What is Kitchen Creations?
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) was awarded a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) PY21 Team Nutrition Training Grant. This grant will support the initiation of the Kitchen Creations project that specifically focuses on creating standardized recipes for use in school meals programs. All recipes standardized this year under the grant 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. |
Recipe Preparation Training |
The recipe development process has reached the taste testing phase! The Recipe Development Team is currently preparing schools to taste test the newly developed recipes and conducted a Recipe Preparation Training for Community Engagement Members participating in grant activities. During this training, Community Engagement Members learned how to prepare, cook and serve the following recipes: |
- Blue Corn Muffins with Blueberries
- Blue Corn Muffins with Winter Squash
- Blue Corn Mush with Roasted Corn
- Blue Corn Mush with Roasted Squash and Pepitas
- Blue Corn Mush with Strawberries, Bananas and Honey
- Red Pepper Tepary Bean Dip
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- Soam Bavĭ (Brown Tepary Bean) Bowl
- Three Sisters Enchilada Casserole
- Tepary Bean, Chicken, and Winter Vegetable Stew
- Triple Berry Parfait
- Warm White Sonora Wheat Berry Pilaf
- White Sonora Wheat Chicken Nuggets
- White Sonora Wheat Tortillas
- White Tepary Bean Dip
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The Recipe Preparation Training is aimed at providing school food service directors, food service managers, and food service workers with the tools and knowledge to prepare these recipes and how to easily serve them in their schools. Led by award-winning local chefs Charleen Badman and Tamara Stanger (pictured below), these trainings provided live virtual recipe demonstrations and gave attendees the opportunity to learn about indigenous foods and discuss strategies for incorporating the recipes into their menus.. |
Earlier this year, the Phoenix New Times published an article describing the Kitchen Creations project and highlighting Chef Charleen Badman and Chef Tamara Stanger's involvement in ensuring the success of the recipe development process. Take a moment to read the article here! |
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This past June, AZ Central and the Arizona Republic met with some members of the Recipe Development Team and wrote another article on the ADE Kitchen Creations project. The article features testimonials from the project's Community Engagement Members, Chefs Tamara Stanger and Charleen Badman, and even featured feedback on the project from Arizona students! Take a moment to read the article here!
AZ Central also published an article this summer about one of the recipes being standardized in Kitchen Creations, the Soam
Bavĭ (Brown Tepary Bean) bowl. This recipe was submitted to Kitchen Creations by Shannon Reina at Salt River Schools, and is now being spotlighted in the media! Take a moment to read the article here! |
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Indigenous Winter Squash can be used to describe all winter squash native to indigenous land. Winter varieties of squash are grown widely in Arizona and will be used to create entrée recipes for grade groups K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Recipes that require squash are versatile, as the squash can be substituted for any variety available.
Five Facts About Indigenous Winter Squash:
- Squash is categorized into two categories: summer squash (Cucurbita pepo), that grow thin skins making the fruit more perishable, and winter squash (Cucurbita moschata or c. maxima), indicating varieties that grow thick skins that make the fruit less perishable and suitable for long-term storage
- A ½ cup portion of cooked winter squash can be a good source of vitamin A, C, fiber, potassium, magnesium, and iron.
- Squash crops are “open-pollinated” meaning that the crop requires the wind or pollinators like bees or hummingbirds that feed on pollen to pollinate the plant to produce fruit.
- The earliest winter squashes were likely very small and bitter, and may have just been used for their edible seeds. Some tribes used squashes for making bowls and spoons, presumably long before they used them for food.
- One of the oldest indigenous winter squashes is the Hopi Patnga. Click here to read more about this ancient green striped cushaw squash that can be dated back to 3000 BC!
Hopi Patnga 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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