Fork & Knife Crispy Chicken Brunch Quesadilla

Makes 4 quesadillas

Ingredients

8 flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 bell pepper, chopped

½ red onion, chopped

4 crispy chicken breasts, sliced

1 dz. Eggs, cooked, sunny side up

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Butter, melted

Procedure

Heat sauté pan on medium heat and brush with melted butter.  Place 1 tortilla in the pan and top with cheese, bell pepper, onion, sliced chicken, and more cheese.  Top with another tortilla and brush the top with more butter.  Let the quesadilla grill for 2 minutes then flip on the other side and grill for an additional 3 minutes.  Cut the quesadilla in four pieces and top with sunny side up eggs and crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!

Fork & Knife Texas Brisket Tostadas

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

12 corn tortillas

4 cups shredded brisket

2 cups refried beans

queso sauce, as needed

shredded cheddar, as needed

sour cream, as needed

pico de gallo, as needed

shredded lettuce, as needed

Procedure

Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a small skillet. When the oil is hot, slide in a corn tortilla. To prevent the tortilla from puffing and browning unevenly, press down the center with tongs or metal spoon. After about twenty seconds, flip it over to the other side and hold down the center again. When golden, remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Use 3 tortillas per tostada.

To assemble take one corn tortilla and spread with ½ cup refried beans, top with another tortilla, ½ cup brisket and a ladle of queso.  Top with the last tortilla, spread with guacamole, another ½ cup brisket, shredded lettuce, sour cream, cheddar, and pico de gallo.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cloves very finely minced garlic

2 cup strained low fat or non fat Greek yogurt

2 T. Pickled Jalapeño peppers, finely minced

1 cup chopped frozen spinach

juice of one small lime

1/2 tsp ground cumin or more to taste

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Strain the yogurt through a sieve or colander that's been lined with several layers of cheese cloth or a couple of layers of coffee filters. Leave the yogurt in the sieve, over an empty bowl for several hours, until about 1 cup of liquid drains off. I generally start with about 3 cup of Greek yogurt to get 2 cups of strained yogurt. You can use plain Greek yogurt unstrained if you like but the dip will not be as thick.
2. Simple mix all of the other ingredients into the strained yogurt and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight for the flavors to meld together.
3. Serve with julienned fresh veggies or with tortilla chips.
4. Thinned with a little low fat milk or buttermilk, this dip could also be used as a creamy salad dressing.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon mint, chopped, to taste, plus more for garnish (optional)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
• 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
• 3 cup watermelon, cut into cubes
• 1 cup cucumber, sliced and quartered
• 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, mint, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper until oil and lime juice have combined.
2. Add watermelon, cucumber, and feta cheese to bowl. Use a spatula to gently toss ingredients until completely coated in dressing.
3. Serve watermelon salad immediately with fresh feta and mint as garnish (optional).

Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

1 yellow squash, thinly sliced

½ large red onion, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced with stem and core removed

1 green bell pepper, sliced with stem and core removed

2 t. fresh garlic, minced

2 T. olive oil

2 t. salt

2 t. black pepper

Procedure

Place all prepared veggies in a bowl. Mix olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper together and pour over veggies, toss to coat evenly.  Place seasoned veggies on a lined sheet pan and roast in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes.

*USE THESE ROASTED VEGGIES FOR A DELICIOUS GRILLED CHEESE!

FRESH BASIL PESTO

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup  olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves, (large)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the basil leaves.
2. Place basil into a food processor, add cheese, nuts, garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.
3. Season with more salt to taste if desired.

Ingredients

4 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tomatoes, diced

½ cup feta, crumbled

½ cup kalamata olives, chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

6 T. olive oil

3 T. red wine vinegar

Kosher salt & Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the chickpeas, tomatoes, feta, olives, parsley, and mint in a large bowl.

Drizzle with the olive oil and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss.

