Fresh Bites Spring Edition 2022

COMMITTEES Farm to School

COMMITTEES Farm to School

Farm to School Feature

Farm to School Feature

A Chicken Strip Walks Into a Farmers Market

Serve New York Potatoes! Looking for a New York grown food that’s inexpensive, easy to make, loved by students and almost always available? Look no further than potatoes! Potatoes are an important crop in New York State. Our farmers grow potatoes in many shapes and sizes for many uses - small whites for “salt potatoes”, small red for roasting or steaming, Yukon Golds for great mashed potatoes, Kennebecs for the best fries, and Russets for classic baked potatoes. Besides being relatively inexpensive, potatoes can be stored in a cooler for a relatively long period, a blessing to have on hand in these days of supply challenges. The easiest way to serve potatoes would be to bake large potatoes whole, or steam, boil, or roast smaller, thin-skinned varieties. Both are delicious served simply with a little butter and salt. If you want to take it to the next level, check out the recipe and video below from Brigaid for roasted potato wedges. BY ROSEMARIE HANSON LEARN MORE ABOUT BRIGAID LEARN MORE ABOUT NY POTATOES

BY ROSEMARIE HANSON In these days of constant change, it can feel hard to plan for anything, but winter is a good time to start planning next year’s school lunch menu and, as part of that, how you are going to allocate your commodity budget. Schools that have been successful in growing their New York State and local food purchases plan their commodity selections to avoid choosing things such as ground beef, cheddar, and mozzarella cheese which are available from NY Suppliers. Unseasoned Chicken Strips (110462) are a great substitute selection for the beef and cheese that you might normally get through the USDA. They are pre-cooked, mostly white meat chicken strips with few added ingredients, easy to portion, and students seem to like them. The best part is that they offer an opportunity to grow your NY food purchases even further when you pair them with local vegetables in season. Below I’ve listed some ideas for sandwiches, pizza, pasta, tacos, and salads that utilize chicken strips paired with local NY State vegetables. Some of these vegetables are only available locally in the fall (peppers, broccoli), but many are available year round (potatoes, cabbage). If dishes utilizing summer/fall vegetables turn out to be popular, you can continuemenuing themusing your FFAVORS vegetables, another good way to use your commodity budget. Many of these recipes can be made “speed scratch” style with premade dressings and sauces, although cooking completely from scratch will generally be healthier and less expensive. Some of these recipes and many others like them can be found at these websites: Healthy School Recipes thelunchbox.org, the Center for Ecoliteracy, the Child Nutrition Recipe Box. For planning purposes, one 30 lb. box yields about 192 2.5 oz servings, packed either 3/10 lb. bags (64 servings 0f 2 MMA per bag) or 6/5lb. bags (32 servings of 2 MMA per bag) USDA Fact Sheet (It correctly lists 1 MMA as 35 grams, but this translates to 1.25 ounces, not the 1.5 that it lists). To figure out how much to order for the year, divide your predicted Average Daily Participation (ADP) by 192. If you sold 480 lunches a day, and divide this by 192, the result is 2.5 boxes if you menu chicken strips once a week. Multiply by 36 weeks and the resulting order would be 90 boxes for the year. Supply chain issues experienced by some NY Schools have driven home the importance of buying New York State foods to strengthen our local food system. The more of our spending dollars we can divert to local foods, the more likely that food will be available in the future. It’s a worthwhile investment in our communities, our farmers, and our children’s futures to change how we order commodities and buy NY State foods whenever possible.

