The Recipes For The White House Kitchen Garden Harvest Picnic

All of the foods cooked at the White House Kitchen Garden harvest event were simple, low fat, and of course healthy. These are the very first recipes released under the rubric of assistant chef Sam Kass as Food Initiative Coordinator--and keep in mind that they're designed to be "kid friendly," simple enough that even those who have no experience cooking can begin to get in on the action. Chef Kass casually commented that "Breaded and baked is the new fried" when he was talking about the chicken dish, and this has instantaneously turned into a Kass catchphrase. A Kasstastic American foodism, as it were. Another Kasstastic foodism: Always wash your hands before and after handling raw chicken. Herewith, the official White House recipes--and yes, there's even instructions for the rice:

White House Kitchen Garden Baked Chicken With Brown Rice and Peas

For the chicken:
1 chicken cut into pieces
1 cup flour
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs beaten
Salt and pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pat chicken dry. Lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the chicken. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in three separate bowls. Place chicken in bowl of flour and and cover chicken completely, knock off excess flour. Dip chicken in egg, covering completely. Finally, roll chicken in bread crumbs and cover completely. Place on baking dish and put in oven for approximately 40 minutes until juices run clear. Stick meat thermometer in and make sure the internal temperature of the largest piece of chicken is at 180 degrees.

Brown Rice
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups water

Method:
Combine rice and water in pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook for approximately 40 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, add a sprinkle of salt and a tablespoon of butter or olive oil at the end.

Peas
1 pound of peas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 clove chopped garlic (or garlic powder)

Method:
Clean and rinse one pound of peas (use frozen peas if peas are out of season). If snap peas are available, these can be used as well. When chicken and rice are finished cooking, heat a frying pan on med/high heat and add oil and garlic. Just as garlic becomes golden, add peas and cook until warm, approximately 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and serve.

White House Kitchen Garden Salad

Ingredients:
One head of lettuce
2 carrots
half a cucumber
1/3 cup vegetable oil (olive or canola)
1/4 vinegar (red wine, balsamic, or lemon juice)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp mustard (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Wash and chop lettuce and place in a small bowl. Peel and cut carrots and cucumber into bite-size pieces. In a small bowl, place vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Using a whisk, mix vinegar mixture while slowly pouring oil into a bowl. Alternatively, combine all ingredients in a leak-proof container and shake vigorously. Add dressing just before serving.

Serve and enjoy! God Bless America.

Related: A post parsing the meaning of the First Lady's remarks at the event is here. The official text of her remarks is here. The cupcakes served at the event are here.

*Photos via Reuters; table setting pic, above, taken in First Lady's Garden by Lynn Sweet, Chicago-Sun Times