Category: Growing Food Security

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Vegetable Prep Basics Cooking Class

Recipe: Salad Rolls with Peanut Sauce (Chicken and Tofu)

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The vegetable Prep Basics class was our first class Fall term. Our goal for this class was to learn some knife skills that are essential for vegetable and ingredient prepping. When cooking, you’ll often end up prepping the same ingredients/ vegetables repeatedly, for example, onions, garlic, bell peppers. Learning the best, fastest and safest technique could make your cooking more enjoyable and save you lots of time in the kitchen.

Holding a Knife

The way you hold a knife can make a huge difference in the amount of control and force you have. Your other hand should be used to safely hold the ingredient/ vegetable you are cutting securely in place.

Protecting your fingertips

“Bear-claw” grip

In order to protect your fingers on your other hand, it is important to use this technique to tuck your fingers away from the knife and let your knuckles rest against the side of the blade.

Types of knife cuts

There are several kinds of knife cuts, and depending on what you are preparing each cut could be useful.

Common types of knife cuts

For our cooking class, we mostly used the Julienne method. Julienne/French cut is cut into long, uniform strips like matchsticks. Julienne cut is often used for salad ingredients and green veggies, like cucumbers, bell peppers or zucchini.
In order to achieve this safely, it is important to ensure if the vegetable is round, cut a thin slice off one side to make a stable base.

Julienne cut carrots, bell peppers, and cucumbers

Dorm hacks 101

We also wanted to highlight cooking techniques for students living in the dorms. Students who live on campus may not have access to a lot of kitchen equipment and therefore this can make cooking more challenging. Here at OSU pots, pans and other kitchen supplies are available to be checked out at the dorms. We wanted to take on the challenge to prepare the proteins required for this recipe in the microwave. We used canned chicken( cooked) and Tofu with soy dressing.

Assembling the Salad rolls

To assemble the wraps, you will need rice paper wraps. These are available at most Asian stores. Soak rice paper wrap in warm tap water for 10 seconds, or until pliable; carefully transfer to a slightly damp kitchen towel. Arrange your choice of vegetables and protein on the wrap and fold it over and its a WRAP! Serve with peanut sauce and enjoy!

We’re grateful to everyone that showed up to the cooking class!

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Emily Faltesek: Food Security Programs Coordinator

“Eating is so intimate. It’s very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life.”

Maya Angelou

Food is more than sustenance, more than nutrition. Food provides an invitation to hear stories. It is an intersecting point for cultural debates about values and class identity. Food influences how we show up in the world and how we are seen. This multi-faceted understanding of food—one that embraces both the everyday and the profound—informs the way I see my work and fuels my excitement to join the Student Life team at OSU in the Human Services Resource Center as Food Security Programs Coordinator.

mugshot of emily
Emily Faltesek, Food Security Programs Coordinator

My professional background is in food service management as a registered dietitian nutritionist. I attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and completed a dietetic internship there with a college support services/food service emphasis. Next, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, I managed the main kitchen, from assembling ingredients through all phases of food preparation. We mashed potatoes in an eighty quart mixer, pumped seventy gallon batches of soup in the cook-chill unit, and dry-rubbed pork butts ready for the smoker. This last task was a big deal to the pulled pork lovers in Hawkeye country! Through these experiences at a hospital serving a diverse population, I developed a passion for making quantity food and for assuring access to healthy and culturally appropriate food choices. When I arrived in Corvallis, having followed my spouse for his faculty position, I found both community and a use for my skills at Stone Soup, the local soup kitchen. There I worked in different roles including meal planning, volunteer coordinating, and as a member of the board. Stone Soup’s philosophy resonated with me: A meal for anyone in need. 

My workdays here at the HSRC are varied and changing—the only constant is the great team of student staff and professional co-workers. I’m involved in meetings to build and maintain partnerships connecting the pantry to sources of food on and off campus. I receive deliveries from the Food Bank and Linn Benton Food Share and drive a van to pick up donations from community gardens. I serve as preceptor to interns and practicum students from dietetics and public health and coordinate shopping and storage at the food pantry. I help students sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (what used to be known as food stamps).

At the HSRC I aim to bring my expertise in food logistics and my commitment to food justice together to support the work of colleagues in creating and sustaining student-centered community. I hope to contribute to providing an affirming space for student voices to seek out needed resources in a manner that busts stigma and makes the request feel as natural as a haircut. In our work, we try to make receiving food assistance comfortable, and part of this role involves responding to the systems and structures that contribute to food insecurity and amplifying the voices of students saying food insecurity is a problem. In short, we need to do better.  We need to emphasize the message of the buttons we hand out: “College hunger isn’t a rite of passage.”

