Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Gobbling up Grains, Venturing with Vegetables


It's Day 2 of Cook Like a Chef 2014, and campers did not waste any time getting started. Our first food group? Grains! While listening to Terra's PowerPoint about the health benefits of whole grains, the campers tried three kinds of store bought bread to see which they preferred: regular white vs. white wheat vs. brown whole wheat. Taste preferences varied, but now they have a different idea of what types of bread and grains are out there! Fun fact: the white wheat packed more fiber than the 100% whole wheat. Lesson of the day - always read the nutrition label! Chef then demonstrated how to make a loaf of homemade bread so all of the campers could make a loaf to take home! (Make sure you sample some... it's delicious!)

Kristina's Vegetable PowerPoint explained the benefits of including a lot of vegetables in your daily diet. Variety is important to ensure you are getting all of your nutrients! Campers sampled exotic vegetables like fennel, celery root, and kohlrabi as they listened. Cooking time was very busy as campers developed their recipes and kneaded their bread. Campers delivered their dishes to the "Food Lab Buffet", and then patiently waited for meal time to begin. Their taste buds were treated to a colorfully arranged veggie crudite platter as an appetizer, followed by an array of dishes like Whole Wheat Pasta with Zucchini and Walnuts, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake, Granola, Pretzels, Vegetarian Chili, and Mashed Potatoes (just to name a few). 

We wrapped up the day with a quick demonstration of a simple, easy, and refreshing snack - a watermelon fresca! Ingredients needed? Watermelon, water, and ice. A perfect summer refresher, or after-school snack! We have lots of leftovers from today, so many of these dishes will be making an appearance at Friday's reception! We hope you will enjoy them as much as the campers did, and that these recipes will find their way onto your family's dining room table in the next couple of weeks!! 

Want to see more photos from today? Click on the linked caption below the photo! 

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