Get to know...Black Beans

I fairly certain that ChildRoots families are no stranger to the Black Bean. The most common variety is the Black Turtle Bean, in fact there's a good chance that they're the only kind you've ever had. The brand that we use is organic and grown in California. High in protein and a good source of iron and dietary fiber. Black Beans are most common in Latin cuisine, often as a side dish. Spanish explorers brought the beans to Europe, and they slowly migrated to Asia. In Asia Black Beans are often fermented and used more as a flavoring or a sauce. 

It takes over 20 cups of dried Black Beans to feed the kids at CR. They are simmered on the stove for hours;   in the broth is no-salt stock, oregano, granulated garlic, some dried onion and a little salt (Black Beans are naturally high in sodium). 

Black Beans also make great cold salads or salsas. They can also be substituted for Garbanzo beans in a Hummus Recipe, Black Bean Hummus is gaining popularity at CR.  

CR's First Sampling Event.

This past Thursday was our first sampling event. We wanted to share with the parents some of the healthy and hearty snacks that their kids get to enjoy. Hummus, White Bean, Spinach Miso Tofu, and Herbed tofu represented the dips excellently. Carrot Ginger Bars, Flax and Oat Bars, Banana Oat Bars, and Sesame Sunflower Bars prove that baked goods don't have to be loaded with sugar to be loved. Of course it was a success, who doesn't like mingling around snacks?

Recipe packets were available and quickly snapped up. If you missed out on the packet we'll be printing more up this week.

A big thank you to Kitchen Assistant Extraordinaire Breana for manning the table while I was upstairs getting ready for the teacher training day's asian lunch buffet. She also did most of the cooking for the event.

I'm hoping we'll be able to do another sampling event again in the future. We'll keep working on new recipes, we don't want the kids to get bored.

How To Prepare...Rapini

I've wanted to serve Rapini (also know as Broccoli Rabe) at ChildRoots for quite some time. Farmers must have found themselve flush with Rapini recently because for a couple of weeks the price dropped and we were able to give it a try. Rapini, on the surface anyway, seems like a cross between Kale and Broccoli. While Rapini is in the same family as those it is actually a closer relative to the Turnip. The flavor of Rapini is distinct, it has the bitterness of green and a slight nutty flavor. Like it's greeny relatives Rapini is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. Potassium, Calcium and Iron are also well represented. When shopping for Rapini look for slightly tough leaves, and tender (not soft) blossoms. Don't let some yellowing leaves or bug hole deter you. 

At CR when trying out a new vegetable, I generally go for the simplest preparation. So for Rapini I went the steaming route. As with most leafy greens the first step is soak in cold water for at least ten minute. 

After soaking, swish the bunches around in the water to loosen up any dirt or grit still present from the farm. Take the Rapini out of the water, give it a good shake to get rid of excess water and let drain (in a stainer or something it can stand up in) for a few minutes.

Lay the bunch down a large cutting board. If the bunch is unruly, separate it into a couple of smaller bunches. 

Using a sharp knife slice down the bunch.All but the very ends of stems can be used. Be sure to keep those fingers curled under. 

At CR veggie are steamed for around 20 minutes in our tightly cover steam table. A home one bunch of Rapini would steam in less than five minutes. 

Once steamed the Rapini is tossed with salt and olive oil. 

The Rapini was a resounding success with the kids and teacher alike. I hope that I'll be able to get more soon.

My favorite way to do Rapini is to sauté it with pasta. When doing that blanch the chopped Rapini in the pasta water first (for no more than two minutes), using a slotted spoon to lift the Rapini out of the water and place in a bowl of cold water. Boil the pasta, any kind will do, I recommend angel hair. In a sauté pan (large enough for the veg and pasta) ,on medium, sauté a  chopped clove a garlic with olive oil for a minute, then add the Rapini, about a tsp of salt, and the juice of a lemon (or a splash of white wine). Some red pepper flakes can be added now, if your family likes the spicy. Sauté for another couple of minutes and add the pasta. Keep the pasta moving until it is all mixed and warmed through. Pour in a little cream and toss well, more cream can added if you want it saucier. Place the pasta on a large platter and sprinkle with Parmesan. I've done this recipe using plain unsweetened soymilk and nutritional yeast also, and it works great.   