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What is Fresh Food Friday?

What is Fresh Food Friday?

Fresh Food Friday is pantry service we provide the first Friday of every month. It is currently a two hour pantry held from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Coming soon in the fall, it’ll be a one hour pantry every first Friday. At FFF’s we only provide fresh produce from our garden or from Linn Benton Food Share, these differ from the Shopping Style Pantries where we walk clients through the pantry to get dry goods.

Why do we have a pantry dedicated to produce?

Ask yourself, how often you eat something that has come directly from a tree, the ground or a plant? Did you eat a fruit or vegetable today? Yesterday? Students don’t have easy access to affordable produce. That’s why we provide produce at our shopping style pantries as well as our Fresh Food Friday’s. The last year we learned a lot at the HSRC and our goal is for everyone who walks away from our Fresh Food Friday to have a few days worth of fresh produce.

Students and fresh produce? Is it an actual need?

To put it simply, yes! We also connect students to a resource here in Oregon called SNAP that can get them a monthly allowance to buy expensive items like produce. 

Below are some real examples of students expressing interest in produce.

“A few weeks ago, we helped a student sign up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps), connecting her to $192 in monthly grocery money. She was emotional as she shared that she’d been getting all her food from the dollar store and was so excited to be able to afford some fresh produce and buys salads again.” – Miguel Arellano Sanchez, Basic Needs Navigator at HSRC

“Having SNAP has been so great. I am less stressed about buying food. My month started again last week. I invited my friends over for dinner this Sunday and I even bought asparagus & salad!” – Student

– Breonna

 

 

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Cherish your Perishables

Our primary supplier of fresh produce is LBFS. The fresh produced is ordered along with perishable goods. Once the delivery is made the fresh produce is inspected for rotten, squished and moldy produce. Then the quality approved produced is stored in the cooler present in the community kitchen.

HSRC cooler for fresh produce and other perishable items. The cooler is also used to store eggs, margarine and fresh milk. 

Produce for the People is the primary community partner we obtain fresh produce from in addition to the produce received by LBFS.  

Sometimes, HSRC staff goes out to different organizations when they have produce to donate.

The HSRC also has a garden which was built and maintained in partnership with the OSU Center for Civic Engagement. When the garden is in full production, we will harvest produce for pantries from there. When planting produce in the garden we usually conduct a survey with our patrons on what they would like to be planted in the garden.

The HSRC garden

For the Pantries, the produce is laid out in crates and trays almost 30 minutes before the start of the pantry and restocked from the cooler once it is low in quantity by our volunteers and staff members.

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Recipe: Banana Pancakes

As college students we hardly have time to have breakfast. Having something to eat before starting the day keeps our energy up and makes it a little easier to go on with the day! For our cooking class we prepared easy breakfast recipes that you all can try. This recipe was adapted from Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown. We have several copies of the book, you are welcome to come check out the cookbook!

Banana Pancakes:

Serves 4 (Makes 10-15)                                                           

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

4 bananas

2 eggs

1.5 cups of milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Butter

Syrup for serving

  1. Combine the flour, brown sugar,baking powder,baking soda, and salt in a medium-size bowl. Mix thoroughly with a spoon.
  2. In another bowl, mash 2 of the bananas with a fork. Add the eggs,milk and vanilla, and mix well to combine.
  3. Add the dry mixture to the bananas, stirring with a spoon until everything just comes together. Tender pancakes come from not over mixing the batter.
  4. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile slice the 2 remaining bananas.
  5. Turn the griddle to medium heat. Once its hot, melt a small amount of butter, about ½ teaspoon, in the skillet and ladle some pancake batter into the center of the pan.

Cook until it’s browned on both sides, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side.

Serve hot with syrup plus the remaining banana slices.

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Black Bean Chili with Acorn Squash and toasted pumpkin seeds

 

Serves 6

  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 acorn squash, peeled and diced
  • 2 cans (15-ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • 2 cans (14-ounce) fire-roasted tomatoes
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds, for topping

Directions

1.In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add acorn squash and onion. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add black beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste and fire-roasted tomatoes.

2.In a small bowl, combine spices and mix. Add to chili pot.

3.Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4.Top with toasted pumpkin seeds.

