It’s incredible how much progress these kids have made! Their knife skills are incredible and when tasting a soup they had just made one of our students who has been with us for quite a few classes said, “Hum, I think it needs more acid.” She’s in the 4th grade and knew that the split pea soup needed a splash of lemon juice. Impressive!

Please remember that our programs are based on what kids all across the country said they wanted and needed to learn to lead healthier lives. If kids ask for it, we create it. Well, the kids at Sonoma Academy asked for an advanced program after completing our foundation program, so that is what we’re working on now. From Bain-Marie to Pickling, they will learn more cooking terms and procedures, intensified knife skills, and in-depth nutrition information. We’re very excited to begin teaching DirectionFive Advanced and will keep you up to date on our progress.

Well, our first ‘Exploratory’ program at Sonoma Academy is over and we look forward to seeing this same group of kids in a new offering from DirectionFive–DirectionFive Advanced. We will take them to an even higher culinary and nutrition level. They asked for it and we’re thrilled to offer it to them!

More soon on the new program. Perhaps your school would like to offer DirectionFive Foundation and DirectionFive Advanced…..

At DirectionFive we feel that vegetables are the key to health and therefore we’re veggie-centric. That doesn’t mean we teach the kids just vegan or vegetarian recipes and meals, it just means that vegetables are not relegated to a ‘side dish.’ Kids love our recipes and we take great pride knowing that the kids go home and make the recipes we taught them to make for their families. Perfect!

Here are a couple recipes that you might be surprised to know are the kid’s favorites!

The Best Kale Salad Ever
Serves 6

2 bunches kale, washed, dried and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium apple, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 whole, ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons Tamari soy sauce or Bragg’s Amino Acids
1/2 cup cashews, raw, chopped

Wash, dry and remove the stems of the kale leaves. Either chiffonade the leaves or chop kale; place in large bowl. Add lemon juice and avocado, and with your hands mix together until the avocado is smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve immediately.

Wonder vegetable
Leafy green vegetables are wonder foods. We would all be so much healthier if we ate dark green leafy greens every day. Kale is high in Vitamins K, A and C as well as an excellent source of manganese and dietary fiber. Kale is thought to be protective against certain types of cancer such as lung, colon, bladder, breast and ovarian.

Serving suggestions
In the summer I slice some beautiful tomatoes and serves this salad on top. I also stuff pita bread with this salad. Delicious!

Vegan Patties
Serve them with grated carrots, sprouts, lettuce and sliced tomatoes on a whole-grain bun.
Serves 6

1 14-oz can garbanzo beans,
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sea salt
Dash cayenne

Place garbanzo beans in the food processor and process until smooth. Place red onion in food processor and pulse until chopped fine. Add cooked quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Form into patties and sauté in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes on each side or bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Alterations
Change the herbs if you like…use cilantro instead of the parsley and skip the coriander powder. We like to add 1 teaspoon of curry powder.

To cook quinoa:
Wash quinoa very well in a fine mesh strainer, at least twice, or it will be bitter.
Bring 1 cup water to boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Add 1/2 cups quinoa and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, stir. Return to a boil and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Grains, Meats and Water

DirectionFive is a culinary and nutrition program for kids. We have five programs or directions and one of them is the connection of the Earth’s health to our personal health and how the choices we make on a daily basis affects this connection. Our food system is an integral part of this. When we teach kids about our food system you can practically see the light bulbs go on! We begin my explaining some basic information about the Earth then we discuss this information, so they can make informed decisions.

Interesting statistics:

• Humans have already altered between one-third and one-half of Earth’s non-ice-covered land, much of it for agriculture
• 200 years ago, average topsoil depth was 21 inches on cropland—today it’s 6 inches (according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO)
• Approximately 60 percent of the world’s freshwater withdrawals go toward irrigation of crops (UNESCO)

Of the earth’s surface, 72 percent is water, 28 percent land. Of the 28 percent that’s land, 24 percent is inhospitable (mountains, arctic or desert). That means less than four percent of the earth’s total surface area is arable and suitable for growing crops.

• Agriculture accounts for approximately two-thirds of water use worldwide and for 80 percent of water use in the U.S.
• 1000 kg water is used to produce 1 kg of grain
• Only 20 percent of arable (land that can be used for growing crops) land in developing countries is irrigated, but it produces around 40 percent of all crops and close to 60 percent of cereals
• The irrigated area in developing countries is expected to increase by 40 million hectares (2.47 acres) or 20 percent by 2030

At DirectionFive, we teach mostly vegetarian dishes, although we also teach how to roast a chicken, make quiche and if the kids want to understand how to cook a steak properly, we teach them. We do teach kids (then they teach their families) how food choices make a difference and how to vote with their fork.

