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Teen Chefs’ Healthy Dishes Earn Scholarships
in First Nationwide C-CAP Meatless Monday Recipe Contest
NEW YORK, March 13, 2012—Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), the national leader providing scholarships, education, and career opportunities in the culinary arts to underserved youth and Meatless Monday, an initiative of the nonprofit The Monday Campaigns, which provides healthy and environmentally friendly information and recipes, are proud to announce today the winners of the 2012 C-CAP Meatless Monday Recipe Contest.
Thousands of C-CAP high school seniors became head chefs in their classrooms and were introduced to the Meatless Monday public health campaign encouraging everyone to start each week with a healthy meal. While working with their culinary arts teachers to concoct the original meatless entree, the teen chefs were encouraged to use the recipe contest to explore new fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
“We’re excited to be working with C-CAP, encouraging aspiring chefs to develop imaginative recipes that can be offered as alternatives on the menu, while simultaneously showing them that meatless meals can be both healthy and delicious,” says Sid Lerner, founder and chairman of The Monday Campaigns.
Each C-CAP school was invited to submit only one student recipe and photo. Seven finalists were selected and presented to a distinguished panel of judges. Three scholarships will be awarded this spring at the C-CAP Cooking Competitions for Scholarships Awards in the hometown of the winning student chefs. The first prize winner will receive $5,000, the second prize winner will receive $3,000, and the third prize winner will receive $2,000.
“Through this contest, student chefs were guided by their teachers on recipe writing and development and were able to showcase their talent creating exciting meatless recipes,” says C-CAP president Susan Robbins. “C-CAP has teamed up with The Monday Campaigns to give high school seniors the opportunity for scholarships while promoting healthy eating in high schools and communities throughout the nation.”
The recipe submissions were judged on originality, flavor, healthfulness, ease of preparation, and writing ability. The recipe contest winners are from Los Angeles, California;Chesapeake, Virginia (C-CAP Hampton Roads); and Chicago, Illinois. The judges evaluating the submissions for the first annual C-CAP Meatless Monday Recipe Contest were: Dawn Jackson Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet; Laurie David and Kristen Uhrenholdt, co-authors of The Family Dinner; Ellie Krieger, host of the Food Network’s hit show,Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger, now airing on the Cooking Channel, and USA Today columnist; Joey Lee, food editor of Hillary Mickle, founder of FOODILY, “the world’s largest recipe network”’ Ron Taylor, executive chef of Brand Aromatics, and Scott Uehlein, corporate chef ofCanyon Ranch.
The winners are:
1st prize: $5,000 scholarship:
Nicole Caceres of JohnMarshallHigh School, Los Angeles, CA, created Black Bean Mole Stew. Nicole intends to take her culinary education to a very artistic place. Her passions include pastry, cake design, sugar sculpture, and overall aesthetic pleasures of food. She maintains a 3.3 GPA and participates in the student-run Cafe Blue on her campus. She has an incredibly supportive family who can't wait to see her succeed in the food world.
“I use food as a medium to express my artistic vision just like a painter might use water colors,” says Nicole.
2nd prize: $3,000 scholarship:
Danielle Hill(Dani) of WesternBranchHigh School, Chesapeake, VA(C-CAP Hampton Roads, VA) submitted Lentil and Wild Rice Stuffed Zucchini. Dani credits her grandmother for helping her realize her love for baking and pastry. She is a member of the National Honor Society with a 3.89 GPA, works as a hostess in a local restaurant, and is planning to attend Johnson & Wales University, majoring in Baking Pastry Arts, in the fall.
“I selected a vegetable that would withstand being stuffed and enlisted my classmates as the taste testers for the recipe. They voted for the recipe that was submitted,” says Danielle.
3rd prize: $2,000 scholarship:
Mary Geyer of Lane Tech College Prep and Gallery 37 AAEP, Chicago, IL, shared Red Coconut Curry with Tofu. Mary has always loved food and family meals and recently discovered her interest in cooking professionally. She has been a vegetarian for the past six years and is planning to attend culinary school in the fall.
“The Meatless Monday competition has further encouraged me to expand and diffuse my knowledge about the benefits of vegetarianism, which includes being healthy and environmentally friendly by means of food production,” says Mary.
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Winning Recipes of C-CAP Meatless Monday Recipe Contest
1st prize: $5,000 C-CAP Meatless Monday Scholarship, Nicole Caceres, JohnMarshallHigh School, Los Angeles, CA
Black Bean Mole Stew
Yield: 6 1-cup portions
Ingredients:
6 poblano chilies
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups tomato juice
1 can (15 ounce) vegetable broth
1 cup of quinoa
2 (15 ounce) cans S&W Black Beans, drained
¼ cup almond butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo, minced
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
For Garnish:
Grated cheddar cheese
1 avocado
Sour cream
Pomegranate seeds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Use tongs or a kitchen fork to hold poblanos over the open flame on the range. Roast poblano peppers until the skins are blistered. Peel, seed and devein the peppers. Dice the poblano flesh.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. Add onions and diced poblanos. Saute until the onions are soft. Add garlic, cumin, & cinnamon. Continue to sauté about 3 more minutes until very fragrant. Add tomato juice, vegetable stock, quinoa and beans. Simmer, stirring frequently, about 20-25 minutes, until quinoa is tender. A white “halo” around the quinoa grains is a sign that they are done cooking. Add almond butter, chocolate, chipotle, & cilantro. Stir well to incorporate. Garnish with cheese, avocado, sour cream, and/or pomegranate seeds.