 

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Recipe Spotlight: Chicken and Orzo with Spinach and Feta

This is the recipe we prepared during our first cooking class this term; Cooking for 1 or 2. The goal of the class was to learn how to cook efficiently for 1 or 2 in order to cut down on food waste.

Recipe serves 2

Why this recipe works:

In order to make a simple skillet chicken memorable we made the side the star of the show. We used Orzo pasta, which is a small pasta that is easy to cook.

Image result for orzo

In order to add a  deep and complex flavor, we toasted the orzo until golden brown and then simmered it in just the right amount of turkey broth until it was perfectly tender.

Image result for toasted golden brown orzo

To give the recipe some flair we added garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and stirred in baby spinach, feta cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving.

You will need:

3/4 cup orzo

2 ( 6-8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded if necessary.

Salt and Pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1(1/4) chicken/turkey broth

4 oz (4 cups) baby spinach

2 oz feta cheese (1/2 cup)

1 (1/2 )teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1.Toast orzo in 10 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until golden brown, 3-5 minutes, transfer to bowl.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in now empty skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken lightly, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

3. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, oregano and pepper flakes to now empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and toasted orzo.

4. Nestle browned chicken into orzo add any accumulated juices, bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 10-12 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken back to skillet, tent loosely with aluminium foil.

5. Continue to cook orzo until al dente and creamy, 2-5 minutes, stirring in additional broth, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to loosen consistently. Stir in spinach, 1 handful at a time, until wilted about 2 minutes. Stir in feta and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with orzo.

(Recipe adapted from The Complete Coooking for 2 cook book)

 

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Get To Know Our Staff!

Name: Anne

Pronouns: she/her/hers

HSRC Job Title: SNAP Outreach Liaison

Major/minor: I’m majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Spanish, and a certificate in Food and Culture in Social Justice.

Career Aspirations: There are so many things! Eventually I’d like to pursue a Masters and PhD, and hopefully end up teaching in higher-ed. I’ve always loved teaching and education, and in the meantime, would also love to pursue my passions for food justice and local sustainability through grassroots and non-profit work, in whatever form that might take.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC?: I really wanted to find a place where I could make a real, tangible difference in the world, and try to make it better. The HSRC’s values of abundance and focus on putting students first really stood out to me; the way that students take ownership of the programs and events at the HSRC is really amazing. I love being able to come to a work space and be surrounded by individuals who are committed to pushing back against poverty, racism, sexism, capitalism, and other injustices that are so prevalent in our society.

What will you be working on? I will be working on developing the SNAP Ambassador program, which will aim to get students talking to each other about SNAP benefits, tearing down the stigma surrounding government assistance and educating their peers on what the college student experience might look like for under-resourced students. In addition to that, I will be doing outreach to students we believe might be eligible for SNAP benefits as reported by our Food Assistance Application.

What do you like to do in your free time? I love to read! It’s one of my favorite past-times- when I was in grade school I actually got in trouble for trying to sneakily read under my desk while the teacher was talking. I find myself incredibly busy during the school year, and often unable to do this, but when I have time, I really love cooking more elaborate and complex meals. There’s something really meditative to me about the process of putting together a meal. Even better is when I get to share what I’ve made with others!

What’s your favorite yummy and cheap meal that you like to make?: Fried rice! I almost always have the essentials (in my opinion): eggs, rice, and soy sauce.  After that, if I have any veggies I’ll chop those up and throw ’em in! This is especially good for the veg on its last leg, like when the carrots get a little less crunchy and more bendy, or the bell peppers start to wrinkle. You can make a  bunch in one go if your pan’s big enough, and then have lunch prepped for the whole week. I’ll add different sauces like Sriracha, sweet and sour, General Tso’s, or teriyaki to mix it up throughout the week and keep from getting bored of eating the same thing. If I want a little extra protein, I’ll fry up an egg over medium to put on top, or mix in some cubed tofu.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? I love coffee, and especially during the most stressful, busy times of the term, find myself wanting multiple cups per day, but not able to go home to make them. Even if you just get drip coffee, 3 of those in a day equals like $6, which adds up if you do that multiple days in a row! I’ll take a reusable mug and bring in some powdered instant coffee (I think the Trader Joe’s brand is way tastier than Nescafe, though of course straight from the bean is best!) Cafe’s around campus will fill up your mug with hot water, then you can add in your own instant coffee, and add milk and sugar as you like it!