Did you know?

Meat-based diets consume more grain resources than plant-based diets:
700 kg grain to produce 100 kg of beef
400 kg grain to produce 100 kg of pork
200 kg grain to produce 100 kg of poultry

Meat production is an inefficient use of resources: grain, land and water

Meat production accounts for:
70 percent of all agricultural land
30 percent of the planet’s land surface
40 percent of the world’s grain is grown for livestock feed
60 percent of corn grown in the U.S. is used as animal feed vs. less than 1 percent for direct human consumption as sweet corn (i.e., corn on cob)

Sources: American Farmland Trust; Worldwatch; and National Corn Growers

Livestock and climate change:

• Livestock responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. One (dairy or beef) cow can emit between 100 to 200 liters of methane per day. This doesn’t include the methane that continues to be generated through bacterial decomposition in waste storage lagoons. Methane gas is twenty-five more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
• Greater contribution than transportation
• 37 percent of emissions of methane
• More than 20-times the global warming potential of CO2
• 65 percent of emissions of nitrous oxide
• 286-times the global warming potential of CO2
• Stays in the atmosphere for 114 years
• Nitrogen-based fertilizers are a top source
• 51 percent of U.S. nitrogen is used for fertilizers for animal feed/pasture

At DirectionFive we suggest the consumption of less meat products as part of sustainable resource management— think of the program started in WW II called Meatless Mondays. Just one day a week meat-free will make a difference. We want the kids we teach to one day have a healthier planet on which to raise their kids and every choice we make affects that goal.

We love to hear from parents! When we find out that their child was teaching them what we taught them, it simply makes our day!

“My freshman son came home from Analy yesterday, filled with important nutritional information that he finally sunk his teeth into….(I have been telling him this info for years, but hearing it from someone else made a big difference.) Thank you!”

Kids love to make home made Pizza!

Here’s our recipe:

Pizza Dough
Kids favorite all across the country!
Makes two- 12″ deluxe pizzas.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups – warm water (120° -130° F)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Envelope active dry yeast
1 1/2 Tsp. –sea salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Cups unbleached flour

Pour the warm water and sugar into a large mixing bowl, stir, then sprinkle the yeast on top. Stir the mixture until it’s dissolved and allow to sit for ten minutes until it’s bubbly.

Add the salt and olive oil and stir again to combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup of flour and stir until it’s well mixed. Add the second cup of flour and stir well. Add the 3rd cup of flour and combine. By now the dough mixture should be fairly thick. Place the last cup of flour on the counter or bread board and, with your hands, begin to combine and knead the dough.

You may need to add a dusting of flour from time to time to reduce the stickiness of the dough. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes or until the dough no longer sticks to your hands and it’s smooth.

Coat the dough with a thin layer of olive oil, and place it in the bottom of a large mixing bowl that has also been coated on the inside with olive oil. Cover the top of the bowl and set it in a warm place such an as un-lit oven.

Allow the dough to rise for 60 to 75 minutes. The dough will have grown to at least twice its original size.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Take the dough out of the bowl and cut in half with a knife. Take each dough portion and hand-mold them into balls. Roll each to a 12” circle and place on heated pizza stone or cookie sheet. Bake as is or top with favorite toppings for about 15 minutes or until browned.

Sunday, July 21st is our 3rd Birthday Party! Save the date!!

Our birthday party replaces the Gala of the past two years. It’s a BBQ, family friendly, and at The Laguna Foundation’s gorgeous new facility, which is between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. More soon!

On Saturday, February 9th, we are teaching kids how to make the most fantastic Valentine’s day breakfast at the Santa Rosa Recreation and Park’s Facility in Santa Rosa.

Here’s the menu:

Winter Fruit Salad
Pumpkin Pancakes with Candied Walnuts and Blood Orange Maple Syrup
Giggle Fest Omelets (come find out what this means!)
Pomegranate Ginger Tea.

To Register for this class, please go to the Santa Rosa Recreation and Park’s web site:
https://ci.santa-rosa.ca.us/departments/recreationandparks/programs/Pages/default.aspx

Well, our 8-day ‘Intersession’ at Sonoma Academy is over! We’ll miss the kids, but should see some of them in ‘Exploratory’ which begins next week. Such an incredible group of kids and fantastic school.