Did we really have to go all the way to South Africa to make beet salad?
My food appreciation classes continue on their virtual world food tour and this extremely simple beet salad turned up in the African cookbook we are using as a reference. There’s nothing especially African about it, but it is seasonal and [...]
Entries Tagged as 'food appreciation'
Kids Make Beet Salad
March 12th, 2010 · 2 Comments · kids
Tags: beets·food appreciation·salad
Kids Make South African Buttermilk Rusks
February 19th, 2010 · No Comments · kids
A popular snack, buttermilk rusks–karringmelk beskuit in Afrikaans–are South Africa’s answer to Italian biscotti. The dough comes together very much like a traditional biscuit dough. But after the initial cooking, the biscuits are sliced into pieces, and then dried in a warm oven for several hours, or even overnight to crisp them.
Try them with tea [...]
Tags: biscuits·buttermilk·food appreciation·kids·South Africa
Kids Make Curried Chicken
February 5th, 2010 · No Comments · Ethnic, Recipes, kids
The food appreciation classes I teach at a private elementary school here in the District of Columbia this week landed in Southern Africa on our virtual world food tour. Because of the many Indian immigrants in this part of the continent, there is a definite tilt toward curry dishes in the cuisine. This one, called [...]
Kids Pass Knife Certification, Make Soup
January 30th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Tales, kids
Well, it’s finally happened. The kids in the food appreciation classes I teach at a private elementary school here in the District of Columbia have graduated (the older ones, at least) from plastic knives to real knives.
The only reason this hadn’t happened sooner was my failure to deliver on promises I’d been making for, oh, the [...]
Tags: chicken·food appreciation·kitchen techniques·soup·stocks·vegetables
Kids Make Chicken-Vegetable Stew with Palm Oil
January 26th, 2010 · No Comments · kids
Continuing on our virtual world culinary tour, our food appreciation classes last week bade adieu to West Africa. But we could not leave without sampling a staple food item there: palm oil.
Palm oil, derived from the fruit of the oil palm, is immediately recognizable by its deep, red color. The color comes from a heavy [...]
Kids Make Chicken-Vegetable Stew With Peanuts
January 15th, 2010 · No Comments · Ethnic, Recipes, kids
Who knew turnips and peanut butter could taste so good together?
One of the things we like about the African food we are making in our food appreciation classes is the use of fresh, whole ingredients and lots of vegetables. This stew is a perfect example, and something we could easily grow very fond of in [...]
Tags: African·food appreciation·peanuts·root vegetables·stew·vegetables
Kids Make Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
January 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Ethnic, Recipes, kids
Every food culture has its signature fritter, a deep-fried package with a crispy exterior that yields to something suprisingly delicious on the inside. In West Africa, where our food appreciation classes are visiting on their virtual world food tour, fritters are made from one of the area’s favorite ingredients: black-eyed peas. This particular fritter is ridiculously [...]
Tags: African·food appreciation·fry
Kids Make Liberian Sweet Potato Puffs
December 12th, 2009 · No Comments · Recipes, kids
These little treats are full of sweet potato flavor and nutrition, sweet potatoes being one of the most healthful foods around, a great source of fiber, vitamins and beta carotene. They can be served as a savory, or just dust them with a little confectioner’s sugar to turn them into a quick dessert–or something to [...]
Parents Night Feed
December 5th, 2009 · No Comments · Ethnic, kids
What do you suppose was the most popular menu item on last night’s parents night dinner at the elementary school where I teach my food appreciation classes?
If you said Brazilian cheese breads, you would be absolutely correct. There’s a good reason Brazilians go nuts for this little snack made of manioc flour and cheese. They [...]
Tags: catering·food appreciation
Kids Make Rice Flour Banana Bread
December 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Recipes, kids
Our local African market sells all kinds of unusual flours in bulk: yam flour, manioc flour, rice flour. The rice flour is used in this West African version of banana bread, giving the finished bread an interesting little crunch on the tooth, vaguely similar to corn bread, and a worthy alternative to anyone who is intolerant [...]
Tags: bananas·bread·food appreciation


We are engaging the concerns of a hungry planet--slowly--right here in our kitchen garden in the District of Columbia, one mile from the White House.

