What's for lunch 5/31/13

SOUTHWEST BOWL
Brown Rice, Tomato, Cheese, Salsa & Romaine Chipotle Vinaigrette
Add Chicken on Request 

Zesty Black Beans~ Sweet Corn
 Fresh Fruit 

The brown rice is a whole grain but rice has been found to contain significant amounts of arsenic  - so don't eat it every day and make sure you rinse it thoroughly multiple times and boil in extra water like you would pasta/ (Unfortunately, our cafeteria cannot take these extra steps.)

The black beans are canned and the ingredients are "BLACK BEANS, WATER, SALT, AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE" with 140mg of sodium. Cans do contain BPA.

The southwest-style chicken is a processed USDA commodity food from Tyson and described as "fully cooked boneless skinless chicken dark meat chicken fajita strips -smoke flavor added." Here are the ingredients: "Chicken dark meat, water, seasoning [salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, sugar, chili powder (chili pepper, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic powder), lemon juice powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice, lemon oil), modified corn starch, natural mesquite smoke flavor (maltodextrin, natural smoke flavor), natural flavor (from partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil)], modified food starch and sodium phosphates."  The "partially hydrogenated" oil is a source of trans fat.  Chicken has 7g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 490 mg of sodium.  Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson,  antibiotics and hormones.  I would skip the chicken.

 The bowl comes from Smokewood Foods. The ingredients are described just as "enriched masa flour" and they look like a big rectangular corn chip. They have 5g of fat and no sodium.

Cheese is Monterrey Jack. 

The corn is canned and has added salt - 200mg per serving and the cans do contain BPA.   Applesauce is a USDA commodity.

The soup is hearty vegetable and looks quite good. INGREDIENTS: Water, Diced Tomatoes, Red Onions, Mushrooms, Zucchini Squash, Yellow Squash, Carrots, Cabbage, Green Beans, Broccoli, Celery, Cauliflower, Green Bell Peppers, Red Bell Peppers, Vegetable Base, Salt, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Corn Oil, Yeast Extra

What's for lunch 5/30/13

BETTER THAN A PIZZERIA. 

flatbread“Margherita” Pizza Fresh Tomato Sauce, Basil and LocalFresh Mozzarella

Caesar Salad 
Fresh Fruit

We make these ourselves - we do not serve highly processed frozen pizzas. For our various pizzas, we use  the Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).  The cheese is a USDA commodity part skim mozzarella.  Ingredients are cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes. The sodium is 240mg/oz -  we use 2 ounces

For the crust, the ingredients are: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, soybean oil,, dextrose, salt, calcium propionate, fumaric acid, dough conditioner (wheat flour, salt, soybean oil, l-gyssteine, ascorbic acid, enzyme) potassium sorbate. The salad and fruit are fresh. 

What's for lunch 5/29/13

Marinated Chicken with Sweet Peppers & Onions on a Warm Whole Wheat Pita 
Tzatziki Sauce Greek Salad 
Fresh Fruit

The chicken is from Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast. The Tzatziki sauce is homemade and the salad is fresh along with the fruit.  

This lunch is a big hit. As you all know I am not a fan of any Tyson products.  However, the meat is whole muscle, the meal is made from scratch and there a lot of veggies in this dish. 

What's for lunch 5/28/13

Applegate®
The Great Organic Beef Hotdog

Pasta Salad w/Veggies
 Sweet Potato Wedge ~ Sauerkraut
Fresh Fruit 


The hot dogs are from Applegate Farms - so they are far better than many hot dogs but are hot dogs nonetheless. They have 8g of fat and 330mg of sodium. The ingredients are just: beef, water, sea salt, less than 2% of the following: celery juice, sodium lactate (from beets), lactic acid starter culture (not from milk), onion powder, spices, garlic powder, paprika. They have 6g of fat(2.5g saturated) and 380 mg of sodium. They are dairy-, casein- and gluten-free. They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates the nitrate issue is tricky - andcites the company saying their bacon has the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands.  You may also not want your kids growing up thinking hot dogs are a good lunch given the potential link between processed meats and cancer. The bun is whole wheat.  

The noodles we're using for the pasta salad are Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. 

Sweet potato wedges are flash-fried and frozen with 4.5g of fat and 140mg of sodium. Ingredients are Sweet Potatoes, Potato Starch - Modified, Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn). Contains 2% or less of Annatto (color), Baking Soda, Beta Carotene (color), Caramel(Color), Natural Flavors, Rice Flour, Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate(Maintains Natural Color & Leavening), Sugar, Tapioca Dextrin,Xanthan Gum.