How to Prepare...Peppers

First off, a confession. Although we did just have peppers last week, the pictures used here are not them. The pictures here are from last summer when Gee Creek Farms had these wonderful Purple Peppers. The peppers we had last week were red and from a hot house farm in California. Despite being totally out of season, they were delicious.

 

Peppers are rarely served as a side dish,  they are usually used more like a garnish to enhance the rest of  the dish. That's really a shame because peppers can stand on it's own. Not much can beat a crisp fresh pepper. Next time your not feeling well, you should turn to peppers instead oranges. One cup of chopped peppers has over 200% of your RDA of vitamin C, and a good dose of vitamin B6 to help with the immune system. 

At ChildRoots we try to expose the kids to a variety of food experiences, not just mush. The best way to serve peppers as a side is raw and lightly salted. 

Start by washing the pepper and finding it's most stable base. If  it is bottom of the pepper, thats great. If it's one of the sides, lay it that way and cut off about 1/4 of the bottom. 

Using a sharp knife carefully slice down one of the sides. 

Turn the pepper and slice down another side, then lay it flat and slice the last two sides. 

 

Then if you hadn't already done so, slice off the bottom. 

The peppers are then chopped to the appropriate sizes. Remember to remove the fibrous rib first and chop peppers with the skin side down. And be very careful. 

Once the peppers are chopped, they are tossed with a little salt and refrigerated for a couple hours.  

The couple of hours in the fridge with the salt sweats the peppers, they will soften and release some liquid.  

It may seem weird at first to have peppers as a side, but give it a try. 

Get to know...Spelt

The children at ChildRoots are introduced to many different foods. For the most part I talk about the produce here. Well, lately the produce has gotten a little humdrum, I thought I would throw some attention at the beans and grains. Spelt gets the first post in the series.

Spelt has a history that goes back to the Bronze Age. A relative Common Wheat, spelt came about when the wheat plant hybridized with wild goat grass. Spelt has never been a very well none grain. It's tough outer husk makes it harder to process. That outer husk also makes it more resistant to pests and doesn't require much fertilizer, so it's easy to grow organically.

Spelt is a strong source of fiber and protein. Also present  are the very important B vitamins, essential for skin health, metabolism, cell growth, and immune system functions. Spelt being a grain is also packed with carbohydrates to us as fuel. It's also worth noting that some people with wheat intolerance have good luck eating spelt, due to it's lower gluten content and lack of pesticides.

Spelt is easy to cook. At ChildRoots it's made in the trusty rice cooker. 

When cooked spelt has a nutty flavor and a chewy texture that often feels like they're popping in your mouth. 

Spelt can be served as a side, added to soups, and even made into a "risotto" like dish. While you can't always use it in place of rice, it's usually safe to try. My favorite way to use spelt is cold salads. 

Winter Citrus

We have been getting some fantastic citrus out of California lately. Here's a sampling. 

Valencia Oranges - Bursting with sweet almost "orange drink" like juice.

Blood Oranges - Sweet with hint of cranberry

A smaller variety of Blood Oranges - Tasted like a delicious vinaigrette.

Rio Star Grapefruit (actually from Texas) - Just sweet and tart enough. One of my favorite fruits, ever.

Minneolas - A hybrid of grapefruit and tangerines. You could smell these a mile away.

TED Talks about Food.

The TED Conference was last week. TED is a foundation that organizes events where people they chose talk for eighteen minutes about "ideas worth spreading". This time around two of my favorites foodies were invited. After watching the talks I knew that the families of ChildRoots would find these of interest.

This is Jamie Oliver's talk about children and the modern American diet. I've alway been a fan of Jamie Oliver's approach to food. His food is simple, clean and fresh. This talk is centers on a television show that Jamie currently filming, so it comes off a little like a commercial, the message still very relevant.

The next respectable foodie is Mark Bittman, I'm sure a familiar name amongst CR parents. A cookbook author and food writer for the New York Times, his perspective on the state of food today is sensible and sustainable.