Ingredients

½ small red onion, sliced

2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges

2 peaches, cut in wedges

2 T. olive oil

2 t. apple cider vinegar

Pinch of sugar

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine the tomatoes, peaches, and red onion in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with sugar.  Season the salad with salt and pepper and gently toss.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 4 cups uncooked pasta
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Grease a 9" x 13" casserole dish.  Set aside
3. In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. 
4. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, prepare the macaroni according to the package directions, but cook just under your preferred level of doneness to ensure the mac and cheese doesn't end up overcooked and mushy. 
5. One the butter has melted, whisk in flour to form a roux (paste).  Add the seasoning to taste. 
6. Whisk in the milk and cream and set heat to medium-high.
7. Whisk in 3 cups of the cheese and continue whisking as the mixture cooks and thickens. 
8. Drain the pasta but do not rinse. 
9. When the cheese has completely melted into the sauce, pour the sauce over the cooked macaroni.
10. Fold the macaroni and cheese into the prepared casserole dish.
11. Top with remaining1 cup of cheese.
12. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is browned and completely melted.
13. Allow the mac and cheese to sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving, so the cheese sauce has time to set up.  

On March 25th, culinary students from all over the Lone Star state descended upon Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX to show their skills in the kitchen at the Aramark Lone Star Chef Competition.   The theme for this year's contest was Breakfast of Champions.  Students were charged with the task to create a delicious breakfast dish that meets USDA K-12 dietary standards for the National School Lunch Program.  

Teen Titans from Goose Creek CISD's Stuart Career Tech delivered a hearty performance.   The team comprised of Nathan Nicholas, Edgar Mora and Anastasia Nora created their dish titled Breakfast of Titans.   This delectable entry included a croissant dipped in French Toast batter and lightly toasted that was topped with fresh berries, scrambled eggs and bacon.  

Teen Titans came up short on winning the contest, but their recipe received rave reviews from the judges which included Chef Scott Strickland, Executive Chef for Minute Maid Park; Chef Ed Nguyen from Potente and Lindsay Clark from Mod-U-Serve.   

When you think about your childhood, meals around the family table often come to mind.  Aramark Chef Manager Franchesca Bland was selected by Feed Your Potential 365 to share a recipe from her childhood.   Click here to read the recipe.   

Feed Your Potential 365 is a collaboration between the American Heart Association and Aramark to provide healthy lifestyle options, activities and recipes.   

Ingredients

2 cloves very finely minced garlic

2 cup strained low fat or non fat Greek yogurt

2 T. Pickled Jalapeño peppers, finely minced

1 cup chopped frozen spinach

juice of one small lime

1/2 tsp ground cumin or more to taste

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Strain the yogurt through a sieve or colander that's been lined with several layers of cheese cloth or a couple of layers of coffee filters. Leave the yogurt in the sieve, over an empty bowl for several hours, until about 1 cup of liquid drains off. I generally start with about 3 cup of Greek yogurt to get 2 cups of strained yogurt. You can use plain Greek yogurt unstrained if you like but the dip will not be as thick.
2. Simple mix all of the other ingredients into the strained yogurt and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight for the flavors to meld together.
3. Serve with julienned fresh veggies or with tortilla chips.
4. Thinned with a little low fat milk or buttermilk, this dip could also be used as a creamy salad dressing.

Chipotle Roasted Shrimp

Makes 4 tacos

1 lb. thawed raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 sm. Can roasted chipotle peppers

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

3 tbsp.  melted butter

Season shrimp with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Pour over 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the canned chipotles (you can put the rest of the peppers and liquid from the can in a Ziploc bag, freeze it, and use it later!)

Spread shrimp evenly on a sheet pan and roast in a 400-degree oven for 12 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from oven, place in a bowl, and toss with melted butter.

When the students in the Goose Creek CISD left on March 6th for Spring Break, none of them had a clue that it would be the last day they would be in a traditional classroom.  No one knew that the entire state, country and world would go on a mandatory lock-down because of an unseen enemy; COVID-19.  

