Teaching kids to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and, by extension, their families; while focusing on the common denominator of food to bridge cultural, social and economic divides among young people.

Elite Jr. Chef

Courtney "Coco" D.

Week 4 Menu

Braised Fish Steaks w/Olives & Lemons

With Couscous

Carrot Sandwich Cookies

Braising

Week 1

Braised Chicken w/Green Peppers & Tomatoes

Egg Noodles

Pineapple, Kiwi & Oranges in Mint Syrup

Week 2

Sweet Potatoes, Apples & Braised Greens

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake

Week 3 Menu

Winter Salad w/Walnut Mustard Dressing

Braised Shrimp & Cream Endive

Chocolate Cookies

Sauces

Week 4 Menu

Bacon & Avocado Sandwiches

 

Sweet Potato Fries

 

Brownies w/White Chocolate Chunks

Ice Cream & Crème Anglaise  

Week 1 Menu

 

Eggs Benedict w/Canadian Bacon & Spinach

 

Oven Fried Potatoes

 

Crepes Stuffed with Fresh Fruit, Maple Syrup, and Crème Anglaise

Week 2

Baked Rigatoni   

 

Green Salad w/Vinaigrette

 

Caramelized Pineapple w/Ginger

Week 3 Menu

Salmon w/Horseradish Green Goddess Sauce

 

Roasted Asparagus w/Hollandaise   

 

Baked Apples with Almond Butter and Crème Anglaise

Braised Chicken With Green Peppers and Tomatoes

In this recipe I used half wine (for anyone who doesn’t know the alcohol cooked off) and half broth as the ingredients list and directions called for different things.  I also substituted the chicken thighs for breasts, which made the dish a bit to dry. Other than that I thought this was a healthy and delicious dish that I would certainly make again. 

Pineapple, Kiwi & Orange in Mint Syrup

I loved this dish possibly because it has my favorite fruit, pineapple, but I also thought every part of the dish was delicious. It was fairly simple and very fast to make. The mint syrup took it from fruit salad to gourmet dessert.  Although, it did make more dessert than my family could eat.  Too much chicken?  The bright colors made it very appealing and easy to present. I would defiantly make it again al though I would probably cut it in half. 

Sweet Potatoes, Apples and Braised Greens

This recipe was good al though it called for way too much salt and pepper, I didn’t even put it all in and every one in my family agreed we had eaten enough pepper for a lifetime.  The apple pieces were a little large and didn’t cook all the way through and when I tried to sauté the sweet potatoes became mushy which didn’t help the presentation at all.  It’s safe to say that this dish fell short of my expectations.

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken

This was one of my favorite dishes so far.  It wasn’t very spicy which I prefer, but my dad, who loves spicy food, was a liked it a lot but wished for more spice.  I would make this again but I might make half slightly spicier depending on whom I make it for. 

Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake

This was possibly my favorite dessert so far. It got a large air bubble towards the top which made it slightly gooey around the center, but it also added a cool effect because the glaze some how got into the middle and when cut into the glaze spilled out of the side of the cake.  We didn’t finish the cake that night but my sisters and I finished all the leftovers, more than half, the next day in under to minuets.  I can’t wait to make it again.

 

Braised Shrimp & Creamy Endive

The endive didn’t really stand out as any thing special and tasted similar to most other braised greens but the shrimp was actually pretty good which is saying something because I’ve never liked seafood.  Although I probably wouldn’t make this dish for my self I would make it for some one who does like seafood. 

 

Salad with Walnut Mustard Dressing

This salad fell short of my expectations.  The salad its self was very boring and bland and the dressing was much to sour and mustardy, I ended up modifying it to make it slightly sweeter.  Not something I would make again id rather make a salad with more ingredients and flavor. 

 

 

Chocolate Cookies

I was nervous about these cookies because I usually don’t like coconut in my cookies and they didn’t look too appealing. But in the end I really enjoyed them.  I might make them again but I would make them again and experiment with ways to make them look better. 

 

 

 

Quinoa w/ Moroccan Squash Stew

This was a very good dish. I liked that the stew could be made a day ahead. The butternut squash was cooked all the way before the carrots were tender.

Salmon stakes with Horseradish Green Goddess Sauce

This dish was really good which surprised me because I don't like most seafood.  The grocery store didn't have stakes so i substituted with fillets.  If I were to make it again I would put on more sauce.

Sauteed Greens  Bruschetta

This dish reminded me of garlic bread but with a bit more flavor and more healthy (vegetables and no butter).  Instead of using pre-sliced white bread I used pugliese bread.  It was very simple and delicious. My only regret: not making more. 

Lemon Pudding

An odd and unsatisfactory combination. This dish was more work than it was worth.  Every one agreed that it was well...  pretty disgusting.

Grains

Week 1 Menu

Quinoa w/Moroccan Squash Stew

Bruschetta w/Sautéed Greens

Lemon Pudding

Week 2 Menu

Mixed Grain & Wild Rice Cereal

Vegetarian Sausage

Orange Scented Hot Chocolate

Week 3 Menu

Greek Burgers w/Arugula, Tomatoes & Feta

Tabbouleh

Coconut Brown Rice Pudding

Grains

Pastry

Menu 1

Smoked Chorizo & Cheese Empanadas

Black Eye Pea & Tomato Salsa

Mint & Apple Granita

Menu 4

Simple Green Salad

Chicken Pot Pies w/Cream Cheese

Stuffed Baked Apples

Menu 3

Winter White Salad

Chicken w/Tomatoes & Feta Cheese Sauce

Lemon Tart

Menu 2

Ricotta, Orange & Currant Fritters

Corn & Bacon Pie

Fruit Smoothies

Grains

Fish

Menu 4

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Slow Roasted Salmon w/Braised Lentils

Jam Crumb Cake

Menu 3

Gingered Vegetable Stir-Fry

Thai Fish Cakes

Pineapple w/Basil

Menu 2

Root Vegetable Mash

Braised Fish w/Fennel, Tomatoes & Olives

Crepes w/Brown Sugar Pears & Chocolate Fudge Sauce

This menu was a little unsatisfactory.  The cereal was just average it wasn't horrible but it wasn't exactly something I would make again.  The sausages were pretty good flavor-wise but they were very dry, so dry in fact that when I flipped them most of them fell apart.  The hot chocolate was good for the first sips but it was very rich and I couldn't finish half of my mug.  Probably not a meal I would make again.

I was a little nervous about this recipe, I had never tried lamb or rice pudding or even heard of tabbouleh.  The lamb burger was really good it was one of the best burgers I've ever had.  The tabbouleh was alright, nothing special.  For the rice pudding I substituted the dried apricot for dried pineapple,  i found that the fruit added a nice sweetness

The empanadas were very good but it made enough meat for 2 batches of dough.  The salsa was really good and luckily not as spicy as I expected.  The granita wasn't any thing special, just frozen apple juice really. 

The chicken was delicious and had so much flavor and the lemon tart was so good that it didn't last long.  My parents liked the salad but it wasn't great in my opnion.   

The pot pie was really good but way more work than it was worth, it took me all day and left me with no time to make the desert.  Also the filling was pretty liquidy so it was hard to keep it in the pastry.  The odd shape made everything more difficult.