CHICAGO — Washington High School students are cooking up award-winning meals at their school — and bringing them to Washington, D.C.
The students, who participate in a program where they craft recipes and then cook the meals, work to perfect their art on weekends and before and after school, officials said at a Wednesday Board of Education meeting.
The young chefs won a citywide competition to craft healthy, delicious recipes, making Cajun chicken lettuce wraps, deconstructed peach and yogurt pizza and roasted corn relish, and will head to D.C. in early June to represent Chicago in the national Cooking Up Change contest. In the meantime, their menu is being served to Chicago Public Schools students.
More than 120 students are a part of the program, said coordinator David Blackman, and throughout the program's history its students have received $15 million in scholarships and 7,000 food sanitation certifications.
Check out the recipes:
Cajun Chicken Lettuce Wraps
What you need:
• 4 antibiotic-free chicken drumsticks
• 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 3 teaspoons chicken soup base
• 8 ounces brown rice
• 2 cups canned black beans, drained
• 4 ounces lime juice
• 8 Romaine lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce
Makes 4 servings.
What to do:
1. Rub 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning over each drumstick. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (about 30 minutes). Set aside.
2. In the meantime, combine chicken soup base with 8 cups of water in a large pot. Stir in the brown rice. Bring it a boil and then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until water is halfway evaporated. Add black beans and then continue to cook for 5 minutes.
3. Fluff the rice with a fork. Add the lime juice and the rest of the Cajun seasoning. Mix thoroughly.
4. Nestle the lettuce leaves together, with one inside the other. Layer the rice mixture and cheddar cheese onto the leaves. Drizzle them with sour cream and Sriracha.
5. Serve alongside the drumstick.
Deconstructed Peach & Yogurt Pizza
What you need:
• 1 frozen, panbaked pizza crust
• 2 cups canned, diced peaches
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 ounces vanilla yogurt
Makes 4 servings.
What to do:
1. Cut the pizza dough into quarters. Put three of the quarters into the freezer to use another time.
2. Spray the remaining pizza dough with pan spray and then sprinkle it with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Bake the dough at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
3. Cut the pizza dough into four equal pieces.
4. In a small pot, combine peaches (with juice), the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and all of the nutmeg. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes until the mix is slightly thickened and heated through.
5. Scoop 1/4 of the peach mixture into a cup. Top with 1/4 of the yogurt. Repeat with three more cups.
6. Wedge one piece of pizza crust into each cup. Serve.
Roasted Corn Relish
What you need:
• 4 cups frozen corn
• 1 cup diced green pepper
• 1/2 cup canned jalapeno slices, drained
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon bottled lime juice
Makes 4 servings.
What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread corn on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until dark and golden.
2. Place diced green pepper on a second baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, drain and chop jalapeno slices.
4. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together, including the lime juice, and serve.
Recipes courtesy Board of Education.
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