Vegetarian chili a big hit

The vegetarian chili and guacamole were a big hit. All the girls said they would definitely make it at home. At first, they were apprehensive about the two kinds of beans, but then they seemed to like them in the final product. Shaianne Croker said, "I don't like beans, but I did like the chili." Riley Brown liked the vegetables in the chili, "but would add meat!" All loved the guacamole and said it tasted really fresh. It was "holy guacamole!" said Selena Rivera.

- Elena Levitan, Beth Buckman, Marion Pearlman

It was such a delight watching the chefs showing off the chopping, dicing, and slicing skills they have learned when preparing the chili and guacamole. While one child didn't like the chili because it had "too many beans," another wrote "the one thing I liked about the chili was the beans."

- Nancy Smith

Most of our students had eaten chili, but many had not eaten guacamole or had any experience with avocados. As we prepped the ingredients, the cumin was passed around for the students to smell. "It smells like socks," Tunisha Pratt exclaimed. But all the students loved the chili. Most added extra hot sauce. Michaela McFadden then said hers was "extremely spicy." Some are still learning the fine art of adding spice and heat. Jaylin Colon said she would definitely make this meal again, and Michaela said it was so delicious she had two bowls. Not everyone was as fond of the guacamole, but at least they all tried it.

As the students unpacked the ingredients, their eyes lit up at all the colors of the fresh vegetables! They now feel as though they are expert choppers of veggies and couldn't wait to start chopping. The avocado seemed to be the most unusual. Jenna Sullivan said it looked like a kiwi while Anajeel Kazmi said it reminded her of a mango. As the chopping proceeded, Tyler Mangan had the realization that, "Cooking is hard work, but the reward will taste delicious!"

- Cindy O'Donnell, Lorrie Craley

This was one of the weeks we couldn't wait for! We talked about how those ingredients in the recipe go together to create flavor. Jailyn Rosado, Jeffrey Saldivar, and Tegan Terry joined Christina Plover to form Team Guac. Danielis Urena, Rachel Soto, and Biendibel Ventura joined Terri Farruggia to form Team Chili. When it was time to eat, we were surprised that the guacamole went into the chili. None of us had ever had it that way! Everyone was surprised how easy and delicious all the ingredients we had read earlier tasted together. We decided this cooking adventure was a success!

- Terri Farruggia, Christina Plover

Smiles flashed as the students enjoyed using their chopping skills. They weren't quite so confident tasting the vegetarian chili and guacamole, which they found too spicy. That's OK. Like knife skills, taste preferences are acquired. It is highly likely that the next encounter with these spices will be more enjoyable.

- Ruth Biemer, Sylvia Wilson

Who likes avocados? Not one hand was raised. Who likes guacamole? Three hands enthusiastically went up in the air. Well, that's what guacamole is made from - avocados! It's the third time we used the word dollop this session, and everyone loved this dollop the most!

Other than the fact that all of the children missed the meat (when we asked), the vegetarian chili was a hit - almost everyone asked for seconds.

- Lisa Krader, Linda Todorow