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2nd prize: $5,000 C-CAP Meatless Monday Scholarship, Danielle Hill of Western Branch High School, Chesapeake, VA (C-CAP Hampton Roads, VA)
Lentil and Wild Rice Stuffed Zucchini
Yield: 6
Serving Size: 1 shell
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup water
1/3 cup dry lentils, rinsed
1 bay leaf
3 large zucchini (Approx. 6 inches in length), halved lengthwise with stem end removed, reserve pulp
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing zucchini
½ cup medium diced onion
1/3 cup medium diced celery
2/3 cups chopped mushroom
½ cup medium diced red pepper
2 small cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried tarragon
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white wine (or white grape juice)
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup cooked wild rice
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Bring 1 2/3 cups of water to a simmer, add lentils and bay leaf. Simmer until the lentils are soft, about 35-40 minutes. If any, drain remaining water and remove bay leaf when cooked.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While lentils cook, slice the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out seeds and pulp into a bowl leaving ¼” around the sides. Chop the pulp.
When the lentils have about 20 minutes left to cook, brush the extra vegetable oil over the zucchini shells and bake cut side down until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large skillet and cook the zucchini pulp, onions, celery, mushrooms, red peppers, and garlic until soft, but not brown and most of the liquid is evaporated. Add the cooked lentils, cooked wild rice, tarragon, marjoram, cumin, sesame oil, white wine or white grape juice, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and remove from heat.
Once the zucchini shells are tender and filling is cooked, scoop the filling into the zucchini shells. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestion: Accompany the Lentil and Wild Rice Stuffed Zucchini with tri-colored cheese tortellini and a tossed salad.
**recipe tested with white wine and Rice Select royal blend wild rice.
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3rd prize: $2,000 C-CAP Meatless Monday Scholarship, Mary Geyer, Lane Tech College Prep and Gallery 37 AAEP, Chicago
Red Coconut Curry with Tofu and Brown Rice
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 cups dry brown rice
4 cups water
3 (16oz) packages firm tofu, large dice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup sliced mushrooms, ¼ inch thick
2 cans (16 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (16 oz) coconut milk
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons red curry paste
3 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
½ cup basil leaves, chiffonade (shredded in julienne strips)
Salt and pepper, as needed
2 basil leaves, chiffonade for garnish
Directions:
In a sauce pot bring water to a boil. Add brown rice and cover with tightly fitting lid; turn heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Do not take off the lid during 45 minute cook time.
Place 3 tablespoons of oil in a large sauce pan over high heat. Once pan is hot, sauté tofu until golden brown on all sides and set aside on paper towels when finished.
Using the same pan, add the remaining oil over high heat; sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic, carrots, and mushrooms until all elements are lightly browned and producing a small amount of liquid in the pan. The carrots should be slightly soft but not mushy.
Add the white beans, coconut milk and basil, stirring well. Return tofu back into the pan and bring to temperature.
Pour the soy sauce, white wine vinegar and oyster sauce in a bowl. Add ground ginger, brown sugar, red curry paste and red pepper and mix together to create a thick paste. Add this component into the sauce pan and stir until completely incorporated.
Stir in the chili garlic sauce, and add salt and pepper to season.
Serve on brown rice using leftover basil as garnish.
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Contact:
Joyce Appelman
C-CAP
250 West 57th Street
Suite 2015
New York, NY 10107
516.482.1016
Cherry Dumaual
The Monday Campaigns
215 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212.991.1056
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About C-CAP
Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) works with public schools across the country to prepare underserved high school students for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industry. A national nonprofit organization founded in 1990 by well-known culinary educator and author, Richard Grausman, C-CAP manages the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the United States and has awarded high school students $34 million in scholarships and donated $2.7 million worth of supplies and equipment to classrooms. C-CAP provides training and curriculum enrichment programs including: teacher training; scholarships and cooking competitions; job shadows, job training, internships, and career advising; college advising and college 101 workshop; and product donations. C-CAP operates programs in seven locations: New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; Hampton Roads, VA; Prince George’s County, MD; and statewide in Arizona. For more information about C-CAP, visit
About Meatless Monday
Meatless Monday is a nonprofit public health initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The goal of the campaign is to cut saturated fat intake, which in turn reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Going meatless one day a week can also decrease our carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel. Since its launch in 2003, Meatless Monday has become an international movement with support from celebrities, universities, and organizations around the world. For more information about Meatless Monday, visit
Acknowledgment: Thank you to S&W Premium Beans for their product contribution to the schools.
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