Around the U.S., aspiring teen chefs in schools that offer the C-CAP program, work with their culinary arts instructors to create an original, meatless entree. Students are able to express their creativity while learning about the Meatless Monday campaign and the benefits of going meatless at the start of every week. Each school sends in its best student recipe and, ultimately, seven finalists are selected and presented to a panel of judges, who narrow the finalists to three winners. The first prize gets $5,000 scholarship, second $3,000, and third $2,000. This year, for the first time ever, there was a tie for first place! Both the New York and Los Angeles contestants submitted fantastic recipes. Here is the recipe from Briana Bernardez of the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies. Her pasta frittata wowed us, and we hope you’ll love it too! Serves 8 Ingredients: For the salsa:
3 cups orange supremes2 Roma tomatoes, cored, seeded, & sliced into ¼” strips1 large clove garlic1 minced jalapeno, veins & seeds removed8 green onions, trimmed & cut into ½“ piece2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (more or less to taste)salt & pepper to taste
For the frittata:
1 cup fresh squeezed & strained, orange juice¼ cup fresh squeezed & strained lime juice1 tablespoon minced, canned chipotle in adobo (more or less depending on your tolerance for spice)1 teaspoon salt½ teaspoon ground cumin1 cup, loosely packed, roughly chopped, cilantro2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced4 ounces/24 spears baby asparagus1 – 7 ounce zucchini, thinly sliced¼ cup olive oil1 large shallot, minced8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced2-3 garlic cloves, minced.1 – 4 ounce Anaheim chile, diced small½ cup coarsely grated carrot6 ounces whole grain rotini, cooked al dente as directed on the package9 large eggs, slightly beaten½ cup whole wheat flour1 teaspoon baking powder6 ounces grated cheddar cheese
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 F.Combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a medium bowl. Cover & refrigerate until you are ready to serve the frittata.In a medium bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, chipotle, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, & cilantro.Put the tomatoes, asparagus, & zucchini in a shallow dish. Pour the orange juice marinade over the vegetables. Cover & refrigerate for later use.In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the shallot, mushrooms, garlic, Anaheim chile, & carrots just until the vegetables are soft.Drain the zucchini, asparagus, & tomato from the orange juice marinade. Reserve these for later use. Transfer the orange juice marinade to the skillet with the sautéed vegetables. Turn the heat to high & cook, stirring frequently until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.Meanwhile, arrange the raw, marinated vegetables in the bottom of a 10”, nonstick, oven-safe skillet.In a large bowl combine the cooled cooked pasta, eggs, flour, baking powder, cheese & the cooked vegetables. Gently pour the pasta/vegetable mixture over the vegetables arranged in the non-stick skillet.Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.As soon as you remove the frittata from the oven invert a serving platter over the top of the skillet & flip the skillet so that the frittata is centered on the serving platter. Serve immediately with the orange salsa.
