Two of my favorite foods in the whole wide world are bananas and avocados. But when one of my HealthCorps students, Sarah Frank, told me that she was combining them into one dish for a cooking contest with her high school students, I couldn’t help but be skeptical. When it comes to certain dishes, I’m a purist - and guacamole is one of them.

I’m happy to report that I was completely wrong. Sarah and her co-worker did a terrific job of creating a creamy banana avocado masterpiece.

The contest was finding a way to incorporate bananas (the secret ingredient) into two savory dishes, which is not so easy to do! Both recipes turned out delightful. Although they have a lot of steps, they are worth the time and energy. The final combination of the different flavors and fresh ingredients is tantalizing to the taste buds.

Viva La Nana (Sweet Quesadillas with Cilantro Pesto and Banana Avocado Dip)

Cilantro Pesto Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 bunches cilantro, washed, stems removed
4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Quesadilla

1 red pepper, chopped
1 green peppers chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 bananas, chopped
12 oz grated Monterey Jack Cheese (or one 12 oz bag of Fiesta Blend cheese)
9 flour or corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste
Cumin to taste

Banana Avocado Dip

1 very ripe banana
2 ripe avocados
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 jalapeno, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cumin (or more to taste)

METHOD

Cilantro Pesto
Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth.

Quesadilla

Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan.  When hot, add onions and peppers.  Saute for 2 minutes and add bananas.  Saute one more minute. Take quesadilla filling off of heat. Spread sautéed vegetable filling on one tortilla.  Sprinkle with cheese and any desired spices. Cover with another tortilla. Heat large sauté pan and add ½ tsp. oil.  Cook quesadilla until cheese begins to melt and tortilla is golden brown and crispy.

Avocado Dip

Remove pit from avocado and scoop out fruit into a bowl.  Peel bananas and break into a few pieces. Add bananas to avocado bowl.  Mash bananas and avocados together with a fork or large spoon. Stir in jalapenos, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and cumin to taste.

Cut quesadillas with a pizza cutter and plate with a drizzle of cilantro pesto and a scoop of avocado dip on top.

Recipes adapted by Sarah Frank and Lilit Suffet from: www.marthastewart.com and www.verybestbaking.com.
Serves 6-8

Caribbean Heat (Sweet Caribbean Chicken Curry)

1  lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes and rubbed with salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
5 shallots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ habanero peppers, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon allspice powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
juice of 1 ½ limes
4 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2-3 ripe bananas, diced
1 15 oz. can low-fat coconut milk
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups brown rice, cooked in advance

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large sauté pan.  When oil is hot, add chicken with a few onions. Cook chicken until it is no longer pink inside.  Take chicken out of pan, and set it aside in a bowl for later.
2. Heat oil in a large pot. When oil is hot, add onions, shallots, and red pepper.  Sauté until onions have softened, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, chili pepper, bananas, and ginger.  Sauté until the garlic is soft, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the turmeric, allspice, coriander, cumin, lime juice, and white wine.  Stir to combine all ingredients.
5. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
6. Add coconut milk and tomatoes.  Partially blend with an immersion blender to thicken.
7. Add chicken back in.
8. Reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
9. Serve over brown rice.

Adapted by Sarah Frank and Lilit Suffet from: www.nevisblog.com

Intern for Nutritionist/Cooking Teacher/Cookbook Author
7/8/10

Are you passionate about food and dream of working in the culinary field? Nutritionist/Cooking Instructor /Cookbook Author seeking intern to assist me in growing my consulting business and marketing my new kids cookbook.  This is a unique opportunity to network with established chefs and food writers while learning how to become an entrepreneur. You must be a self-starter with superb organizational skills, excellent writing skills, and, ideally, some knowledge about food. The following skills are required: Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and tech-savvy (need to manage social media sites like Facebook and Twitter). Knowledge of short video editing is a plus (I plan to create a Youtube channel soon). This is an unpaid internship with the possibility of paid work in the near future (2-3 months). You can work from home. For now, approximately 6-10 hours per week.

