Allez Cuisine!

We’ve talked a little bit about school nutrition here – and certainly will continue to do so over the weeks and months ahead – but for now, here’s a chance to put your lunch where your mouth is.

In a hands-on showdown that tips its hat to Iron Chef America, high school and college students across the country are invited to enter the Cooking up Change 2010 National Healthy Cooking Contest, hosted by the Healthy Schools Campaign and the National Farm to School Network.

The challenge? To create a healthy school lunch that meets stringent nutritional guidelines, using only ingredients that are available to the workers in school food service.  In addition, contestants must use at least one locally grown food and the meal must, obviously, taste good.  Not an easy task, by any means!

Interested students should form three-person teams and submit recipes by 5 p.m. EST on March 26. Based on those entries, three teams from the high school division and three teams from the college division will then be selected to receive an all-expenses paid trip to Taking Root, the National Farm to Cafeteria conference, to compete in the Cooking up Change finals.

The final round will include an in-kitchen battle, where the teams compete to prepare their meals and serve them to a panel of judges.

Interested in sautéing your way to change?  Enter the competition now!

image © Healthy Schools Campaign