Fresh fruit is available. I would opt for the salad bar today. Way too many ingredients. But if you are going to have a hot dog this is the one to have. 

What's for lunch 5/24/13

All white meat chicken bites
Freshly baked whole wheat breadsticks
sweet corn
fresh fruit 



The chicken is a Tyson "fully cooked chicken breast nugget fritter with rib meat" with 10g of fat and 420mg of sodium.  The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast nuggets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.

Whole grain breadstick- which may be partial vs fully whole grain under the school lunch law.  The corn is canned and the fruit is fresh.

This meal is way too processed for my liking. Send your kids to the salad bar. 

What's for lunch 5/23/13

OOPS !  I blogged tomorrow's lunch yesterday. Sorry about that.  Today's lunch was farm fresh burgers. The meat comes from a farm in upstate New York. Antibiotic free ! So if you are going to have a burger at school this is the one to have. 

Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard to help our  budget passed !! North Shore is an amazing district with wonderful teachers and so many options for our children.  Congratulations to the new board members, Sara Jones ( fellow blogger and nutrition committee partner), Marianne Russo and Michael Nightengale.  

What's for lunch 5/22/13

HOMEMADE
MAC N’ CHEESE Caesar Salad
or Breaded-Chicken Caesar Salad (Deli Bar Can Make it a Wrap)
Fresh Fruit 


The noodles we're using for the Mac n cheese are Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. The sauce is made from Wisconsin Cheddar. 

The chicken caesar wrap is also made with Tyson chicken and the wrap is probably not whole grain.  The chicken is Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast. Salad and sandwich bar are available.

I would like to thank all of the cooks in that work in the MS kitchen for all their hard work and making the food more nutritious for our kids.  They all work very hard making the food from scratch.  I would also like to thank Julia Van Loon our school food reform consultant for her dedication to our children.  Without these woman our lunch program would not be where it is today. 

What's for lunch 5/21/13

BURRITO
Marinated Southwest Chicken Brown Rice ~ Black Beans Whole Wheat Tortilla 
Chips n’ Salsa
Carrot Sticks w/Dip Fresh Fruit



The brown rice is a whole grain but as previously discussed cannot be cooked in a way that minimizes the arsenic content.

The black beans are canned and the ingredients are "BLACK BEANS, WATER, SALT, AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE" with 140mg of sodium.

The chicken is from Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast. But sometimes...we get chicken with "grill marks" or "added smaoke flavor" but hopefully everything will go well....

I think we use Tyson's whole wheat tortillas. They have 4.5g of fat and 320mg of soidum. The ingredients are: Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Potato Starch with Monoglyceride, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the following: Cottonseed Oil, Soybean Oil) with Mono- and Diglycerides and/or Citric Acid, Honey Wheat Seasonong (Dextrose, Wheat Germ, Caramel Color, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Tricalcium Phosphate), contains 2% or less of the following: Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Calcium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Dough Conditioners (Wheat Flour, Calcium Sulfate, Sorbic Acid, Fumaric Acid), Preservative (Sodium Propionate (Propionic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide (for pH adjustment), Water and Potassium Sorbate). 

I love this dish in theory.  BUT.... as you know not a fan of Tyson and there are a lot of ingredients in the tortillas.  I would opt for the vegetarian version of this and load up at the salad bar. 

Tomorrow is the budget vote. Get out and vote !! And just an FYI - the lunch program at the NS School district is self sustaining and is NOT a line in the budget.   

What's for lunch 5/20/13

CBLT...

Breaded Chicken, Sunday Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato on Whole Wheat Bun

Green Bean Salad 

Fresh Fruit 

This meal contains a lot of highly processed, manufactured foods.  Here are the ingredients on the chicken patty - manufactured by Tyson and including rib meat: Boneless chicken breast with rib meat, water, salt, and natural flavor. BREADED WITH: Wheat flour, water, wheat starch, white whole wheat flour, salt, yellow corn flour, corn starch, dried onion, dried garlic, dried yeast, brown sugar, extractives of paprika, and spices. Breading set in vegetable oil.  ('Set' is often a euphemism for 'flash-fried.')

You can read more about Tyson here. It's not pretty.  These patties have 14g of fat and 620mg of sodium.

The turkey bacon does not say "Applegate" on the menu so I can't be sure it is but that's what we usually use. Nonetheless, it is still bacon.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but thisNYT article says otherwise - and cites the company saying their bacon has the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands.

