What is Kitchen Creations?
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) was awarded a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Team Nutrition Training Grant. This grant supports the initiation of the Kitchen Creations project that specifically focuses on creating standardized recipes for use in school meals programs. All recipes standardized under the grant will feature local and native foods as the primary ingredients. The featured ingredients include the following: |
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*ADE had originally announced that the Hopi Winter Squash would be a featured ingredient in the Kitchen Creations Project. While the Hopi Winter Squash is native to indigenous land, it is a rare variety and may be hard for Arizona schools to procure. For this reason, ADE has shifted this featured ingredient to include any Indigenous Winter Squash variety.
The Kitchen Creations Recipe Development team has tallied up the results from the last few months of in-school taste tests and is proud to officially announce the final four recipes with a student approval rating of 85% or more!
- Soam Bavĭ (Brown Tepary Bean) Bowl
- Triple Berry Parfait
- Three Sisters Enchilada Casserole
- Blue Corn Mush with Roasted Squash and Pepitas
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Coming Soon: Recipe Preparation Toolkits |
The Kitchen Creations Recipe Development team will be working to create a Recipe Preparation Toolkit for each of the four chosen recipes with an approval rating of 85% or more. Health and Nutrition Services encourages the service of traditional Native American foods in school meals programs and acknowledges the significance and cultural relevance of these foods in Arizona's various native communities and those of the southwest.
These toolkits are intended for school meal providers administering the USDA Child Nutrition Programs, to successfully incorporate more traditional Native American foods into their cafeterias and classrooms. While these toolkits will focus on tepary beans, orange-fleshed squash, blue corn, and white Sonora wheat, they will essentially be written to provide guidance on any creditable traditional Native American ingredient for use in the USDA Child Nutrition Programs. |
Coming Soon: Food Education Toolkit |
One of the Team Nutrition Training Grant objectives is to provide nutrition education to students on local agricultural products featured in the new standardized recipes. The Kitchen Creations team is creating a toolkit themed around the four featured traditional Native American foods and their significance to different native tribes, and tribal identities throughout Arizona. The Kitchen Creations team acknowledges that blue corn, white Sonoran wheat, orange-flesh winter squash, and tepary beans are just a small sampling of the vast landscape of native foods unique to Arizona. The team also recognizes that the relationship to these ingredients is different amongst the native tribes and tribal identities and envisions this resource contributing to the ongoing discussion about introducing native foods in schools.
Therefore, the Kitchen Creations team plans to create a food education toolkit comprised of educational essays and stories centered around the relationship between members of different Arizona native communities and the featured ingredients. The team will be working with native partners to ensure this information is shared with respect and enthusiasm. All working partners have expressed a desire for quality food education about Native American foods in school settings so that Native American students and their families are being represented and their voices are heard. |
Kitchen Creations is proud to feature the 2022 Arizona Farm To School Gathering which took place in early May. In case you missed the third-annual event, a post-event toolkit is available for download. The toolkit includes event descriptions and recordings for all virtual sessions, which include two "Native Farm to School" sessions. One of these sessions "Celebrating Indigenous Wisdom and Culture Through School Meals" features three Kitchen Creations Community Engagement Members discussing cultural diversity in school meal programs!
Stay connected! Want to join an Arizona Farm to School Network Interest Group? Fill out this form. |
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ADE is proud to present one of the recipes that had a student approval rating of 85% or more and will be moving onto the next phase of recipe standardization: Three Sisters Enchilada Casserole! This recipe along with three others will be served in at least four schools as a part of a reimbursable meal in conjunction with a local farmer visit, which will be the final stage required in order verify the recipe quantities and ensure proper yields. Check out the recipe below, and try it in your own meal service!
These enchiladas feature fresh winter squash as the star ingredient. Alongside the winter squash are sweet white corn and pinto beans to round out the three sisters. For added southwest flare, the casserole is served with a tasty green tomatillo sauce.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields: 20 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 1/3 cup mature onion, raw, chopped
- 1/2 cup garlic, raw, chopped
- 1 1/3 tbsp indigenous orange-flesh winter squash (any variety), peeled, cubed, cooked
- 12 1/2 cup black beans, canned
- 3 cup corn, canned
- 1 7/8 cup green chiles, canned
- 10 cup tomatillo sauce
- 40 tortillas, corn, 6 inch diameter
- 4 1/6 cup cheese, cheddar, shredded
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Add onion and garlic to a full sheet pan and toss in olive oil to coat. Roast onion and garlic in the oven for a total of 16 minutes (rotating once after 8 minutes). Let onions and
garlic cool.
- Add roasted onions and garlic to a bowl and mix in the cooked squash, black beans, corn, and green chiles.
- Reserve 2.5 cups of tomatillo sauce per 20 servings. Assemble casserole in a 2-inch-deep full steam pan by adding 1.5 cups tomatillo sauce, followed next by 10 tortillas, and followed last by 5 cups of
the vegetable mixture. Repeat this process of adding tomatillos sauce, tortillas, and vegetable mixture three more times in each 2-inch-deep full steam pan.
- Sprinkle 4 1/6 cups cheese over each 2-inch-deep full steam pan.
- Cook casserole covered in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover and cook an additional 15 minutes. Critical Control Point: Heat to 165° F or higher for at least 15 seconds.
- Portion each 2-inch-deep full steam pan to 20 servings. Add 2 tbsp tomatillo sauce to each serving. Serve warm. Critical Control Point: Hold for hot service at 135° F or high.
Notes:
Enchiladas can be prepared up to 6 hours prior to cooking and then covered and chilled until ready to cook.
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Arizona Department of Education
This project was funded using U.S. Department of Agriculture grant funds. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. |
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