- April 16, 2024
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Radishes, cauliflower, sunflower seeds and sprouts were a few of the fresh, healthy ingredients used by more than 400 students at Rymfire Elementary School to make the Squash It Sandwich, alongside a video of chef and Food Network personalisty Jamie Oliver Friday, May 15, as part of Food Revolution Day.
The day, which was created by Oliver as a day of action to put food education back on the school’s curriculum, encouraged schools worldwide to follow along with the streaming video and eat healthy together. Oliver’s goal is to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate children about food, inspire families to cook and empower people to fight obesity.
The Rymfire event brought together 375 students from VPK through sixth-grade to cook alongside culinary students from Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High Schools. All elementary school students chosen were selected as a prize for doing different activities, such as participating in a health club at school, or winning a contest or even writing extra essays.
Although not all students were thrilled about the overload of vegetables in their wholegrain sandwiches, Matanzas culinary student Lindsey Sanchez said she could tell how much fun the students were having.
“The kids really liked to make their own food and to be a part of it,” she said. “It was fun to work with them. They seemed eager to learn and were excited to try something different.”
Sanchez was one of many seniors, who are done with school, but came in to be part of the event.
This is the second year that Rymfire has participated in Food Revolution Day, and the main event in the cafeteria was just one part of it. Each classroom at Rymfire also participated with activities tailored to meet curriculum guidelines and the school’s flagship focus on health and nutrition. Some of the classroom activities included researching serving sizes, making fruit people and calculating calories eaten and how much exercise needed to burn the calories.
Squash It Sandwich
Makes 4 | 40 minutes
YOU WILL NEED
Bread knife
Chopping board
Regular eating knife
Large bowl
Teaspoon
Clean tea towel
Rolling pin
Tablespoon
Scissors
INGREDIENTS
4 seeded wholegrain rolls
4 radishes
5 centimeter piece of cucumber
1⁄2 a small carrot
2 cauliflower florets
½ a small red pepper
1⁄2 a small apple (core removed)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh soft herbs, such as dill, flat-leaf parsley or basil or 2 sprigs of fresh mint
1⁄2 a punnet or 1 handful of salad cress or sprouting herbs
1 handful of fresh podded peas
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons quality cottage cheese or cream cheese
2 tablespoons quality humus
METHOD
On a chopping board, carefully halve the rolls across the middle using a bread knife, to give you a top and a base for each sandwich. Put to one side.
Using an eating knife, cut each radish in half lengthways, then slice each radish half into 3 pieces and place into a large bowl.
Cut the cucumber in half lengthways, scoop out the watery seeds with a teaspoon and discard. Slice each cucumber half into 4 pieces, then add to the bowl.
Trim the carrot, then cut into 8 even-sized pieces and add to the bowl.
Click apart the cauliflower florets and place into the bowl with the stalks.
Pull out the pepper’s stalk, tearing out the core, then discard. Scoop out the seeds and white pith with a teaspoon, then discard. Cut the pepper into 4 slices, then cut each slice into 4 pieces. Add the pieces to the bowl.
Place the apple half, flat-side down, on the board. Cut the apple into 6 even-sized pieces, then add to the bowl.
Place a clean tea towel onto the chopping board and place the vegetables and chopped apple in a pile in the middle. Fold over each corner of the tea towel so your ingredients are wrapped up like a parcel – make sure there are no gaps to stop the vegetables from escaping. Carefully crush and squash the vegetables with a rolling pin until broken down into little pieces. Open up the parcel – if your pieces are still too big, wrap it back up and crush and squash again.
Measure the balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil into the empty bowl to make your dressing. Pick the herb leaves, discarding the stalks. Tear the leaves into small pieces, adding them to the bowl as you go. Using scissors, snip the cress or sprouting herbs into the bowl.
Add the peas and sunflower seeds to the bowl. Add the squashed vegetables to the bowl, then using the tips of your fingers, carefully toss them in the dressing so they’re nicely coated.
Spread the base of each roll with the cottage or cream cheese. Spread the soft side of each top with the humus.
Equally divide the vegetable mixture between the base of each roll. Place the lids on top, humus-side down, press lightly, then tuck in. Enjoy!