The beans and fruit are fresh.  Go to the salad bar and skip this lunch or head to the sandwich bar and grab a salad with it.  This is one of my least favorite lunches next to the brunch for lunch. 

What's for lunch 5/16/13

All White Meat Chicken Breast “Tenders”
Savory Brown Rice w/ Veggies
Romaine Salad w/Chick Peas
Fresh Fruit 



Tenders -- in other words, nuggets. The chicken is from Tyson. The ingredients are: Chicken breast tenderloins, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.  The serving size of two piece- has 14g of fat and 580mg of sodium. It is from Tyson but it is whole muscle and not chicken bones grounded up into a patty.

The brown rice with veggies is homemade. The salad has canned chick peas and the fruit is fresh. 

What's for lunch 5/15/13

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Cinnamon Challah French Toast
Applegate® Sunday Bacon
Baked Potato “Puffs”
 Apple Crisp 

I'm really curious as to why we stopped serving whole wheat french toast to go back to the meal declared to be "cake" for lunch by our committee's nutritionist - basically white flour bread.  The syrup is basically HFCS.  They are looking for an affordable maple syrup but do not have one yet - but they will be limiting the serving size this year in the meantime.  Actual lunch from our schools above. This meal has a lot of sugar, simple carbohydrates -- no whole grains.

"Puffs" are commodity potatoes processed by McCain's into tater tots -- although they are labeled "frozen pre-formed potato rounds."  They are flash-fried before they get to the frozen part.  They have 7g of fat (one of which is saturated) and 190mg of sodium. Ingredients are: potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn). Contains 2% or less of dextrose, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate added to maintain natural color.

The turkey bacon is by Applegate.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates otherwise - and cites the company saying their products have the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands. 

What's for lunch 5/14/13

Oven baked breaded chicken

Whole grain garlic bread

Sweet corn

Buttered rotini with garlic & oil

Fresh fruit

 Chicken is a flash-fried product from Tyson with 10g of fat and 620mg of sodium. Ingredients: Boneless, skinless chicken breast filets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil. Bread is whole grain. Corn is canned. 

The rotini is  Barilla Plus. The ingredients are: Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid. 

The salad bar is available. And the Boar's head sandwich bar. 

Don't forget this Monday, Wednesday and Thursday their will be a snack sale after school in front of the cafeteria.  There will be pretzels, popcorn, granola bars and sliced organic apples.  Great sources of fiber for our children before they go and play sports. 

What's for lunch 5/13/13

BETTER THAN A PIZZERIA... Flatbread“Margherita” Pizza
Fresh Tomato Sauce, Basil and Local,FreshMozzarella
Cucumber Sticks w/Dip
Fresh Fruit 


The pizza sauce (from Red Pack) ingredients are: Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, citric acid, basil.

For the crust, the ingredients are: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, yeast, soybean oil,, dextrose, salt, calcium propionate, fumaric acid, dough conditioner (wheat flour, salt, soybean oil, l-gyssteine, ascorbic acid, enzyme) potassium sorbate.  The cheese is fresh along with cucumbers and fruit. 

As I might have told you I recently purchased a Nutri- bullet. My family has really enjoyed using it for both juicing and smoothies. Here is a recipe for one I love. 

Dandy Blueberry Green Smoothie

February 18, 2013 8:58 am
By Heather Crosby

0

Keep those nasty winter colds away with this antioxidant- and phytonutrient-rich smoothie. Dandelion greens are loaded with calcium, iron and they are great for detoxing the liver. Power it up with banana (potassium) and hemp seeds (EFAs), too.

Tools:
Blender

Ingredients:
Try to buy everything organic. Here’s why.
5-7 stems of dandelion greens
1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 handful of sweet pea sprouts
1 handful of mixed greens
2 1/2 cups coconut water (or pure water)
1-2 tsp raw, wild-harvested honey
1/2 banana (optional)
2 tsp hemp seeds (optional)

*You can sub any sweet sprouts that you like for sweet pea sprouts. If you can’t find dandelion greens, just use any greens you like.

Let’s get started.
Pack your blender and mix until smooth. Enjoy!

Note: Dandelion greens can be a tad bitter, so if you like, give them a quick steam (1-2 minutes) to curb any bitterness, and then cool in the fridge before you blend them up. You can also add extra honey or banana.

