A large part of HealthCorps mission is to keep their programs affordable for low-income communities through exciting fundraising events. This Friday, January 27^th, is HealthCorps 2nd annual Chili-Off hosted at Berry Park, Brooklyn from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.  In order to compete, ten teams must have one “secret” ingredient picked out, and a interesting story behind their chili which they will tell to the audience and judges.  The entrance fee for the Chili-Off is $10, and includes beer along with a sample of each of the ten different chilis!  Tickets will be sold at the door of the event.  The money raised helps to support HealthCorps hard-working coordinators in each school they serve, who are full-time advocates for the healthy eating habits of the community.

Check out this video for footage from last year’s contest! We hope to see you there!

The makers of What’s on your plate?, a documentary about kids and food politics featuring two NYC elementary school students on their journey to find out where the food comes from that they eat everyday, are debuting tomorrow morning on Sesame Street!

Tune in Wednesday, January 25th, at 7 am, when Idris Goodwin, from What’s On Your Plate? will be rhyming about healthy food. Also featured in the Rhyming Block Episode: Robin Williams, Samantha Bee as Mother Goose & Super Grover, Brought to you by: the letter “I” and the number “13.“

The details: 10 a.m. to 5:15 pm at the Times Center, 242 W. 41st. St. (between Seventh and Eighth aves.); 212-556-4300

The thoughtful, inspiring and educational talks from people of various expertise and viewpoints in every field imaginable, has made TED a household word, provoking conversations that matter across the country and globe. TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission “ideas worth spreading.” The TEDx program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.

Tomorrow, “Changing the way we eat,” will feature speakers from the world of food, politics and science. Butter Beans is committed to doing our part in revolutionizing school food and connecting this generation of youth to their food systems with a vision of just food policy in our future. If you are able to, come join our CEO and Co-Founder Belinda DiGiambattista who will be in attendance tomorrow at the Times Center.

The day’s line-up:

10:30am Session 1- Issues
ETHEL
TED Video
Dr. David Wallinga, Antibiotic Resistance
Wenonah Hauter, Food/Farming Consolidation in Poultry Industry
Dr. Robert S. Lawrence, Health/Meat Reduction/Consumption
Performance
Patty Cantrell, New Roads to Markets
Urvashi Rangan, Labeling and the Controversy Around it

12:05pm-1:20pm-Lunch

1:20pm Session 2- Impact
TED video
Fred Kirschenmann, Soil
Michelle Hughes, GrowNYC – Immigrant Farming
Performance
Mitchell Davis, How Taste Affects Food Behavior
Wayne Pacelle, Impact of Factory Farming
Howard Hinterthuer, Veteran’s Food Production Project
Stephen Ritz, Edible Food Walls and How They’re Changing Students’ Lives.

3:15pm-3:45pm Break

3:45pm-5:35pm Session 3- Innovation
TED Video
Cara Rosaen, Online System for Restaurant Goers to Find Out Where Their Food Came From
Marianne Cufone, Recirculating Farms, What They Are and How They’re Helping People
Stefani Bardin video
Kerry McLean, Green Cart Program in NYC
Paul Lightfoot, Commercial Hydroponics on Top of Stores
Performance
Frieda Lim video
Kavita Shukla, Organic Paper That Keeps Produce Fresh
Gary Oppenheimer, Food Pantries and Food Distribution

For those of you unable to attend, the talks will be webcast online and at viewing parties through the city (click here for live webcast and viewing party information).

For more info, visit: tedxmanhattan.org

Sue’s Super Seasonal Squash Soup Snack

Ingredients:

• One package peeled and cubed butternut squash (got this at Trader Joes – love, love, love TJs for recipe “cheating”)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 carton organic chicken stock (or veggie if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons curry (alternatively you could use cinnamon and nutmeg or whatever spices you love with squash!) Please note: I didn’t measure- since this was a “try it and see what happens” kind of recipe I just improvised.
• 1 small pinch of cayenne (if you like spice at home!- this is totally optional)
• 1 generous splash organic whole milk (or cream)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large pot.   Add onion and sauté until translucent.
2. Add peeled cubed squash and then cover with broth until all squash is covered.
3. Bring to a boil, sprinkle your spices in, lower heat and simmer.
4. Simmer until all squash is fork tender (about 35-40 minutes).  When squash is done add your milk.

Now, here’s another short cut: Instead of transferring soup to a blender,which is the usual way, use an immersion blender! You can simply put it in the pot, turn it on high, mix everything around and voila! Soup!  A blender works just fine too, it’s just one more step to transfer the soup to the blender, then back to the pot (be careful not to overfill the blender and splash hot soup!).  But – I cannot recommend a hand held immersion blender highly enough – it will change your life.

Now when your kids come in chilled you can satisfy them with a warm, healthy bowl of quick, delicious soup for snack.

What are your favorite winter snacks?

Where we will be doing all of this cooking?  

Butter Beans Summer Camp will be hosted at Ger-Nis Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center headquarters! We love Ger-nis for their commitment to creating better chefs and more educated eaters.  Of course, the stunning loft space doesn’t hurt. Located on President St. in Park Slope, Brooklyn, the Ger-nis Culinary and Herb Center offers vibrant kitchen spaces, top of the line equipment, and the freshest ingredients available, all accessible to our campers.  Your child will feel like they’re hosting their own cooking show.  The space provides kid-friendly cooking stations and utensils in just about every color imaginable.  But don’t let your children have all the fun! Ger-Nis’s Culinary and Herb Center hosts a slew of unique cooking classes for adults, from “Make Your Own Take-Out,” to “Sunday Night Italian.”

