First they broke the ice by playing the Bunny Game, which involved “stealing” a baby zucchini. When they introduced themselves, they were asked to state their favorite vegetable. When one 6-year-old offered up “banana,” it quickly morphed into “favorite fruit” instead.

Next came a lesson about the vegetable du jour — which was, of course, zucchini. Raw zucchini slices were passed around for taste-testing, with and without dip. The zucchini was almost unanimously well received by the youngsters at last week’s Kids Cooking Club. Except for the one child who compared both the smell and taste of it to play dough. A second child thought it tasted just like cabbage, but didn’t seem to find that problematic.

“The goal of this class is to introduce kids to healthy eating concepts,” said instructor Kim Etingoff of Lots to Gardens. As part of St. Mary’s Health System, the series of classes incorporates cooking, games, simple nutritional instruction and preparation of kid-friendly snacks.

Every Thursday from 4 to 5:15 p.m., Etingoff teaches cooking skills in a fun and welcoming atmosphere to a group of up to eight children. “It’s a place for a diverse range of kids age 6 to 14 to come together and learn about everything from whole grains to making smoothies to the parts of a plant.”

The classes start in the children’s reading room on the third floor of the Lewiston Public Library, and move into the Callahan Hall kitchen for the hands-on cooking class.

“We use as much fresh produce as possible. The recipes are based on what the kids voted for last week,” says Etingoff. The young chefs from the week before had selected pizza and fruit salad to make this week. Etingoff had the ingredients ready — a mountain of fresh fruit along with a stack of colorful peppers, onions, zucchini and basil leaves — and divided the kids into four pairs of worker bees: dough makers, vegetable choppers, sauce mixers and fruit dicers.

Etingoff explained what garlic scapes are (the long, green stem portion with flower attached), which were chopped up and cooked in the pizza sauce. She said garlic scapes are less intense and milder in flavor than garlic cloves, and slightly sweeter. “They can be used in any recipe that calls for garlic, and make especially wonderful pesto.”

She told the group, “You can easily add any other veggies you like on top of your pizzas — spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, et cetera.”

The class included a diverse group of children, with a wide range of cooking skills. They were all quite open-minded about the foods they were working with, very enthusiastic and plenty helpful. It was amusing to see their perseverance in the task of onion-chopping in spite of the tears rolling down their cheeks.

Two 8-year-olds, Arown Purcell and Mina Tucker, both of Lewiston, and Adeline Runnels, 7, of Auburn, are repeat attendees. A quick poll by this writer of the favorite items they’ve learned to cook in the past included fruit smoothies, tacos, whole wheat pretzels and veggie mac and cheese. Purcell also made sure to tell me how much he liked a recipe for nachos made with — don’t cringe! — squash. (I am quite sure that is not common for a parent to hear, having grown up with a sister who still to this day considers squash the most evil vegetable ever planted on the face of the Earth.)

For 6-year-old Max, it was actually his first time cutting and using a knife. Supervised by his aunt, Mary Care, of Lewiston, he carefully and precisely chopped his way through a stack of apple wedges. For safety reasons, bright, colorful plastic lettuce knives are used in class. Etingoff said she recommends a child be 13 years old before using standard steel kitchen knives.

Isho Mohamed, an 11-year-old who goes to Longley School, promptly informed me — while not missing a beat in her pizza dough mixing — of the year she would be graduating from high school (2017) and college (2021). I was very impressed with such forward thinking. She also was the most advanced student in the class — an absolute whiz at kneading the pizza crust, having already perfected the technique when baking bread, taught to her by her mother. She also instinctively knew when the dough was too dry and needed additional water.

“Personally, I really enjoy this class,” Etingoff said. “I get to form relationships with some of the kids, and see their enthusiasm grow for eating and cooking well as they come back over several weeks or months. Healthy eating is one of the most important things we can teach kids, and I’m definitely glad to be a part.”

Etingoff added, “We have a great partnership with the Lewiston Public Library, who generously lets us use their space and gives us other support as well.”

When it came time to vote on the menu for the following week’s class, the very first suggestion was cupcakes, perhaps not surprisingly? Other ideas offered up by the kids included pudding, carrot cookies, fried rice, applesauce and sambusa (a Somali item similar to fried, triangle-shaped Indian samosa pastries). Because Etingoff was much more agreeable to making a “healthy” dessert, they decided on sweet potato cookies instead of cupcakes, along with tacos and smoothies.

To see the kids help Etingoff make fresh whole wheat pizzas and fruit salads, watch the video at sunjournal.com. To register for an upcoming class, call 513-3133 or register at the children’s desk at the Lewiston Public Library.

Recipes

Kid-Friendly, Yeast-Free, No-Rise Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 cups flour

2 & 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

3/4 to 1 cup water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients. Add 3/4 cup water and the oil. Stir until it forms a ball. If dough is stiff, add more water. The dough will be soft, not sticky. Knead on a floured surface for 3 to 4 minutes. Shape into one large or several smaller pizzas. Top with sauce (see recipe below), cheese and veggies. Place on a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes.

Easy Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) can of tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic or 2 garlic scapes (the stem and flower portion), your preference, minced

3 tablespoons dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 cups water

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup frozen or fresh vegetables, chopped, for toppings (in class, Etingoff used fresh basil leaves, peppers and zucchini)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute onions and garlic cloves and garlic scapes for 2-3 minutes.

Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, parsley flakes, oregano, basil and water to the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Then reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

Cool a little, then spread the sauce on your uncooked pizza crust. Add remainder of your toppings, including cheese as desired.

Fruit Salad with Honey Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients*:

3 apples, chopped

2 oranges, peeled and chopped

3 bananas, peeled and chopped

1 cup blueberries

1 cup strawberries, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Wash, cut, and prepare fruit.

Mix cinnamon, vanilla, plain yogurt, honey and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk.

Add fruit and walnuts and mix. Best if refrigerated for 1 hour.

* Kim’s healthy tip: Use whatever fruit you like. Mangoes, raspberries, pineapple, peaches, kiwi, melon, etc.

Lots to Gardens is a youth- and community-driven organization that uses sustainable urban agriculture to create access to fresh food, and to nurture healthy youth and a healthy community.

The group teaches people how to grow their own food, provide affordable access to fresh food and involve youth as leaders.

Since 1999, the organization has built 15 gardens and green spaces in four neighborhoods in Lewiston. It is sponsored by St. Mary’s Health System.

For more info, go to www.stmarysmaine.com/Nutrition-Center-of-Maine/lots-to-gardens or call 513-3844.

Arown Purcell, 8, of Lewiston, mixes up the fruit salad during the kids cooking class held at the Lewiston Public Library.

Adeline Runnels, 7, left, and Karto Mohamed, 8, of Lewiston, prepare the dough for pizza during the kids cooking class held at the Lewiston Public Library. Cooking instructor Kim Etingoff back center, helps other youngsters in class with the preparations.

Maximus Bechard, 6, left, and Mina Tucker, 8, right, cut up the fruit for the fruit salad as their grandmother, Mary Care, center, looks on during the kids cooking class held at the Lewiston Public Library.

Adeline Runnels, 7, of Auburn, and Karto Mohamed, 8, of Lewiston, get their hands into the mixing bowl preparing the pizza dough during the kids cooking class held at the Lewiston Public Library.

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