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 Maine SNAP-Ed announced today that a 7th grader from Messalonskee Middle School in Oakland, Maine, is the winner of the SNAP-Ed $10 for 4 Recipe Challenge. “We are especially pleased to announce that of all of the entries, 12-year-old Molly Glueck‘s recipe for Pasta Primavera was the winner,” said Joan Ingram, MPH, program manager of Maine SNAP-Ed.

“Molly was able to create a delicious, healthy, and affordable meal that met all of the criteria for the contest,” said Ingram. “Part of our goal was to remove the perception that healthy equals expensive.  Molly and the two other finalist created recipes that achieved that and much more.”

Maine SNAP-Ed is a USDA funded program that helps teach families how to shop, cook and eat healthy on a limited budget. The $10 for 4 Recipe Challenge called on any Maine chef to create a recipe that would feed a family of four for less than $10. The challenge was open to anyone – whether a home chef or one from a restaurant, day care center, school, or hospital. Five judges—including two SNAP recipients—tested the recipe entries in their home kitchens and concluded that Glueck’s Pasta Primavera provided the winning combination.

The rules followed by each contestant were simple:

• Use up to $10 to feed a family of 4
• Recipe must be easily made at home with limited kitchen equipment in 30 minutes or less
• Recipe should use low-fat and low-sodium ingredients
• Recipe must use fewer than 10 ingredients commonly found in grocery stores across Maine
• Recipe must include at least three food groups following the USDA MyPlate guidelines (choosemyplate.gov)
• Low cost lean protein sources such as beans and legumes
• Fruits and vegetables: fresh in-season, frozen or canned
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products
• Whole grains

The five judges prepared each of the recipes that were entered in the contest.  They used individual scorecards and judged the contest using the following criteria:

• Does the recipe use only basic kitchen equipment?
• Are the ingredients easy to find in a grocery store?
• Is the prep time 30 minutes or less?
• Are the instructions clear?
• Does the meal look good (eye appeal)\Does the meal taste good (e.g. flavor, texture)?

Glueck’s winning Pasta Primavera recipe was closely followed by a Tortellini & Spinach Soup prepared by Cindy Gelinas of Portland and a Lentil Soup created by Diana Richardson of Windham.  There were 11 entries in all.

Glueck, who says she has been cooking for several years, also volunteers for a Waterville sandwich program, which helps feed the hungry. She says she learned about the recipe contest from a teacher at Messalonskee Middle School and was motivated to enter. “I love to cook and immediately started thinking of food that would be tasty on a dinner plate,” she says. “It seems like a lot of people are scared by healthy food. I think you just have to try it.  I hope that this recipe helps.” 

 “We know that Maine parents want to feed their families healthy foods, but they don’t often know how to do so on a limited budget,” said Ingram.  “Maine SNAP-Ed offers programs and classes to help families, and this contest really sheds a light on some great new recipes to integrate into our program. We are grateful to all who entered and congratulate Molly and our other two finalists.”

Here is the winning recipe:

Pasta Primavera by Molly Glueck

Ingredients: 

2 Cups of Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni  ($1.25)

2 12 ounce cans of diced tomatoes  ($4)

1 Extra small yellow onion  ($.31)

1 Small red bell pepper ($1.05)

1 Small Zucchini  ($.69)

A sprinkle of 4C Home style grated cheese 6oz. ($2.89)

For the bell pepper and the zucchini, you could substitute almost any veggie that was on sale that week. Molly says she is aware that this meal comes to $10.12 “but I hoped it would be close enough because it really feeds six people. This recipe only took 30 minutes to make.”

Directions:

Take 4 1/2 half cups of water and put in a pot. Bring water to a boil. Add pasta to the water and cook for 8 minutes. When done, drain pasta and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, chop 3/4 of your onion, all of your zucchini (cut into circles and then into fourths), and 3/4 of your bell pepper. 

To prepare the vegetables, add some oil or nonstick spray to a pan and heat on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the veggies. Cook for 8 minutes.

Once your veggies finish cooking, add the 2 cans of tomatoes .Then, for flavor, add 5-6 shakes of salt and 7-8 grinds of pepper. When the tomatoes are hot, add the pasta into the veggie pot and stir. Serve in bowl and add a good amount of cheese. 

This recipe contains 3 food groups: grains, veggies, and dairy.