What's for lunch 5/10/13

SOUTHWEST BOWL 
Brown Rice, Tomato, Cheese, Salsa & Romaine Chipotle Vinaigrette
Add Chicken on Request
Zesty Black Beans~ Sweet Corn
Fresh Fruit

GF without Shell


The brown rice is a whole grain but rice has been found to contain significant amounts of arsenic  - so don't eat it every day and make sure you rinse it thoroughly multiple times and boil in extra water like you would pasta/ (Unfortunately, our cafeteria cannot take these extra steps.)

The black beans are canned and the ingredients are "BLACK BEANS, WATER, SALT, AND CALCIUM CHLORIDE" with 140mg of sodium. Cans do contain BPA.

The southwest-style chicken is a processed USDA commodity food from Tyson and described as "fully cooked boneless skinless chicken dark meat chicken fajita strips -smoke flavor added." Here are the ingredients: "Chicken dark meat, water, seasoning [salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, sugar, chili powder (chili pepper, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic powder), lemon juice powder (corn syrup solids, lemon juice, lemon oil), modified corn starch, natural mesquite smoke flavor (maltodextrin, natural smoke flavor), natural flavor (from partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil)], modified food starch and sodium phosphates."  The "partially hydrogenated" oil is a source of trans fat.  Chicken has 7g of fat (2 of which are saturated) and 490 mg of sodium.  Read more about farm animals raised by industrial giants like Tyson,  antibiotics and hormones.  I would skip the chicken.

 The bowl comes from Smokewood Foods. The ingredients are described just as "enriched masa flour" and they look like a big rectangular corn chip. They have 5g of fat and no sodium.

Cheese is Monterrey Jack.  

The salad bar is available and the fruit is always fresh. 

Send your kids to school with money on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. There will be a snack sale by the cafeteria. Everything will be a dollar.  The kids are always starving after school and need a little something before sports.

Happy Mothers Day Everyone ! 

What's for lunch 5/9/13

SOUVLAKI PLATE
Marinated Chicken with Sweet Peppers & Onions on a Warm Whole Wheat Pita Tzatziki Sauce 
Greek Salad
Fresh Fruit
GF when taken without the bun

The chicken is from Tyson. It is described as "1/2" diced chicken meat" and as "boneless, skinless, and fully cooked." It is chicken breast.  The pita is whole wheat and the tzatziki sauce is homemade with yogurt and herbs. 

The greek salad has romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, feta and homemade dressing. The fruit is fresh. 

What's for lunch May 7, 2013

GRILLED CHEESE 2 WAYS!
Whole Wheat Grilled Cheese With Ham or Plain
Romaine Salad w/ Chickpeas & Grape Tomatoes
Fresh Fruit 


The grilled cheese sandwich is made with cheddar or American on whole wheat bread.  We use Nature's Own Whole Wheat Bread for these. The ingredients are: STONE GROUND WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, BROWN SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SALT, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL OR CANOLA OIL), DOUGH, CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM, STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM IODATE, ETHOXYLATED MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, DATEM), CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, VINEGAR, CALCIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM, PHOSPHATE, YEAST FOOD (AMMONIUM SULFATE), SOY LECITHIN.  The ham is boar's head which does contain nitrates.

The salad is made from romaine lettuce, canned chickpeas and grape tomatoes.  The fruit is fresh. 

What's for lunch 5/3/13

TRATTORIA FRIDAY 
Meatless Baked Ziti
or
Chicken Tenders with Marinara Dipping Sauce
Sauteed Spinach w/Garlic & Oil 
Fresh Fruit 

 The ziti is a white flour pasta with some protein by Barilla Plus. The ingredients are:  Semolina, Grain and Legume Flour, Blend (Lentils, Chickpeas, Egg Whites, Spelt, Barley, Flaxseed, Oat Fiber, Oats), Durum Flour, Niacin, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid.

The sauce is a Red Pack vitamin enhanced tomato sauce. The sodium at 140mg is much lower than we previously used.  Here are the ingredients: Tomato Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Sugar, Soybean Oil, Potassium Chloride, Onion Powder, Salt, Citric Acid, Spice, Garlic Powder, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Black Pepper, Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate), Natural Flavor, Vitamin A (Retinol Palmitate).

The chicken is a Tyson "fully cooked chicken breast nugget fritter with rib meat" with 10g of fat and 420mg of sodium.  The ingredients are: Boneless, skinless chicken breast nuggets with rib meat, water, modified food starch, sodium phosphates, salt. PREDUSTED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), wheat gluten, salt. BATTERED WITH: Water, enriched bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), modified corn starch, salt, dextrose, spices, garlic powder, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika and annatto. BREADED WITH: Enriched wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), salt, spices, garlic powder, extractives of paprika, natural flavors (spice extractives). Breading set in vegetable oil.