What are you favorite things to do in Corvallis? I love dancing, so almost every week while school is in you can find me doing West Coast Swing at the Women’s Building Wednesday nights.  The monthly event Rainbow in the Clouds (21 over, sorry 😉 ) is also one of my favorite things in Corvallis.

Where is your favorite spot to relax on campus? I love setting up a hammock between two shady trees when the weather is nice. In the winter the MU common space is always a favorite. It has a really cozy atmosphere, especially when they have the fires going!

Which building on campus would you haunt and why if you were a ghost? I’d like to haunt LINC. People expect the older buildings on campus to be haunted, like Waldo, or the Women’s Building, but no one would see it coming from a new one! That building already has occasional tech problems; I’d be happy to contribute to those as a ghost!

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Differences between ‘use by’ ‘best by’ and ‘sell by’ dates

Have you ever found something in the back of your pantry and seen that the best by date was just one week ago and you’re not exactly sure if you should still eat it? Well here are definitions by the USDA as to what those confusing ‘use by,’ ‘sell by,’ and ‘best buy’ dates mean and hopefully this will help you the next time you find yourself confused as to whether you should toss something out or still safely consume it.

  • Best if used by/before: not a purchase or safety date. Indicates when the product will be at best quality and taste. You can still safely eat the product once this date passes.
  • Sell by: Not a safety date. This just tells the store how long to display the product for inventory management.
  • Use by: Not a safety date. (unless its baby formula then it is a safety date) This states the last day that the product will be at best quality and taste.

It is up to you, the consumer, if you want to eat the product once it is past the best by or use by date, but  just know that it could still taste perfectly normal once the date passes. And it is safe to eat also since these are not safety dates (unless you see mold, or it has a bad odor).

If you want to read further information about the process and requirements of food dates, take a look at the USDA website that is linked right below!

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/food-labeling/food-product-dating/food-product-dating

 

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Can Food Insecurity Impact Your Health?

by Linh Ho, HSRC Intern

For low-income individuals and households, health issues and food insecurity are things that tend to go hand in hand. Food insecurity can be generally defined as “the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources” (Healthy People 2020). If you’re skipping meals regularly, or eating less than you might normally eat because there’s not enough money or not enough food in the house, it’s very possible that you fall into the category of being food insecure. Food insecurity comes with a potential for many health problems, and has been strongly correlated with negative health outcomes for both adults and children alike.

When people aren’t access fresh and nutritious food, their quality of life and health can take a serious turn for the worst. Unfortunately, fresh and nutritious foods can be much more expensive than foods that we often consider to be unhealthy, like junk food or fast/convenient foods. Food insecure individuals also tend to have to face the dilemma of having to decide what their income will be going towards each month. For many people, it becomes a competition between food and housing costs, food and school costs, food and medical costs — the list goes on (Feeding America).

So, what usually happens is that food insecure people will go with the cheaper, less nutritious food option because it means they will be able to pay for their other costs of living. However, although cheaper, junk and fast foods when consumed too regularly can lead to chronic health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Or, the opposite might occur and people will end up spending most if not all of their money to feed themselves and their families, especially if they have children. In that case, then they will likely forgo other important but not “urgent” medical expenses, such as doctor’s appointments, health insurance, and even prescription medication. Either way, having to choose between one or the other may have pretty negative consequences for physical health.

In addition, this chronic stress and worry over whether or not you will be able to afford food, housing, school, or other basic life needs takes a toll a person’s mental health as well. Research conducted by Dr. Andrew D. Jones at the University of Michigan found a causal association between food insecurity status and poor mental health (Science Daily). This is likely because being food insecure can cause feelings of stress, alienation, shame, and guilt often associated with anxiety and depression. Having to find and use alternative methods of obtaining food can also come with social stigma that can create feelings of inadequacy or embarrassment.

All in all, food insecurity and health can because of a vicious circle of not so great consequences. The thing is, your health absolutely does not have to suffer, just because you’re in a tight spot with money. There are so many choices, especially as a student here at OSU.

If you’re struggling with affording food, consider one of the following options:

  • Stop by Avery Lodge for one of our Shopping Style Food Pantry events for canned and dry goods, produce, and even butter and eggs!
  • Come to the HSRC during business hours (and non-Food Pantry event days) for an emergency food box and we’ll try to meet your needs.
  • Consider applying for SNAP benefits to help pay for groceries each month.
  • Stop by the HSRC if you have questions or to see how we might be able to help you further!