Tasks include: setting up book signings and events, marketing new cookbook, researching grant opportunities, updating website, managing social media, uploading video content (and editing it, if possible), blogging (happy to give full credit), sending out monthly newsletter,  and general administration.

Please email your resume and cover letter to: julienegrin@gmail.com.

I just came across an article written by a colleague about cooking fathers. It discusses how dads don’t cook much. I guess the men I know aren’t part of the survey because I know plenty of dads who prepare meals for their families on a regular basis! And since it’s nearly Father’s Day, I thought I’d give a hats off to the many dads who do.

I’ve found that the main reason people don’t do a lot of cooking is that they find the process overwhelming. It’s always best to keep it simple! So, for fathers (and anyone else) looking for some dinner ideas that can be made quickly and/or easily, I created a short list of menu concepts. Whenever people are unsure how to come up with a menu, I suggest that they start with a cuisine or a theme and work from there. If you have an Asian noodle dish you want to make, round out the meal with some edamame and grilled chicken or tofu.

I called a friend in Seattle who cooks the majority of his family meals and asked him for his most popular dinners. All of these (with the exception of the Pad Thai) are extremely easy to pull together. Since he rarely cooks from a recipe, I searched online for similar dishes that look tasty, have good ratings, and don’t take long to prepare. The cherry tomato pasta dish is so easy that his 10 year old daughter often  makes it by herself!

Top Five Go-To Meals by Dad

1) Latin: Chicken Fajitas made with Green Peppers and Onions, served in Flour Tortillas with Homemade Guacamole

2) Seattle: Barbecued Salmon, served with Steamed or Grilled Asparagus with Butter, and a Baguette

3) Asian: Thai Dinner: Pad Thai and Coconut Red Curry with Shrimp or Tofu served with Sticky White Rice

4) Italian: Penne with Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Garlic, Olive Oil, and Parmesan Cheese

5) American: Flank Steak made with Soy Sauce, Red Wine, Honey, Garlic, Salt and Pepper (marinated for 24 hours) served with Caesar Salad, and Baked Potato or Rice Pilaf (or Grilled Corn in the summer)

I’m keeping this post short and sweet. Happy Father’s Day to all the incredible papas who take such care good care of their families. We love ya.

Never in a thousand years did I think volunteering in schools would land me at the White House. It has certainly be an exciting couple of weeks for children’s nutrition. Michelle Obama launched a new program called, “Chefs Move to Schools” at the White House on Friday, June 4th.  I was fortunate enough to be invited through Share Our Strength (SOS). It was an incredible honor to attend such a momentous event! Chefs are typically happy working behind-the-scenes so it was pretty awesome to see a crowd of humble chefs in their “whites” milling around the South Lawn of the White House.

We started the morning off with a breakfast hosted by SOS. The speakers included Assistant White House Chef Sam Kass. We then walked over to the White House where we proceeded through three checkpoints. We toured Michelle Obama’s organic garden before being seated to hear Chef Sam Kass and First Lady Michelle Obama speak on behalf of children.

I didn’t think I could admire Michelle Obama any more than I already did – but, WOW, I discovered that I could! She is not only advocating for kids health and opening the eyes of bureaucrats and calling out food corporations – she is also so dang COOL! The videos I shot of her are kind of shaky so here is a link to the “official” video. One of the best days ever. Read on to see what YOU can do to help improve the health of our nation’s kids.

To see more photos of my White House journey, visit my Facebook page.

On June 10th, Food Research Action Center (FRAC) organized a Lobby Day in Washington DC to advocate for the Child Reauthorization Act (CNR). This legislation is extremely important right now. It covers critical programs like School Lunch, Summer and Weekend Feeding Programs, and Women, Infant, and Children (WIC).  CNR is only up for re-signing every four or five years. If the Senate does not sign it soon, it will expire on September 30th and we’ll have to wait even longer to improve school lunches, increase funding for Farm to School, and fund all kinds of other programs that will help children receive access to food.