The founder, Nissa (read her bio here!) describes herself as a passionate gardener and fresh herb aficionado.  Nissa strongly believes in the phrase “from seed to mouth,” which has become the mission statement of the Ger-Nis Culinary and Herb Center.  They aim to teach students not only how to cook great food, but how to grow a lot of it themselves.  Similar to Butter Beans, Ger-Nis emphasizes the importance of the origin of different foods and the ways in which cooking can be a great medium to connect to different cultures.

Can it get any better? We are so thankful for such an amazing space, and for Nissa and the rest of the Ger-Nis team.  Our campers will be, too!

*Registration has begun, and if you sign up by March 15, 2012, you will get 10% off, so reserve your space now! For more information or to register, email us at Camp@ButterBeansKitchen.com

Here is one of our favorite winter recipes, and the perfect side dish!  This is a great one to try with kids of any age. Having your children measure out the herbs is a practical way to learn basic math skills, and chopping them up helps teach them knife skills (we love the OXO and the Zyliss lettuce knives).  Also, all of the herbs in this recipe add a soothing aroma to your kitchen space, sure to get your taste buds watering!

Roasted Herbed Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 6 large potatoes, cubed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the cubed potatoes into a large skillet, with the remaining ingredients.  Toss together so that potatoes are evenly coated.  Cook for about 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are golden brown.

Let us know how they turn out.  We can’t wait to hear from you!

The recipe calls for coconut oil which has caused much controversy in the past. The FDA classified coconut in 2006 as a nut in the list of tree nuts to avoid when dealing with tree nut allergies. Coconut is actually a fruit though, and usually does not present any danger to people with tree nut allergies. Some people are simply allergic to coconut though (more commonly in India apparently, and more rare in the US), so it is always best to check of course. The recipe below calls for coconut oil which can be switched out for butter with great success if needed.

Chocolate cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups garbanzo-fava bean flour
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Vermont nut free baking products offers chocolate powder in a dedicated nut-free facility)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1 1/3 cups agave nectar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 3 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla and hot water to the dry ingredients. Stir until batter is smooth.
3. Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it.
4. Bake the cupcakes on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the tins 180 degrees after 15 minutes. The finished cupcakes will bounce back when pressure is applied gently to the center.
5. Let the cupcakes stand in the tins for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Frost to taste, or top with a round slice of strawberry and blueberry on top.
6. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Happy baking!

Check out this fascinating interactive graph from UC Berkeley’s School of Journalism, from a food and health reporting project. Click on the link, and scroll back and forth on the image to see the average daily calorie consumption over the past three decades. The different circles represent the five main food groups (grains, proteins, fruits, vegetables, dairy), alongside added fats and sugars in our foods.  It is interesting that the number of fruits, vegetables, and dairy intake was about the same in 2008 as it was in 1970.  However, the amount of grains, added sugars, and saturated fats have gone up – and big time.  Considering it is these added sugar and fats that most directly lead to weight gain, it’s not surprising that our obesity rates have tripled in the last three decades.

The average daily calorie intake was 2168 in 1970, and 2673 in 2008.  That’s about an 18% increase! Although an extra 505 calories a day might not seem like much, it’s actually an extra 184, 325 calories per year. That’s more than one hundred White Castle Large Chocolate shakes, or over 200 Burger King double whopper burgers!

What can we do to stop it?  Teach our kids the importance of choosing nutritious meals, and show them how to cook fresh food themselves! Think about enrolling your child in Butter Beans after school or summer camp programs to get a head-start on healthy eating and living.

A special thanks to Andrea Jezovit with UC Berkleys’ News 21 project for compiling all of this data! (http://www.acaloriecounter.com/fast-food-calories.php)

At Butter Beans, the New Year brings more students to our lunch lines, more eager chefs to our cooking classes and fantastic plans for our second annual Food & Garden summer camp. We are fortunate to celebrate additions to our team that contribute to our mission of changing the way school lunch happens and to bringing children of all ages into the fold of our food supply and practices. Thank you for your ongoing support of our mission, and for helping us continually grow and evolve to serve you better.

All change begins with a thought, of what we imagine possible. May this be a year of great positive change for the health and happiness of our children and communities.

Happy 2012 from all of us at Butter Beans!

Cheese!

Because you’ll hear it enough during the holiday time, mine as well eat some.  We love that Murray’s offers a huge online gift catalog and a variety of gift boxes, ranging from $25 to $175.  For those of us a bit more experienced with our cheeses (like our campers!), there is a build-your-own option for gifts as well.

 A bamboo cutting board

Because you can never really have enough cutting boards.  The beautiful color is perfect for serving cheese and crackers or other appetizers, as well.  Check out some of the different options at Totally Bamboo.  We loved the Hawaiian collection (see image left)!

A personalized embroidered cooking apron 

We liked all of the different options from William Sonoma. From sports logos to holiday-themes, to those with a feminine touch, there are plenty of choices.  This one is fun for the kids, too!

A subscription to great food, delivered!

Really, though. Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSA) allow you to buy local produce, meats, and even coffee directly from farmers. This website allows you to plug in a zip code, and check out the offers in your areas.  A two-month subscription can range anywhere from $30-500, depending on the type and amount of food.  Many places, such as Rustic Roots Delivery on Long Island, offer gift baskets as well.  Not only are you giving the gift of great food, but supporting local farmers and the environment as well.  A win- win!

Chocolate

We’re all about healthy food, but let’s admit it.  If there’s anytime to splurge, it’s the holidays. Luckily Mast Brothers, located in Brooklyn (another Butter Beans Camp favorite!), makes it easy.  They use organically farmed cacao beans for their craft chocolates.  Our favorite? The Brooklyn Blend bar, made with red wine and plum. Check out their website for more information.

All of us at Butter Beans, wish you and yours a wonderful end of 2011 and holiday season!