Natalie Edwards, Food Service Director, was in constant communication with district leaders as everyone scrambled to assemble and put a contingency plan in place to make sure students can finish the school year.  For the Food Services department, the goal was clear; make sure the children in the district could continue to receive food.  

Since March 16th, the Food Services team has provided bagged, Grab and Go meals for any Goose Creek student, 18 years and younger for free.  Meals will continue through the end of June.  

Seniors, Alejandro Alcantar, Destiny Whitener and Nathan Garza once again proved that they have the culinary skill to tickle your taste buds and impress the pros!  The trio, competing under the name, Hehejandro and The Boys, placed second out of fourteen culinary teams from all over the Lone Star State in the Lone Star Chef Competition sponsored by Aramark.  

The student chefs had thirty minutes to cook and plate their dish, a Cuban sandwich called El Destino's Swich.  They had to incorporate two of four secret ingredients that included: Dil Havarti Cheese; tomatillos; jicama; and grapefruit.  

This was the second time the trio had appeared at the Lone Star Chef Competition.  They won first place in the 2018-2019 competition.  

Four teams of students from three Goose Creek CISD high schools competed in the Aramark Lone Star Chef Competition on Tuesday, December 17th.  The culinary teams took on the theme Eat the Street as they prepared food truck inspired dishes that incorporated two of the three secret ingredients:  Brussels Sprouts; Pomegranates and Curry Powder.

Judges Deputy Superintendent of Goose Creek CISD, Dr. Anthony Price; Sysco Corporate Chef Brittany Jerome and Meat Processing instructor Rex Miller were presented amazing dishes but ultimately crowned last year’s Lone Star Chef Champions HeHeJandro and the Boys the victory.  Alejandro Alcantar, Nathan Garza and Destiny Whitener were crowned the State Champions of the Lone Star Chef Competition last year and the trio are excited to defend their title again this year!  

Student culinary champs from across Texas will gather at Southern Methodist University on February 7th to determine who will bring the trophy home.  

Friday, March 29 was an exceptionally good day for Alejandro Alcantar, Nathan Garza and Destiny Whitener. The Goose Creek CISD Culinary Arts team cooked their way to first place in Aramark’s 2019 Lone Star Chef state contest with their recipe for “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap.”

Fourteen Texas school districts sent teams to the Lone Star Chef finals at Minute Maid Park in Houston that day, where their challenge was to create and prepare a dish that fit this year’s theme – “Eat the Truck.” 

Coached by Chef Kylie Sobczak of Stuart Career Tech High School, the students took the food truck theme seriously when they created their recipe.

“We wanted to make something that was fast and easy to eat on the go,” said Alejandro Alcantar.

Their first inspiration was to make pupusas, but then teammate Nathan Garza said the idea for “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap” came to him in a dream. Destiny Whitener’s perfect wrapping technique completed the winning dish.

Prior to the competition, all teams enjoyed a tour of Minute Maid Park provided by the Houston Astros, plus a BBQ-themed lunch prepared by the Aramark chefs who run the park’s food operations.

Once lunch was over, the real work began. The high school culinary teams had time to set up their stations and scope out the massive table of ingredients before the 30-minute cooking clock started. They also learned that they needed to include at least two of these four “mystery ingredients” into their recipes: Poblano Pepper, Grapefruit, Shitake and Portobello Mushrooms and Radishes.

“Hehejandro and the Boys” – as the Goose Creek team called themselves – remained poised and calm as they prepped their dish for the judges.  They were able to incorporate three of the mystery ingredients into their pork wrap.

Their perfect execution won over the judges and “Hehejandro and the Boys” went home with a first-place trophy and $2,500 in scholarship money.

Chef Kylie Sobczak, left, and her Stuart Career Tech culinary students who won the district-level competition in Aramark's Lone Star Chef Contest. Destiny Whitener, Nathan Garza and Alejandro Alcantar.