NY Vegetable in Season Menu item featuring USDA Chicken Strips

Panini Sandwich or Pizza with Pesto, Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella Greek Chicken Gyro on a WW Pita w/ Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Feta, Tzatziki Tuscan Grain Bowl or Pasta Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables and Chicken

Tomatoes

Tomatoes and Cucumbers

TikTok Potato Wedges

Grape Tomatoes, Zucchini, Peppers and Eggplant

Red and Green Peppers

Chicken Riggies with Pasta

Red and Green Peppers

Kung Pao Chicken with Brown Rice

Peppers and Onions

Chicken Fajitas or Philly Chicken Sub

Chicken Fiesta Salad with Black Beans, Corn, Tomatoes, Salsa, Cheese and Tortilla Chips

Corn (off the cob)

Roasted Potato Wedges

Tomatillos

Chicken Enchiladas Verde

Poblano Chiles, Corn

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Procedure Day Before Service 1. Scrub the potatoes in cold water to remove any dirt. 2. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 3 wedges. 3. Par cook the potatoes. Steamer method: (preferred) : Divide the potato wedges into 4” perforated hotel pans, placing 2 gallons in each pan. Steam the potatoes for 16 minutes. Simmer method: Place the potatoes in a steam kettle or tilt skillet and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat. Turn off the heat as soon as the water comes to a simmer. **Test the potatoes by sticking a paring knife into the center of a wedge. The knife should slide in and out with no resistance. If not, cook for an additional 5 minutes and test again. Spread the par cooked wedges onto parchment lined sheet pans, placing 2 gallons on each tray, and refrigerate them until they are below 41ºF. 4. In a mixing bowl, combine paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and black pepper. Whisk together until fully incorporated. Store this spice mix in a plastic container at room temperature.

Tomatillos, White Beans

White Chicken Chile

Yield: 180 servings Serving Size: ½ potato (3 wedges) NSLP Credit: ½ cup starchy veg

Tomatoes (Salsa)

Chicken Soft Tacos or Burritos

Cucumbers, Carrots, and Pickled Daikon Radish Cucumber, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper, Red Cabbage

Chicken Banh Mi Sandwich

Ingredients Russet Potatoes, 90ct 50# Paprika 240 grams Kosher Salt 160 grams Garlic Powder 106 grams Onion Powder 10 grams Ground Thyme 5 grams Black Pepper 3 grams Canola Oil 32 fluid ounces

Sesame Noodle Salad with Chicken

Classic Spinach Salad with Chicken, Bacon, Egg, Carrot (Mushroom)

Spinach, Carrot

Spinach

Spinach and Chicken Quesadilla

Kale or Romaine Caesar Salad with Chicken

Kale or Romaine

Broccoli

Broccoli Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Broccoli

Broccoli Chicken Pasta Salad

Broccoli

General Tso’s Chicken

Broccoli

Garlic Broccoli White Pizza

Day Of Service 1. Preheat an oven to 425ºF. 2. Set aside one cup of spice mix per 50# of potatoes. Place the remaining spice mix and the oil in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. 3. In a large bowl, combine 2 gallons of the par cooked wedges with ¼ cup of the oil mixture and toss until the potatoes are fully coated. Repeat this until all the potatoes are seasoned. 4. Place the seasoned potatoes, skin-side down, on sheet pans that have been coated heavily with pan spray. 2 gallons on each tray. 5. Roast the potatoes for 20-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown, the skin is crisp, and they have reached at least 165ºF. 6. Transfer each sheet pan of wedges to a 2” hotel pan and season with 2 Tablespoons of the reserved spice mix. 7. Serve immediately or hold, uncovered, at 140ºF. **If the potatoes are held hot, re-fire them briefly in the 425ºF oven for about 5 minutes to ensure they are served crispy.

Chicken Tikka Tacos with Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower

Bok Choy, Carrots

Chicken Lo Mein

Napa Cabbage, Carrots

Chicken Fried Rice

BBQ Chicken Sandwich on a Bun with Coleslaw Chicken and Biscuit with Mashed Potatoes

Cabbage

Potatoes

Potatoes, Carrots

Chicken Pot Pie

Buffalo Chicken Wrap with Crunchy Vegetables Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Kale, Brown Rice Masaman Curry with Potatoes and Carrots, Rice

Cabbage, Carrots, Celery

Butternut Squash or Sweet Potatoes, Kale

Potatoes, Carrots

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FreshBites

SPRING 2022

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