Salad Tasting Event Ensures Food Bank Summer Meals
Are Kid Tested, Kid Approved
In preparation for our Summer Meals for Kids efforts, which combat childhood hunger during the summer break, the San Antonio Food Bank partnered with local culinary experts to host a salad tasting event with school-age children to survey salad recipes for our summer meals children’s menu.
Students from Pre-K 4 SA and Lighthouse Public Schools were invited to the Food Bank to test and survey salad recipes to be served during our summer meals “Salad Fridays.” This “Kid Tested, Kid Approved” approach, is one of many efforts to ensure that the children we serve over the Summer Break experience food that is enjoyable, nourishing, and tasty!
Local culinary experts from the San Antonio Food Bank, Region 20, the City of San Antonio, Texas Department of Agriculture, H-E-B, CHEF, Hotel Emma, and the Culinary Institute of America collaborated to create ten healthy and fresh salad recipes for children to taste test. These included:
- Deli Vegetable Wrap (Courtesy of CHEF): Whole grain wrap with a blend of fresh greens, cucumbers, carrots, red bell pepper, and Swiss cheese.
- Toasted Quinoa Chicken Bowl (Courtesy of CHEF): Toasted quinoa with shredded chicken, fresh leafy greens, chopped dill, chopped mint, with toasted almonds, and a vinaigrette drizzle.
- Thai Salad (Courtesy of H-E-B): Romaine hearts, quartered cucumber, cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and served with dressing.
- Tuna Salad Niçoise (Courtesy of H-E-B): Tuna salad over a fresh spring mix, quartered New Potatoes, green beans, sliced boiled eggs, toast points, with vinegar and Dijon drizzle.
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad (Courtesy of Hotel Emma): Mixed fresh greens, black beans, sweet potato, chopped onion, pumpkin seeds, and garnished with cotija queso, sliced avocado, and chili lime vinaigrette dressing.
- Basil Penne Pasta and Chicken Salad (Courtesy of Hotel Emma): Penne pasta, fresh basil, roasted pulled chicken, spinach, and garnished with grated parmesan cheese
- Aloha Bowl (Courtesy of Culinary Institute of America): Whole grain rice bowl, with fish, peas, pineapple, garnished with cucumber, red onions, green onions, and serves with Aloha sauce.
- Fiesta Corn Bowl (Courtesy of Culinary Institute of America): Whole grain rice bowl with ground turkey, roasted corn, black beans, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and garnished with shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla strips and lime crema.
- Spinach Pasta Salad (Courtesy of the San Antonio Food Bank): Garlicky bowtie pasta, served with fresh baby spinach, grape, tomatoes, grated parmesan cheese, oil, and vinegar dressing.
- BBQ Chicken Salad (Courtesy of the San Antonio Food Bank): Leafy greens served with black beans, roasted corn, grape tomatoes, fresh cilantro, diced red onion, and garnished with shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, and cilantro lime dressing
Facilitated by Food Bank staff and teachers, children were surveyed and encouraged to offer feedback on taste, texture, smell, and more. From ten salad recipes, the top six salads will be incorporated into the summer meals children’s menu. In addition to salads, this “Kid Tested, Kid Approved” strategy has been applied to other children’s menu items.
Summer meals for kids will be prepared on-site by Food Bank chefs and volunteers throughout our upcoming summer meals period from June through August. The Food Bank is actively working to meet the 20 million meal gap by producing and distributing meals, snacks, and groceries at over 100 summer meals sites across our community.