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 this year will feature local, native foods as the primary ingredients. The featured ingredients include the following: |
*Note on Indigenous Winter Squash: At the start of the Kitchen Creations Project, ADE originally announced that one of the featured ingredients would be Hopi Winter Squash. ADE has been informed that this squash, while native to indigenous land, is a rare variety and may be hard to procure in Arizona schools. For this reason, ADE has shifted this featured ingredient to include any Indigenous Winter Squash varieties. |
Schools across Arizona have been engaging in taste tests and evaluations as part of the Kitchen Creations process for standardizing recipes that utilize local agricultural products. Taste Testing sites are currently collecting feedback from elementary, middle and high school students on overall acceptability of the newly developed recipes. The taste tests began in early September and are extending into Mid-November to provide schools and Community Engagement Members more opportunities to test the recipes, and collect feedback.. The 4 recipes with the highest acceptability ratings will be moving onto the next phase of recipe standardization. The Recipe Development Team has received preliminary taste test data and feedback from STAR School, located 25 miles east of Flagstaff, and Tucson Unified School District! We are excited to share their stories as well as a few photos!
STAR School held a taste testing event in which 48 students and 4 teachers evaluated the Blue Corn Muffins with Blueberries and the White Sonora Wheat Chicken Nuggets. STAR School’s Food Services Manager and Wellness Coordinator, April Willing, reported that their tasting event had zero waste and “both dishes were a huge hit!” The muffins were served to students grades 1-5 during breakfast and were combined with a string cheese stick, apple, and milk for a complete reimbursable breakfast (pictured below). STAR School has already made these muffins a few more times because students requested them on the menu! Next time, they want to try making the nuggets into a breakfast sausage patty with herbs and spices! |
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Left to Right: Muffin preparation, students at STAR School, and tray set-up during the taste testing event. |
Tucson Unified School District also conducted taste tests at a few schools and provided feedback on the Three Sisters Enchilada Casserole and the Tepary Bean, Chicken, and Vegetable Stew. Lawrence Elementary School provided the enchilada casserole in their lunch line to be evaluated by a total of 68 students, while Johnson Elementary School had 57 students evaluate both the enchilada casserole and bean, chicken & winter vegetable stew. Based on verbal feedback for both recipes, the bean, chicken & winter vegetable stew received the most positive reviews, with several students mentioning that the ingredients reminded them of dishes served at home. |
Top: Tepary Bean, Chicken, and Vegetable Stew (left) and the serving station for both dishes (right).
Bottom: Applying final touches to the enchiladas (left) and Three Sisters Enchilada Casserole (right). |
Other school communities statewide will also be participating in further recipe taste testing events in the coming weeks. ADE is excited to receive more feedback on other proposed recipes and move to the next phase in the Kitchen Creations standardization process: Recipe Verification! |
This month, the Arizona Food Bank Network will be running a blog series on indigenous food sovereignty. The blog will feature the ADE Kitchen Creations project in an effort to further indicate the importance of including foods that are culturally relevant to Native students, the importance of traditional foods for health, and how sourcing foods native to Arizona can support sustainability. These blogs will be released on November 9 and November 16. Check out the blog series once it is released on the Arizona Food Bank Network webpage! |
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Celebrating Native American Heritage Month! |
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Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the diverse cultures and traditions of Native Americans and to recognize the important contributions of Native people. It is also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.
Arizona is home to 22 tribes, and the tribal land makes up approximately 28% of the State's land base. ADE is proud to celebrate Native American Heritage Month and is excited to connect the goals and work being done through the Kitchen Creations project with the celebratory events occurring to celebrate throughout the month of November:
- "Rock Your Mocs" is a worldwide social movement commemorating Native American Heritage month and celebrating tribal individuality. This year it is being held on November 14-20, 2021.You can find more information about this movement on the “Rock Your Mocs” website.
- Red Shawl Day (November 19, 2021) is observed throughout the entire the week of November 15-21, 2021. Throughout this week, people are encouraged to wear red in honor of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs encourages people to add to the conversation by using the hashtag #RedShawlWeek on social media. You can find more information about Red Shawl Day here.
- Native Partnership is a website that has daily learning objectives throughout November. There are also lesson plans that can be modified for your school provided by the National Education Association.
- You can also participate in Native American Heritage month by connecting with local tribes and tribal partners in your school communities and forming an open line of communication!
Is your Local Educational Agency (LEA) recognizing Native American Heritage Month? Tell us about how your LEA plans to celebrate here for a chance to be featured in our next issue of the Kitchen Creations project newsletter, and potentially in other ADE communications! |
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Blue corn is a flint maize variety that was developed by the Hopi and originated in the southwestern United States. It will be used to create recipes for grade groups K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Blue corn is used for milling in specialty foods including tortillas, cereal, corn chips and hominy.
Facts About Blue Corn:
- Blue corn contains many natural antioxidants which can help protect against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. It also has a lower amount of soft starch which can lead to a lower glycemic index. Products made with blue corn have 20% more protein than the same products made with white corn.
- Blue corn flour has a coarser, grainier consistency providing a denser tortilla. It is also traditionally used to make pinole, hominy, Chaquegue, and chicos.
- Blue corn is open-pollinated and has a relatively low yield of 1,000-4,000 pounds per acre.
- Blue corn is an essential part of Hopi Dishes like piki bread. Piki bread is made during different phases of courtship and marriage ritual. It is baked on a piki stone and is paper-thin creating a crisp texture
and is served cool.
- Hopi Blue Corn (Sakwa Qao') is also known as the Mother Corn. Click here to read more about Hopi Blue Corn, the corn that endures through all!
Sakwa Qao' article provided by Valerie Nuvayestewa, from Tutskwat Oqawtoynani ("helping the earth to gather her strength"), a grassroots organization aimed at cleaning First Mesa, located in Polacca, Arizona.
Tutskwat Oqawtoynani's vision: "Through discipline and responsibility, we will preserve the sacredness of our Hopi and Tewa Villages." |
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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