. Tofu has basically no flavor of its own, so any spices you like will work. For roasted tofu tacos, I like to crumble the tofu and use cumin, coriander, chili powder and a little lime juice and use it. 

5. Pop the tofu in the oven. One of these from a restaurant supply store work great because they have a raised lip that a regular cook sheet doesn't. A casserole dish will work as well. Roast for 15 minutes and give the tofu a shake and a stir. Keep roasting until tofu is nicely browned.

Child-nutrition bill passes the Senate

Following up on an earlier post, the Senate has passed the Child-nutrition bill.

Read about it here and here. 

Also a picture of a famous lunch lady...

Watermelon!

It is certainly no surprise that kids love watermelon. Watermelon is actually not a fruit, but a vegetable related to the pumpkin, cucumber, and squash. Besides being an excellent summertime thirst quencher watermelon is also an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, and C. Watermelon contains high concentrations of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help reduce the risks of cancer and other diseases.

Despite what kids may say, eating watermelon seeds does not cause a watermelon to grow in your stomach. In fact every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rind. Watermelon rind pickles, a southern tradition, is a great way to utilize every part of the melon. 

Child Nutrition Legislation Clears House Education Committee

In 1973 a young George Lucas' influential film American Graffiti topped the box office, the average home cost was $29,900, a gallon of gas ran you around 50 cents and a dozen eggs cost 45 cents. Tragically, it was also the last time congress raised the federal reimbursement rate for school meals. Today, about one in three American kids and teens are overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. 

With the passing of the Child Nutrition Legislation in the House, the situation could finally improve.

"The bill includes sweeping reforms to significantly increase access and remove barriers to child nutrition programs, improve the quality of the meals served and implement new school food safety guidelines. The bill would increase the reimbursement rate for schools -- the first increase in over 30 years. Additionally, for the first time, it would require schools to set standards for foods served outside the cafeteria, including vending machines."