Roswell North Elementary Students Learn About Nutrition...with a dash of Math!

Roswell North Elementary First graders participated in the school’s second “taste test” of the year with RNE’s dual threat Elizabeth Rains who is both computer lab specialist and culinary arts teacher. At the beginning of the nutrition unit, the students planted fresh spinach, lettuce and herbs in the Roswell North vegetable garden. After several weeks of TLC, the lettuce, spinach and herbs were ready to be picked and cooked in the school’s new kitchen.

To complete the nutrition lesson, the students created a wonderful fall pasta dish with pumpkin. First graders talked about ways to add more vegetables to meals. Mrs. Rains sprinkled a bit of math into the hands-on unit by discussing estimation and measurement when making a vinaigrette dressing. Everyone tried the dish and most really liked it!

Try the recipes for yourself, listed below.

RNE Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

Juice of one lemon
1 part Pear Infused Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegar(adjust based on the amount of dressing you are making- 1 cup of vinegar to 2 cups of oil, or 1 T of vinegar to 2 T of oil, 1 liter of vinegar to 2 liters of oil)
2 parts Olive Oil
Honey to taste
1 clove of garlic chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

How to:

Squeeze the juice of the lemon into a large bowl, to the bowl add--
Chopped garlic clove
Add Vinegar- I would start with 1/2 cup vinegar
With a large whisk, stir the ingredients in your bowl, slowly pour in the olive oil, a little at a time, continuing to stir vigorously until all of the oil is incorporated.
Add Honey ( at least a Tablespoon) and salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta with Pumpkin Parmesan Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta

1 large can of Pumpkin Puree

2 cups of chicken stock

1 quart of cream

3 T Olive Oil

1/2 stick of butter

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

3 T chopped garlic

1 T chopped Sage

1 T Nutmeg

Salt and Pepper

chopped parsley

How to:

Boil Water and cook one box of pasta noodles (any variety will do)

Place a sauté pan over medium high heat, add Olive oil and butter cook garlic and sage for less than a minute

Add pumpkin puree and chicken stock, stir to incorporate

Add Cream and stir until the mixture comes to a slight boil. Turn heat to medium and continue stirring while adding: nutmeg, salt and pepper

Drain pasta and add to the pan with the cream sauce mixture. Coat noodles in sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed, additional cream or stock may be needed if the sauce is too thick!

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley -- SERVE AND ENJOY

Add more cheese to your liking!