The fruit and spinach are fresh. I would get the ziti and skip the chicken tenders. And as I always say load up on sides at the salad bar !!

Happy cinco de mayo !! I am making these for Sunday. They are so easy and delicious ! 

Black Bean Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

March 11, 2011

We are on a bit of a mexican food streak around here.   When making out our meal plan last week I asked if there were any requests, as there usually are a few.  Although everyone ask for something different it was all along the same lines…tacos, tortilla soup, tacquitos. I decided to add in my own favorite tacos to round out the week.

This recipe is pretty flexible and can easily be adjusted to your family’s taste.  We used black beans alone, but for a little more protein chicken, pork or beef could be mixed in as well.  If using meat, I would probably omit one of the 2 cans of beans.

It is a great meal to make in advance, the beans and slaw just get more flavorful with time.

Black Bean Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw

Beans adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Slaw inspired by Bobby Flay

2   15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons olive oil

juice of one lime

Hard shell tacos

Feta cheese

Mix beans, cumin, olive oil and lime juice in a medium bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Red Cabbage Slaw

1/2 head red cabbage, finely shredded

4 green onions chopped, both white and green parts

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Salt and pepper

Place cabbage, carrots and onion in a large bowl.  Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice, oil and honey and pour over the cabbage.  Add the cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

To assemble the tacos take your hard shell, add the slaw, then beans and top with a sprinkling of feta.

What's for lunch 5/3/13

BRUNCH FOR LUNCH
Cinnamon Challah French Toast
Applegate® Sunday Bacon
Baked Potato “Puffs” 
Apple Crisp 


Oh the brunch for lunch. Lots of carbs and sugar. I know at least it is Applegate bacon and homemade apple crisp. The baked potato puffs are from a box and the challah bread is white. Kids love it because it is dessert. 

I'm really curious as to why we stopped serving whole wheat french toast to go back to the meal declared to be "cake" for lunch by our committee's nutritionist - basically white flour bread.  The syrup is basically HFCS.  They are looking for an affordable maple syrup but do not have one yet - but they will be limiting the serving size this year in the meantime.  Actual lunch from our schools above. This meal has a lot of sugar, simple carbohydrates -- no whole grains.

The turkey bacon is by Applegate.  Here are the ingredients: Turkey (Turkey Used Never Administered Antibiotics, Growth Promotants or Animal By-products), Water, Sea Salt, Maple Sugar, Celery Juice, Onion Powder, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not From Milk.)  They promote it as nitrate-free but this NYT article indicates otherwise - and cites the company saying their products have the same level (naturally) of cancer-causing nitrates as conventional brands. Readmore about nitrates here.

Puffs" are commodity potatoes processed by McCain's into tater tots -- although they are labeled "frozen pre-formed potato rounds."  They are flash-fried before they get to the frozen part.  They have 7g of fat (one of which is saturated) and 190mg of sodium. Ingredients are: potatoes, vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following oils: canola, soybean, cottonseed, sunflower, corn). Contains 2% or less of dextrose, salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate added to maintain natural color.

The salad and sandwich bar are available. So if your child decides that have to eat the brunch for lunch try making this yummy veggie dish for dinner. Asparagus and peas are in season and they are delicious. My kids love the creamy texture of the risotto. Give it a try !

Asparagus-and-Lemon Risotto

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Risotto is a great base for all kinds of vegetables. It's done when it has a loose consistency and ripples when spooned into a bowl.

Martha Stewart Living, January 2013

• Total Time40 minutes
• YieldServes 4

Ingredients

• 6 cups vegetable stock, preferably homemade
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, stalks cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 cup thawed frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Bring stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in another saucepan. Cook onion, stirring frequently, until soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add rice, cook, stirring, until edges are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring, just until evaporated.
3. Add 1/2 cup hot stock; cook, stirring, until almost absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cup stock in this manner until liquid is creamy and rice is al dente, about 20 minutes total (you may not need to add all the stock). Add asparagus with the last addition of stock, and the peas about 1 minute before risotto is done.
4. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and juice, parsley, cheese, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with additional cheese and lemon zest.

Cook's Note

To make this dish even healthier, replace the Arborio rice with fiber-rich pearl barley or a whole grain such as farro.