Culinary Arts teams representing Lee, Sterling and Stuart Career Tech High Schools competed in Aramark’s annual Lone Star Chef Competition February 7 for the right to represent Goose Creek CISD at the state competition in March.

The theme of this year’s contest is “Eat the Truck.” Students are challenged to create a recipe that has food truck appeal, while still meeting the nutritional requirements of the TDA School Lunch Program.

Lee’s team, coached by Chef Ginger Zoidis, created “Trash Can Nachos” and Sterling’s team, coached by Chef Alesha Tate, concocted “Freestyle Tostadas.” But in the end, the dish that won over the judges' taste buds was “Nathan’s Crunch Wrap,” prepared by the team representing Stuart Career Tech High School, coached by Chef Kylie Sobczak.

The competition was judged by Dr. Anthony Price, Deputy Superintendent for Goose Creek CISD; Chef Cheyenne Peer of H-E-B’s Cooking Connection; and Rex Miller, Stuart Meat Processing instructor at Stuart Career Tech HS.

The Stuart Career Tech team, calling themselves “Hehejandro and The Boys,” includes Destiny Whitener, Nathan Garza and Alejandro Alcantar. They will now face off against 14 other school districts at the Aramark Lone Star state competition at Minute Maid Park in Houston on March 29.

Pictured below are all the Goose Creek competitors:

Front Row: Alejandro Alcantar, Nathan Garza, Favyon Russell

Back Row: Destiny Whitener, Angel Palos, Jason Buruca, Joseph Coy, Kaitlyn Ruiz

Lee Culinary Team performed with skill and grace in Aramark's Lone Star Chef Competition March 29

Darely Sandate, Mildreth Sandate and Naomi Carrey of Lee High School present their plate (below) to the judges at the Aramark Lone Star Chef Competition at Baylor University. The team was coached by Chef Ginger Zoidis of Lee High School.

For the last four years, Aramark has hosted a statewide cooking competition for high school chefs called the Lone Star Chef Competition. This was the first year that Goose Creek CISD has entered the competition, in which teams are challenged to create and execute a recipe that meets all the USDA nutritional requirements for a school lunch entree. The 2018 theme was "Latin Fusion."

The district competition was held February 1. It was Lee vs. Sterling. Ultimately, the local judges selected the Lee High School’s “Latin-Inspired Pizza” to represent our district at the state competition at Baylor University on March 29.

Fifteen teams from throughout the state competed for $5,000 in scholarships and prizes. Although our team from Lee High School did not place in the top three, they were definitely a contender as they sailed through the tense competition with practiced poise.

Congratulations to Chef Ginger Zoidis and the Lee team – Mildreth Sandate, Darely Sandate and Naomi Carrey – for representing Goose Creek CISD so well!

The Goose Creek CISD Lone Star Chef Contestants at the district-level competition in February.

From left to right are Brayan Franco and Harlan Haynes of Sterling High School, and Naomi Carrey, Mildreth Sandate and Darely Sandate of Lee High School.

Meet the winners of Chelsea's Challenge: 'Texas Produce' Recipe Contest!

Congratulations to these TOP CHEFS from 2017!

From left to right: Robert Johnson (Highlands), Ismael Santana III (Walker), Genesis Acosta (Harlem), Annaira Aguilar (Banuelos), Erik Gonzalez (Crockett), Jeikobs Joel Mercado (Alamo).

Missing from photo: Yoleth Alvarez (Travis).

Back row: Chef Franchesca Bland and Chelsea Arkadie, Registered Dietitian.

Here are the 2016 Top Chef Winners!

Top row, from the left: Evyn Edwards (Austin); Asana Gordon (Austin); Ariana Lizette Loy (San Jacinto); Jason Wheelock (Highlands); Chef Kylie Sobczak.

Bottom row, from the left: Briyana James (Harlem); Madeline Gomez (Alamo); Madalynn Blackburn (Travis); Viridiana Nunez (Banuelos); Kyilee Whittington (Clark).

Not pictured: Alejandra Herrera (Ashbel Smith)