Country Etiquette Guide Websites for Regional Cooking Research Project:

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/destinations

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html

http://www.culturecrossing.net/

http://www.vayama.com/etiquette/

In order to turn in your project, you need to EMAIL your presentations to jrogerson@franklinregional.k12.pa.us by Monday, October 14, 2013.

Sample Blog Post for a Lab Reflection: "Quinoa Burrito Bowl"

Ever since my husband and I went to Mad Mex for his birthday dinner and I had their Kaya black bean dip, I've been wanting to use the black beans that were in my pantry at home.  I love the flavors of a burrito... but I'm not a huge rice fan... And I could honestly do without the tortilla as well.  Sooooo... That's when I came up with my quinoa burrito bowl.  And I must say it was delicious!!!

I started by cooking 1/4 cup of quinoa in 1/2 cup of chicken broth and slicing up lots of onions, peppers, and tomatoes (About 1 cup of each).  I love quinoa because it has the texture of rice but is so much tastier and better for you! It's one of the only plant foods that is a complete protein!   Quinoa takes about 20 minutes to cook and simmer, so it's a good idea to get that going first and chop and cook everything else while it does that.

I sautéed the onions and peppers in a little olive oil spray first, and then once they were browned added the tomatoes and a half cup of black beans.  I cooked all of that for a few more minutes with some common Mexican spices including paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic and chili powder.  I wish I could give you the measurements, but I never measure spices when I'm cooking; I always just season to taste.  My taste is probably too spicy for most people anyways:)

After that, I stirred in my cooked quinoa and sprinkled about a tablespoon or two of shredded Colby Jack cheese. Man did this have a lot of flavor!!! 

And there you have it...a delicious healthy meal prepared in 20 minutes!  This would also be delicious with some diced avocado (for some healthy fat) or even a little Greek yogurt as a garnish too, I just didn't have any on hand this time!

Check Out These Nutrition Facts:

Calories     425

Fat   5 g

Fiber    14 g

Total Carbohydrates 75 g

Protein   20 g

Vitamin A. 17%

Vitamin C  203%

Iron 32%

Calcium 27%

Full Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 c. quinoa

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. each onions, peppers, tomatoes, or other veggies

1/2 c. black beans

1/4 c. shredded cheese
paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic and chili powder to taste

Directions:

Prepare quinoa in chicken broth.  

Saute veggies in a separate skillet.  Season to taste with above spices.

Stir in black beans and cooked quinoa.  

Top with cheese and serve!

Chopped Challenge 2013!

     A couple weeks ago, my full-year course students competed in our first ever "Chopped Competition!"  I was a little nervous about how it would go, since this is the first time we tried something like this--but I must say--I was incredibly impressed with the outcome overall !  They did an awesome job at coming up with a unique variety of creative, attractive, and tasty dishes! We had everything from mango chicken chili served in a tortilla bowl to a stuffed crust flat bread pizza!  All dishes were completed on time, and were not only edible, but also delicious! The hardest part was choosing one winner out of 16!  

The mystery ingredients this year were:

• Mango
• Avocado
• Red Bell Peppers
• Small Flour Tortillas
• Chicken Breast    

Below is the overview that explained the competition to the students.  

Be sure to scroll down and check out the photos/ descriptions of the final products!  They all did a great job!  

 

By the way, the winning dish ended up being # 10.  
It was a delicious crispy Cajun chicken served over brown rice with sauteed onions and peppers, drizzled with a lemon mango sweet and sour sauce and topped with crispy fried tortilla strips.  
It was a wonderfully executed dish with a perfectly balanced blend of taste elements!

CHOPPED CHALLENGE!

      The goal of this challenge is to create the most innovative and impressive dish with the resources available to you.   You will be given a basket of “mystery ingredients” that must be used in your dish.  You will also have full access to the staple ingredients, spices, milk, eggs, and butter in the room.   You can create an appetizer, main dish, and/or dessert using these ingredients as you see fit.  You are encouraged to transform ingredients and use them in creative and unique ways.

Many times in life, the most economical way to cook is not by following a recipe, but by applying your cooking knowledge and skills to utilize what you already have in your kitchen.  This challenge should help you to practice this approach, as well as to promote creative problem-solving and collaboration with your group members.

Day 1:  You will be watching an episode of the hit Food Network TV Show, “Chopped,” in class in order to familiarize yourself with the process/ concept of the challenge.
 

Day 2:  You will receive a list of your “mystery ingredients” the next day in class and will have that period to design a plan for the ingredients with your group.   This will be submitted at the end of the period, and should be used as a guideline for the lab the next day.  

Day 3:  The day of the challenge, you are able to refine, tweak, and make moderate changes to your plan; however, you should still be following the basic concept of your plan from the previous day. 

You will need to work quickly and efficiently in your teams.  On the day of the challenge, all dishes must be completed and submitted with a description within 10 minutes of the end of the period.  At that point, a sample will be given to the teacher to judge, a photo of the dish will be taken, and you will be allowed to sample your dish as well. 

**The winning dish will be judged based on creativity, presentation, and taste, just as they are on the actual show!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Parmesan Tilapia Lab

Parmesan Tilapia

4-5 Tilapia fillets

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1medium green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup dry white wine or chicken broth

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper

2 T. freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

1.    Heat oven to 375°F.

2.    Coat fish fillets with flour; shake off excess flour.

3.    In 12-inch ovenproof skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Cook green onions in butter about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.

4.    Add fish to skillet. Cook uncovered on medium-high about 5 minutes or until the outside of the fish turns crispy and golden brown; carefully turn fish, and let brown on the other side. 

5.     Pour wine and lemon juice over fish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese.

6.    Bake uncovered about 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and fish flakes easily with fork.

7.    Serve with lemon wedges.

     This recipe is great for serving a variety of people.  My students usually really enjoyed it.  I have had students say that they "usually don't like fish, but really liked this recipe."  I have made it for a large group of all ages, and everyone raved about it.  It has just enough flavor, but is not too over-powering.  Tilapia has a mild taste, and is not a "fishy" flavored fish, so it is great for people who are trying fish for the first time!  Here is a picture from today's lab in Foods and Nutrition!  (For some reason, it wants to stay upside down:/)

Intro. to Foods Websites for 3/13/13

www.chooosemyplate.gov

www.myfitnesspal.com

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/quizzes_questions.asp?quizid=32

Fruit, Veggie, and Cheese Garnishes!

Click here to view these pictures larger

Healthy Chicken Quesadillas

Healthy Chicken Quesadillas
Yesterday, I made a delicious chicken recipe in the crock pot.  Today, I figured we could use up what was left for some delicious healthy quesadillas!

I started by gathering and chopping any remaining produce I had in the fridge.  Since I shop Sundays it was slim pickin's!  I found onions, tomatoes, carrots and garlic.   

 

Then I sauteed the veggies with the leftover shredded chicken in a skillet until they were nice and soft!

 I divided the mixture between 3 tortillas.  I really like La Tortilla Factory's High Fiber Onion and Herb Variety.  It is amazing how much you can lighten up a meal by swapping a few ingredients.  Here are some examples of what I used below.

I folded the tortillas in half and cooked with a little light Olivio butter over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

 Then it was time to garnish and plate up.  I was running low on salsa, so I added some fresh tomatoes, onions, jalepenos, and cilantro to what I had left in the jar. 

 Mmmmmm...served with a side of broccoli!

It's amazing how you can totally transform leftovers with just a little creativity!