THREE RIVERS AREA — In an effort to be healthier, Harding Academy eighth-grader Stephanie Williams revamped one of her grandmother’s recipes. The recipe won Stephanie a national prize.
Stephanie, of Searcy, was among thousands of seventh- and eighth-graders nationwide who entered the ninth annual Stirring Up Health Recipe Contest from Healthy Kids Challenge.
The challenge was to use Del Monte canned fruits and vegetables in a recipe.
“This event grows year after year, and we’re still amazed at the quality of the recipes that kids create,” Vickie James, Healthy Kids Challenge director, said in a press release. “Using canned fruits and vegetables instead of fresh produce gave kids from all economic backgrounds an understanding of how to use them in recipes without compromising price and quality.”
Stephanie was among the winners with her Creamy Mandarin Orange Meringue dessert.
“My mom said her mom always made meringue,” Stephanie said. “I developed it to make it healthier. I used Dream Whip because it has no calories, and I used only egg whites.”
Kids were also challenged to write an essay about how they would improve their own eating and physical-activity habits.
By being one of the winners, Stephanie won a “chef for a day” for her school.
Chef Birch DeVault is an instructor at the Denver, Colo., campus of Johnson & Whales University College of Culinary Arts of Providence, R.I.
“He came to our school and taught us how to cook different things,” Stephanie said.
Johnson & Wales University, a Healthy Kids Challenge Partner in Health, has been inspiring winning classes since the beginning of the 9-year-old contest. Similar to the Chef’s Move to Schools program, the chefs combine demonstration of culinary skills with ideas for preparing healthier foods.
“I had fun trying to make a recipe healthier, especially a dessert,” Stephanie said.
The winning recipes are on the Healthy Kids Challenge website at healthykidschallenge.org.
Below is Stephanie’s winning recipe.
Creamy Mandarin Orange Meringues
Servings: 12-16
Meringue ingredients:
4 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Fruit mixture ingredients:
1 package Dream Whip
1/2 cup skim milk
2 (15-ounce) cans Del Monte Mandarin Oranges No Sugar Added, drained
Directions:
Prepare meringue by combining egg whites in mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to blend on low speed for two minutes. Now, whip egg whites on high speed for two minutes until stiff peaks form.
One at a time, add sugar, cream of tartar and vanilla, mixing after each ingredient. Continue beating until mixture holds its shape.
On a baking sheet covered with wax or parchment paper, drop the mixture by heaping tablespoons (for small size) or 1/4 cup measure (for medium size) and spread into 2-by-2-inch or 4-by-4-inch circles, respectively.
Bake at 250 degrees for one to 1 1/2 hours, until meringue is fully cooked and is light and brittle in texture. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Prepare the Dream Whip with skim milk, following directions on the package, and set aside.
Place a prepared meringue on a dessert plate and arrange the mandarin oranges around the bottom of the meringue. Add a tablespoon of whipped topping on top of the meringue and decorate with more mandarin oranges on top. Serve.
Store leftover meringue in an airtight container