In Our Schools Today

New Item Added to Schools' Lunch Menu

With the snow falling outdoors on Wednesday, City public school students were served a new hearty and healthy menu item for lunch created by Ellie Krieger, registered dietician, James

Beard Award Winner of host of the Cooking Channel’s Healthy Appetite. The new menu item -- Mediterranean Roasted Chicken with whole grain Rotini and fresh herbs and Ellie Krieger’s Tri-Color Salad – debuted in all public schools. Ellie Krieger unveiled the new dish at The Neighborhood School and P.S. 63 in Manhattan where students gave it a "thumbs up." Krieger was joined at the event by Chef Jorge Collazo of the New York City Department of Education and Kim Kessler, the Mayor’s Food Policy Coordinator.

"As a dietician and chef, I am very passionate about food and believe that all children have the right to food that is both healthful and appealing," Ellie Krieger said. "This new menu item really reflects that philosophy. It is made with fresh ingredients, simple to prepare and its three colors reflect its variety of flavor and nutrition. I always tell kids to aim to eat all the colors in the rainbow each day. This Tri-Color Salad will give them a running start." She also said, "I am impressed at the leadership role NYC School Food has taken, getting more fruits and vegetables, eliminating trans fat and taking a culinary approach as opposed to looking at food just in a numerical way."

Ellie Krieger demonstrated an easy way for families to prepare the salad, which include fresh broccoli florets, fresh cauliflower florets, red pepper, and homemade salad dressing of oil, vinegar, garlic, dried oregano and salt and pepper topped with fresh basil.

So how did the student rate the new menu item?

"The broccoli was sweet and juicy,' said Carla Tribaldos, 9, of P.S. 63.

"It’s really tasty," said Juan Plasenti, 7, also of P.S. 63

"It’s tastes like it is homemade," said Alana Griffin, 9, of The Neighborhood School who had seconds.

"Thanks to Ellie, we can offer our students this salad for lunch with roasted chicken and they can help their parents prepare the salad for dinner," Chef Collazo said. "This new menu item is tasty and fits in so well with the improvements we have made to our meals program, including reducing fat and incorporating more fruits and vegetables."

"New York City has also taken action to improve access for families to affordable, healthy foods, for example through the Green Carts program, which was created so that street vendors could sell fruits and vegetables in low income neighborhoods that have limited access to fresh produce," said Ms. Kessler, the Mayor’s Food Policy Coordinator. "The reason the city is so committed to increasing access to healthy foods and to improving the nutritional quality of the food we serve is that we understand how important this is to good health."

The meals program has improved over the years. Since 2004, the City hired a chef, Chef Jorge Collazo, to reformulate menu items to reduce fat, calories and sodium. The City DOE also eliminated trans fats, increased the variety of fruits and vegetables, eliminated whole milk and replaced it with low-fat milk; and eliminated white bread and replaced it with wheat bread. Recently, the DOE incorporated whole grain pasta.

Ellie Krieger is the host of the Food Network’s & Cooking Channel’s popular Healthy Appetite and author of the New York Times bestselling and IACP and James Beard Award-winning, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. A registered dietitian, Ellie has been at the forefront of First Lady Michelle Obama’s "Let’s Move" campaign from the beginning when the First Lady personally invited her to head up the "Healthy Kids Fair" at the White House in 2010.

Ellie Krieger’s Tri-Color Salad

(Serves 6)
Ingredients: Fresh broccoli florets, fresh cauliflower florets, red pepper, oil, dried oregano, salt and pepper

Wash vegetables and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Wash, seed and dice the red pepper.
In a small bow, combine the pepper with oil, a pinch of oregano and a few pinches of slat and pepper.
Mix well and spread out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400-degree oven until the pepper is slightly browned on the edges, which is about 10 minutes. Then chill in the refrigerator.
Set a medium pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt.
When the water is boiling, add the cauliflower, cook for 4 minutes, add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes more.
Drain and run under cold water to chill.
In a steel bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. With a wire whisk, slowly add the oil until it is all combined into a dressing.
In the same bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower and peppers with the dressing and fresh basil.
Mix well and serve.

