Updates from Summer Institute!

 Writtten by Brainfood Summer Institute intern Caitlin Sirianni 

With only two weeks left, Summer Institute is well underway! 

We started program with baking week where students learned how to
 work

 with different doughs and batters as well as how to make healthy substitutions for low-fat baking. These recipes included pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes, beet chocolate cake, and zucchini muffins. Most students were shocked how delicious the baked goods were even with the unconventional ingredients. On biscuit day, students used their creativity to showcase some 4th of July spirit! The second week of program introduced knife skills followed by protein and whole-grains week. The theme for this past week was local food systems. We focused on what foods are in season and used herbs and spices from the Brainfood garden in our recipes.
 

One of the students' favorite days was Jamaican beef patties, stuffed
baby peppers, and spanakopita chicken meatballs. This was during proteins and whole-grains week, and every student enjoyed a full plate of food! This day specifically focused on “meat in a meal” teaching the students how to include vegetables and carbs with meat products. Throughout the week students learned safety and sanitation while working with raw meat. We also had a vegetarian day and made roasted tomato and caramelized onion wheat berry salad, Mediterranean millet burgers, and black bean quinoa chili. While most students were hesitant to taste these recipes, we ended up having no leftovers!   
 
Other exciting activities going on at Summer Institute include trips to the Brainfood garden, guest speakers, a field trip to a local farmer’s market, and cooking with other students from Common Good City Farm. Common Good brought freshly farmed garlic, basil, peaches, and kale, which our students used to make a kale Caesar salad, fresh herbal lemonade, fresh basil pesto, and a peach crumble. Additionally, we have had great discussions about food access, food deserts, vegetarianism, MyPlate, food systems, and more.

We are looking forward to our last two weeks at Summer Institute, which will include more field trips, a guest chef visit, international foods and student requests!

                                    
 

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