Farm to School/Community Food Security Coalition were kind enough to bring me down for Lobby Day last week. Chefs from around the country took time out of their busy schedule to fly to DC and lobby for the kids. I’m still very new to lobbying but I’ve already noticed how resigned many of the staffers (the people who work for members of Congress) appear in our meetings. After we started one particular meeting, where one staffer looked like she was ready to take a nap, two chefs walked in wearing their white chef coats, Bill Telepan (Telepan) and Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto and Top Chef Masters). You should have seen the staffer perk up! Suddenly, she was sharing stories about how her family shops at farm stands and what they like to cook together. This is why no matter what, my work will always involve sharing my love of cooking in some way or another. It’s the great common denominator, a tradition that every single human being on the planet shares. Now, if only we could get warring nations to cook a meal together….

It doesn’t surprise me that chefs are now championing children’s nutrition. Chefs are typically very energetic people who have one thing in common: they love nourishing others. Many of them have been working with children in the schools long before it became popular this past year. When Congressman George Miller announced his new bill for $8 billion for CNR (versus Blanche’s meager $4.5 billion) at a press conference on June 10th, it was chefs standing behind him. The troops supporting their leader standing strong in uniforms of chefs coats.

I know everyone is going a mile a minute these days but this is IMPORTANT. The healthier our kids, the healthier our nation. Please take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and call or email your representative - it’s very easy to email from the Healthy School Campaign website. Click here to EMAIL or click here to PHONE your representative. Thank you for supporting our kids!

To see more photos of Lobby Day, visit my Facebook page.

“If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men.” –Maria Montessori

Lobby Day for the Child Nutrition Reauthorization act (see next post) ended with a food tasting - my favorite kind of event. Celebrity chefs from around the country kindly cooked up mouthwatering dishes such as Seared Tuna and Asian Slaw and Potato Belinis with Smoked Trout. The lobbyists said it was the best event that they had ever attended!

I have a recipe for one of the dishes which was superb. Salmon cakes are very inexpensive (you can used canned salmon) and extremely easy to prepare. Enjoy!

Ginger Cilantro Salmon Cakes

1/2 cup celery, minced
1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, plus 1 pinch (optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (you can make your own in a food processor with stale bread)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 lb (2 cans) canned salmon (you can substitute tuna, chopped chicken or sardines)

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the celery, onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, mustard, cayenne, and sea salt. Add egg and breadcrumbs to mixture.

Fold in the salmon and mix well. Form small 2-inch patties for appetizer size salmon cakes or 4-inch patties for entree size cakes. Set aside on a platter.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan and fry the patties for roughly 3 minutes on each side, or until golden-brown. You will know when the bottom is nicely browned because the patty will slide easily across the pan when you try to flip it. Allow to cool and top with yogurt dill sauce or salsa.

Recipe adapted from Operation Frontline - Share Our Strength Chef Ana Villalobos

I know that a lot of people feel our country has been down more than it’s been up lately. But walking on the Hill reminded me that this is still a democratic country. And that means that we can all make a difference. Look at how much money we raised for Haiti in a matter of days! If we work together on these issues, we can turn it around. I believe that. Click here to make a difference.

I took this shot at the end of Lobby Day on my walk to the metro.

To see more photos from Lobby Day, visit my Facebook page.

A big THANK YOU to the chefs who flew in from around the country to lobby for kids and feed us!

