Michelle Obama Honors Kid Cooks at State Dinner

No Comments | Written on August 21, 2012 at 1:00 pm, by Lesley Kennedy

Ask our kids to whip up a dish, and you can pretty much count on them ripping open a box of mac and cheese. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of other children out there with some serious culinary chops — at least 54 of them, to be exact, who got to chill with the first lady yesterday at the Kids’ State Dinner at the White House.

Back in May, we wrote about the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a contest for 8- to 12-year-olds held by Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, Epicurious.com, the USDA, and the Department of Education, asking children to come up with healthy, low-cost and — naturally — delicious lunch recipes that adhere to USDA guidelines.

More than 1,200 entries were submitted, the Chicago Tribune reports, and one winner was chosen from each state, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories.

Turns out the event was such a hot ticket, even the President popped in, saying he “just had to crash,” according to the newspaper. “I’m not a great cook; I’m an okay cook,” he told the crowd. “I mean, I can cook an omelet, toast. I make a very good chili. But let’s face it, I don’t cook that often these days, but I remember cooking.”

The event menu, a four-course meal using recipes from the winners, included these healthy dishes: kale chips, quinoa, black bean and corn salad, cabbage sloppy Joes with a side of baked zucchini fries, and a strawberryana smoothie served with a summer fruit garland.

President Obama had but one request: “Try not to drop any scraps on the floor, because Bo’s on a diet, and he will eat anything that he sees.”

Wanna see what the budding Top Chefs cooked up? Epicurious.com will publish a digital cookbook with all the winning recipes, available free in a download later this week. But Let’s Move! has some previews online recipes available now for Apple Oat Balls, Mexican Delight, Pesto Pasta, Rainbow Salad with Black Beans, Mint and Lemon, and Stuffed Red Peppers.

So much better than a box of mac and cheese, right?