This other talk was suggested because of the other two. Ann Cooper (the renegade lunchlady) is the head of nutrition for the Berkeley, CA schools. She has proven that using organic, locally sourced food in schools can work. 


There is a food revolution coming, ChildRoots is proud to be a part of it.

Fresh Roasted Sunflower Seeds.

Sunflower Seeds have been a staple of ChildRoots afternoon snacks since the beginning. A handful of them will provide excellent quantities of vitamin E, B vitamins, and gobs of nutrients. We were using a roasted unsalted variety from our vendor, a couple of months ago I started to get them raw. Not only is it cheaper, but I can control the (type and amount of) oil and the salt level. I've never been a big fan of sunflower seed, I don't think that I've ever had fresh roasted sunflower seeds before. I can't believe the difference in flavor, I am now a friend of the sunflower seed. Here's my method. 

Take a sheet pan an pour four cups of raw sunflower seeds. Spinkle with and acceptable amount of salt and drizzle with olive oil. I can't recommend keeping some oil in a squeezie bottle enough. They go into a 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes.

This is the deliciousness that comes out of the oven, and not to mention the smell.

 

Immediately and carefully slide them in to a bowl, preferably one that isn't plastic. Stir them for a minute or two, this will help the salt coat evenly.

 

These are so much better than the ones that come from the package. Hopefully in the fall we'll be able to try this with seeds from the giant sunflowers in front of ChildRoots. We tried to harvest them last year, sadly we did not dry them properly and they got moldy. We will learn from our mistakes. 

How to cut...Apples

I'm fairly certain that everyone is familiar with Apples, and they're a huge part of the menu at ChildRoots. Thanks to Christina's friends at Kiyokawa Family Orchard we have had a wide variety. These are the Granny Smiths and I'll be using them to demonstrate the cuts at CR. During this discovered that my camera does not like taking pictures of peeled Apples. 

Start by rinsing and drying. 

 

Lets start with the cuts for the real little friends. For them the apple and peeled and stood stem side down. (sorry blurry)

 

Using a sharp knife cut around the core. More about core and peels at the end of the post.

  

Stand a piece on a side and slice it thin. (sorry blurry)

  

Roll the piece to another side and slice into long sticks.

  

Pinch the sticks together and chop into a tiny dice.

  

The next step is small batons the friends can pick up and bite. Start by slicing a piece of the apple.

  

Turn the apple and slice down into the small batons.

  

Once the friends get the hang of biting they move onto peeled and extremely thin.

  

Now once the peel gets introduced, again stand the apple stem end down.

  

Cut around the core.

  

Depending on the age of the kids in the room the thickness of the slices varies.

  

Upstairs in the Pre-School they're ready for hand held. Yet again, stand the apple stem down.

  

Cut apple in half, rotate and cut again. How many cuts you can do depends on the size of the fruit.

  

 As for the cores and peels, they can be saved in a bag in a freezer. I've put apple cores into stocks, they add sweetness and a floral accent.  They can be stuffed into chicken or turkey with herbs, garlic and onions.Or they can simply be composted. 

How to prepare... Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is popular amongst the teachers at ChildRoots, the kids get excited when they smell it. It is by far one of the easier squash to prepare. Spaghetti Squash is simple to cut and scoops with almost no effort. Spaghetti Squash is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.

After washing the squash, dry it so it won't slip. Then, using a sharp knife, cut off the stem.
This is a bit tricky, i stand the squash on its end and very carefully cut it in half.
Then cut the squash into quarters. I like to cut it into quarters so that there are edges to brown, the brown edges are the best.
Using a large spoon, scoop out the seeds.
Lay flat on a well oiled sheet pan.
Bake in a 450 degree oven until the skin is bubbly and brown. Also when the squash should give easily when poked. I should about an hour, give or take 15 minutes. Once out of the oven let them sit for5 minutes on the sheet.
After 5 minutes flip them over and let them over and let them rest until they are cool enough for you to handle them.
When you can handle them safely, scrap the squash from the skin.
Collect in a pan add Olive oil and salt.
Use a potato masher to mash and mix the squash.
There have been arguments over the spaghetti squash. And be sure to look out for teacher Beth on squash days. she may scare you.