CHRISTOPHER ALBRECHT, Eno Terra, Princeton, NJ

CATHAL ARMSTRONG, Restaurant Eve, Washington DC

ZACH BELL, Cafe Boulud, Palm Beach

BILL BRADY, Sonoma Restaurant, Worcester, MA

RJ COOPER, Vidalia, Washington DC

MICHELLE GAYER, The Salty Tart, Minneapolis

DAVID GUAS, Damgoodsweet, McClean, VA

LINTON HOPKINS, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta

MARY SUE MILLIKEN, Border Grill, Santa Monica, CA

WILL MOONEY, The Brothers Moon, Princeton, NJ

BILL TELEPAN, Telepan Restaurant, NYC

ANA VILLALOBOS

JONATHAN WAXMAN, Barbuto, NYC

I realize that the school year is ending soon but here are some inventive ideas on how to raise money for schools! This post is also on the Super Kids Nutrition blog - it’s a great site, check it out! www.superkidsnutrition.com.

Help Schools Raise Money

I have lots of good memories of bake sales and school fundraisers at my elementary school. Every year, they had a cake walk. I played it so many times that I won cakes two years in row. But, times have changed. Recently, there was a heated battle about bake sales. New York City banned schools from selling homemade baked goods in order to prevent foodborne illnesses. School officials said it was also to fight obesity. Yet, Pop Tarts were on the list of approved products.

Schools need to raise money. This is indisputable. Instead of banning things - why don’t we come up with new ideas that are beneficial to the community AND raise money for schools? You don’t need to be a parent in order to make a difference at your local school. Perhaps you have a small business that you could promote at a school fundraisier while also providing goods or services at a discounted rate.  It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

By initiating fundraisers that do not involve selling sugary baked goods, we are sending an important nutrition message to kids as well as teaching them how to think outside the box and be creative business entrepreneurs.

Here are some inventive fundraising ideas. I included links at the bottom that include even more options.

Create a cookbook with healthy recipes from the community. With Mac computers and online publishers like Lulu.com and Blurb.com, it’s an easy and fun way to collaborate with members of the community and create a useful product to sell.

Sell items with the school logo on it. The site Vistaprint.com allows you to upload logos that can be printed on calendars, coffee mugs, or pens. It’s inexpensive, easy, and quick.

Help families go green. Sell BPA-free water bottles and eco-friendly lunch boxes.

Sell gardening kits or composting kits. Any time you make it easy for people to start a new eco-habit, you are doing a good deed!

Create T-shirts for a fundraising activity that helps the community. Start an annual school walk-a-thon or offer to build a garden at a local community center. By selling the T-shirts with an artsy logo, you’re promoting a good cause while also raising funds.

Hold your own farmer’s market. Enlist local farmer’s or grocery stores to get involved. Create your own farmer’s market at the school by having the kids build little stands with signs. Ask parents who are confident cooks to hold cooking demos.  One parent sold scripts from her local Farmers’ Markets. The market sold tokens at a 10% discount, then the parents sold them at full price. According to the Florida Fruit Association, fruit fundraisers can raise $8,000-$10,000 in as few as one to two weeks.

Sell local food products. You’ll be supporting local businesses and raising funds for the school at the same time. In 2009, schools in southern Wisconsin collectively sold more than $50,000 of local and fairly-traded products.

Cater a dinner cooked by kids. One of my colleagues runs a wonderful nutrition and cooking program within Children’s AID Society in New York City. Some of her high school students started cooking for school staff meetings and they loved the food so much that it’s now a side business where teens learn how to cook and run a catering business.

Sell flowers! You make the sales, Flower Power gets 50%, and your school gets the rest. The company will mail plants directly to each person who orders so that the parents and the school don’t have to do anything after the sale.

Hold an Iron Chef event. Find a local celebrity chef to be the judge and have different members of the community participate.  Charge each person per head and invite the press for media coverage. It’s fun, inventive and you can hold an auction - or silent auction - at the event in order to raise additional funds.

There are lots of options out there besides selling baked goods! For more ideas and information, check out the following links:

http://www.cspinet.org/schoolfundraising.pdf

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Seattle Public Schools - scroll to PTA healthy fundraising for links

School Nutrition Association - Scroll to fundraising