Home Cooking Resources
¡Para ver esta página en español haga click aquí!
Our team of chefs and registered dietitians love to share tools and resources with students and families! You'll find recipes, helpful lessons on cooking techniques and an interactive Q&A feature where you can ask our team for help with a cooking or nutrition question.
Featured: Mexican Chicken Salad
This hearty salad is a perfect winter meal. Savory, tender veggies and flavorful chilies combine for a satisfying dish. Full recipe listed at Cook's Gazette here.
Turn Milk into Yogurt and Ricotta
Recipes
- (Pictured above): Roasted Veggie Fajita Bowls from Culinary Institute of America
- Carrot Cumin Soup from the Spice House
- Lentil Barley Soup from Chop Chop
- Vegetable Fried Rice from the Chef Ann Foundation
- Red Bean Stew from the Chef Ann Foundation
- Carrot Apple Soup from Chop Chop
- Fish Tacos from Chop Chop
- Breakfast Tacos from Chop Chop
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries, adapted from NY Times
Make Homemade Pupusas
Cooking With Kids
Check out the NY Times guide to Quarantine Cooking with Kids (free access when you create an account).
Also, we love Chop Chop magazine' Kid's Club newsletters. They contain great kid-friendly recipes, introductions to new cooking techniques, and fun games. Check out their archive below and sign up here to receive future issues.
- Valentine's Issue: Pink Power Smoothie, how to hull strawberries and more activities.
- Issue One: Cuban Black Bean Soup recipe, how to use a can opener, how to cook dried beans from scratch, make your own bean mancala game and more.
- Issue Two: Banana Bread recipe, how to crack an egg, a-peeling math activity and more.
- Issue Three: Recipe for World's Fastest Tomato Sauce, how to cook pasta, tomato chemistry activity and more.
- Issue Four: Recipe for a Frittata, four ways to cook an egg, egg shell gardening and more.
Check out Chop Chop's YouTube channel for some great tutorials for kid's cooking skills-- kids can learn how to boil water, use a blender, and safely use a knife.
Cooking How-tos
- (Pictured above): Cooking Dried Beans From Scratch tutorial from Chop Chop
- Make your own salad dressing with this recipe from the Culinary Institute of America
- How to cook rice tutorial from Chop Chop
- VIDEO: 3 ways to chop an onion
- VIDEO: How to cook dried beans
Learn to make Filipino Lumpia
Ask us anything!
Want to try a BVSD meal at home? Looking for easy and nutritious recipes? Send along any food/nutrition questions that you have and one of our chefs or dietitians will respond!
Questions & Answers
- I'm used to using canned beans--what's the best way to use dried beans?
- My kids have been eating breakfast cereals every day, since it’s fast, easy, and cheap. What do you recommend as other nutritious breakfast options, that are both affordable and easy?
- I received some black lentils in a bag. What I got didn’t look like lentils. They were tiny black beads, unlike any lentil I had seen. Any thoughts on what these are or how to cook? Thank you,
- Too much pasta.... What to do with pasta?
- What kind of rice is included in this week's bundle? I can tell it’s not white rice but not sure that it’s brown rice either? Also wondering how long it takes to cook?
- My son likes the salsa he gets with his BVSD lunches; I'd love to make it at home. Could you provide a recipe?
I'm used to using canned beans--what's the best way to use dried beans?
My kids have been eating breakfast cereals every day, since it’s fast, easy, and cheap. What do you recommend as other nutritious breakfast options, that are both affordable and easy?
I received some black lentils in a bag. What I got didn’t look like lentils. They were tiny black beads, unlike any lentil I had seen. Any thoughts on what these are or how to cook? Thank you,
Too much pasta.... What to do with pasta?
What kind of rice is included in this week's bundle? I can tell it’s not white rice but not sure that it’s brown rice either? Also wondering how long it takes to cook?
My son likes the salsa he gets with his BVSD lunches; I'd love to make it at home. Could you provide a recipe?
Who will answer?
Stephen Menyhart is the Interim Director and a Registered Dietitian for the Boulder Valley School District Food Services Department. He has a BA in Inner City Studies from Northeastern Illinois University, and a BS in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University. Stephen is the lead for BVSD’s annual Iron Chef competitions, and is passionate about the expansion of food education programs for students and families throughout the district. He is also a proud BVSD parent, with two children at Creekside Elementary.
CLICK HERE for more information about BVSD Emergency Food Distribution / Distribución de Comida de Emergencia/
If you are a member of the BVSD School Community, but unable to leave home and get to one of the distribution sites at the allotted times, please call the Family Help Line (720 770 0102) and leave a message with your full name and the school(s) your children attend or send an email to families@bvsd.org. We have a back-up delivery network that may be able to assist you.