Tenzin is planting a tree!

Maria Finn is probably among the coolest people you will ever hear of.

Why?

Because she has a book, named “A Little Piece of Earth,” which is possibly the cutest thing in the world. It teaches you how to garden and how something as seemingly trivial as soil could grow into something amazing. As if that weren’t enough, she even helped WOYP? create our own window garden. She knows just about everything about urban gardening, which is great because not many people in the city do. We even have an apple tree on our balcony! Our little friend, Tenzin who is only five years old – and is also the cutest thing in the world, helped and he basically planted an entire garden (with Maria’s help.) You should read this book if you want to turn your apartment/house into a miniature forest.

We told you this was cool.

Click here to see Maria’s blog.

These cookies were originally made at the Capri Bakery on East 116th street in NYC. Now you can bake them right at home! 

So this is how you make them:

• Ingredients-
• 2.3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cupe mashed ripe banana
• 1 cup lowfat plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon rum flavor
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup sweet flaked coconut
• 1.2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• dash of ground ginger 

Directions-

1. Preheat 350 degrees F
2. Place first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until blended
3. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup and level with a knife
4. Combine flour and remaining ingredients in a seperate bowl, stirring with a whisk
5. Stir flour mixture with banana mixture.
6. Drop dough by 2-tablespoons onto parchment-paper-lined baking sheet
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned.
8. Remove from oven and let cool completely.  

Serving size is 20 cookies. Courtesy of The Go Green East Harlem Cookbook.

Apart from being probably the most amazing cookies you will ever eat, they’re also really healthy. So you could eat them guilt-free.

Healthy Schools Campaign and the National Farm to School Network have set up a competition for students across America. They were challenged to concoct a new and improved healthy school lunch. The will be lasts for two days, from May 17-19^th. The competition is meant to encourage schools to promote real food, rather then the cheap and gross substitutes. The students with the most ideal school lunch – meaning healthy and tasty – win. The finalists include The Tohono O’odham Community Action Cooking Club, who gave an interview recently on their experiences with the contest.

When asked about their experience, they said,

…it’s not only creating a healthy meal, it’s creating a healthy community. To show that healthy food tastes good. It’s our traditional way to be healthy and we need to get back to that with our traditional foods.

We think they’re doing a great job, and look forward to seeing the schools make positive change in the lunchroom.

Little Chefs

Okra is a delicious, high-fiber food with great taste and texture.

Enjoy it in this vegetable-packed stew, courtesy of The Go Green East Harlem Cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 handful of fresh okra
• 1 red pepper, stemmed and diced
• 1 green pepper, stemmed and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 clove finely chopped fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• pinch of cumin
• pinch of basil
• 3 pinches of parsley
• pinch of oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon gumbo file

Directions:

1. In a small pot, add water, brown rice, 1/4 cup vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Simmer 40 minutes or until rice is soft.
2. Wash fresh okra and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Place okra in a small pot of boiling water, cook for 30 seconds, remove and drain.
3. In a large skillet, add 1/8 cup of vegetable stock, cooked okra, green and red peppers, and cook over medium heat until mix becomes fragrant. Transfer to a small pot.
4. Add remaining vegetable stock to pot and bring to boil. While stirring, add all spices except gumbo file.
5. Continue to stir, cook until okra is golden brown, and then add gumbo file.
6. Cook for 10 minutes longer and serve on brown rice.
7. Enjoy!

SERVES 4

Hey, Internet, so this week we’re celebrating School Nutrition Professional Week. You’re supposed show you cafeteria staff at school how much you appreciate them. Here are some tips we got from School Nutrition:

1.     Be polite in line and give the professionals a special greeting. Please, thank you and a smile can go along way in making someone’s day.

2.     Recognize your School Nutrition Professionals’ achievements during morning announcements or even during a special segment.

3.     Ask the student government or another student group to help out in the cafeteria by cleaning tables, taking out trash, sweeping floors, etc.

4.     Introduce your staff during the lunch period and prepare the students ahead of time to give them a standing ovation and a huge round of applause.

5.     Arrange with your principal to have the teachers and their classes write notes of appreciation to your staff. Post them in the cafeteria for the customers to read.

Another cool idea would be interviewing the cafeteria staff about how they feel about school lunch. Here are some of our own ideas of things you could ask, also found in the WOYP? Curriculum guide:

1.     How many meals are prepared each day?

2.     What are the common items ordered?

3.     How are the meals prepared?

4.     How do you decide how much food and what foods to purchase?

5.     Where does the food come from?

Feel free to make up your own questions as well!

You should also ask the staff if you could “tour” the lunchroom, while you’re at it. Keep notes on what you observe. For example, what kind of kitchen equipment does the lunchroom have? Do they use stoves or microwaves? Do they keep the nutritional facts? What ingredients are most commonly used?

Don’t forget to check out the WOYP? video clip, with our own school nutrition professional, Head Dietician Jackie Vargas!

Did you know you can make your own pickles?! We didn’t until we tried them, and they’re so yummy when you make them at home! This recipe comes from Grub, Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry’s book which was featured at the end of What’s On Your Plate? the movie.

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Inactive prep time: at least 24 hours
• Cooking time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 or 3 large carrots (about 1 pound), peeled
• 1 cup white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar (or any other kind of clear vinegar)
• 2 Tablespoons organic raw cane sugar
• Course sea salt

1. Cut the carrots into sticks that are 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.
2. Combine 2 cups water, the vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and add the carrots. Bring back toa boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
   Transfer the carrots and liquid to a glass container (not metal). Let cool and cover.
3. Refrigerate the covered pickles for at least 24 hours before serving. (They will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator)
4. Eat them and laugh.