About Us Academics Choices & Enrollment Schools in the Community Offices & Programs Rules & Policies Student Support, Safety & Activities Performance & Accountability	In Our Schools Today New Item Added to Schools' Lunch Menu With the snow falling outdoors on Wednesday, City public school students were served a new hearty and healthy menu item for lunch created by Ellie Krieger, registered dietician, James Beard Award Winner of host of the Cooking Channel’s Healthy Appetite. The new menu item -- Mediterranean Roasted Chicken with whole grain Rotini and fresh herbs and Ellie Krieger’s Tri-Color Salad – debuted in all public schools. Ellie Krieger unveiled the new dish at The Neighborhood School and P.S. 63 in Manhattan where students gave it a "thumbs up." Krieger was joined at the event by Chef Jorge Collazo of the New York City Department of Education and Kim Kessler, the Mayor’s Food Policy Coordinator. "As a dietician and chef, I am very passionate about food and believe that all children have the right to food that is both healthful and appealing," Ellie Krieger said. "This new menu item really reflects that philosophy. It is made with fresh ingredients, simple to prepare and its three colors reflect its variety of flavor and nutrition. I always tell kids to aim to eat all the colors in the rainbow each day. This Tri-Color Salad will give them a running start." She also said, "I am impressed at the leadership role NYC School Food has taken, getting more fruits and vegetables, eliminating trans fat and taking a culinary approach as opposed to looking at food just in a numerical way." Ellie Krieger demonstrated an easy way for families to prepare the salad, which include fresh broccoli florets, fresh cauliflower florets, red pepper, and homemade salad dressing of oil, vinegar, garlic, dried oregano and salt and pepper topped with fresh basil. So how did the student rate the new menu item? "The broccoli was sweet and juicy,' said Carla Tribaldos, 9, of P.S. 63. "It’s really tasty," said Juan Plasenti, 7, also of P.S. 63 "It’s tastes like it is homemade," said Alana Griffin, 9, of The Neighborhood School who had seconds. "Thanks to Ellie, we can offer our students this salad for lunch with roasted chicken and they can help their parents prepare the salad for dinner," Chef Collazo said. "This new menu item is tasty and fits in so well with the improvements we have made to our meals program, including reducing fat and incorporating more fruits and vegetables." "New York City has also taken action to improve access for families to affordable, healthy foods, for example through the Green Carts program, which was created so that street vendors could sell fruits and vegetables in low income neighborhoods that have limited access to fresh produce," said Ms. Kessler, the Mayor’s Food Policy Coordinator. "The reason the city is so committed to increasing access to healthy foods and to improving the nutritional quality of the food we serve is that we understand how important this is to good health." The meals program has improved over the years. Since 2004, the City hired a chef, Chef Jorge Collazo, to reformulate menu items to reduce fat, calories and sodium. The City DOE also eliminated trans fats, increased the variety of fruits and vegetables, eliminated whole milk and replaced it with low-fat milk; and eliminated white bread and replaced it with wheat bread. Recently, the DOE incorporated whole grain pasta. Ellie Krieger is the host of the Food Network’s & Cooking Channel’s popular Healthy Appetite and author of the New York Times bestselling and IACP and James Beard Award-winning, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. A registered dietitian, Ellie has been at the forefront of First Lady Michelle Obama’s "Let’s Move" campaign from the beginning when the First Lady personally invited her to head up the "Healthy Kids Fair" at the White House in 2010. Ellie Krieger’s Tri-Color Salad (Serves 6) Ingredients: Fresh broccoli florets, fresh cauliflower florets, red pepper, oil, dried oregano, salt and pepper Wash vegetables and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into small florets. Wash, seed and dice the red pepper. In a small bow, combine the pepper with oil, a pinch of oregano and a few pinches of slat and pepper. Mix well and spread out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400-degree oven until the pepper is slightly browned on the edges, which is about 10 minutes. Then chill in the refrigerator. Set a medium pot of water to boil with a pinch of salt. When the water is boiling, add the cauliflower, cook for 4 minutes, add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes more. Drain and run under cold water to chill. In a steel bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. With a wire whisk, slowly add the oil until it is all combined into a dressing. In the same bowl, combine the broccoli, cauliflower and peppers with the dressing and fresh basil. Mix well and serve.