The document provides recipes from different world cuisines represented in an early childhood education program. It includes 11 recipes from African, African American, Native American, Vietnamese, Hispanic, Haitian, Salvadoran, Korean and Puerto Rican traditions. The recipes cover main dishes, sides and soups/stews featuring ingredients and preparation techniques common in the respective cuisines.

1. Ethnic Cuisines:
A Multicultural
Collection of
Recipes Courtesy of
the ABCD Head
Start Program

2. Collard Greens
African-American Soul food
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon of pepper
- 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 lb. fresh collard greens
- ½ cup low or no sodium chicken broth
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
- Add onion into the pan and cook until its tender
- Add garlic, cook until fragrant
- Add collard greens, sauté until they start to wilt.
- Pour in chicken broth, season with salt, pepper, and red
pepper flakes
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45
minutes or until greens are tender

3. Creole okra
African American/Haitian Soul Food
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- Pinch thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 (16 oz.) package of okra (frozen or fresh)
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat
- Sauté onion and garlic until tender
- Add in green pepper and continue cooking until tender
- Drain the tomatoes and poor them into the skillet. Set
juice to the side.
- Season with thyme, parsley, cayenne, salt, and pepper
- Let simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat
- Add okra; pour in juice from canned tomatoes to cover
the bottom of the pan
- Cover and cook until okra is tender

4. Creole black-eyed peas and rice
African American Soul Food
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 small onions, chopped
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup brown rice
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups water
- 2 (16 oz.) black-eyed peas
Directions:
- Crumble ground beef into a skillet or a large sauce pan
over medium-high heat
- Add onions and green pepper
- Cook and stir until beef is evenly browned
- Add rice and water to pan, season with creole
seasoning, pepper, and garlic powder
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low
- Let simmer for 30 minutes until all water is absorbed
- Stir in black-eyed peas half way through cooking

5. Santa Clara Carrots
A Native American traditional side dish
Ingredients:
- 8 scrubbed carrots
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 mint leaves
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- Boil unpeeled carrots with mint leaves until just tender
and drain
- Arrange carrots in baking pan, lined with butter
- Season and cover pan with foil
- Bake at 350 degrees for fifty minutes

6. Vietnamese grilled lemongrass chicken
A Vietnamese main course plate
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped lemon grass
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ lbs. chicken thighs
Directions:
- Mix olive oil, lemongrass, lemon juice, soy sauce, brown
sugar, and garlic together in a mixing bowl until the
sugar is dissolved
- Add chicken and turn to coat in the marinade
- Marinade chicken in refrigerator for 20 minutes to an
hour
- Preheat grill for medium heat
- Remove chicken thighs from marinade and shake to
remove excess marinade.
- Grill chicken until no longer pink in the center and the
juices run clear, 3-5 minutes per side

7. Enchiladas
A traditional Hispanic dish
Ingredients:
- 10 Whole wheat tortillas (depending on serving size)
- 1 cup Brown rice
- 2 cups Shredded low fat cheese
- Corn
- Meat or meatless;
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 28 oz. enchilada sauce
- 2 cups no sodium chicken broth
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- Two 4-ounce cans dried green chilies
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup chopped black olives
- 1 lb. ground beef
Directions:
- Combine canola oil and flour in a medium sauce pan.
Whisk together and allow it to bubble for 1minute

8. - Pour in red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring
to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer while preparing other
ingredients
- Brown the ground beef with onions in a large skillet
over a medium heat. Drain fat, add pinch of salt to
combine. Turn off heat and aside
- In a small skillet over medium heat, heat canola oil and
lightly fry the tortillas just until soft. Drain on a paper
towel-lined plate.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Spread ½ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9-13
inch baking dish. Dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the
sauce soaked-tortilla on a plate. Place on some of the
meat mixture, corn, chilies and green onions. Sprinkle
cheese over the mixture and roll up tortilla to contain
filling inside
- Place tortilla face down in baking dish. Repeat with
other tortillas and pour remaining sauce over the top.
End with cheese and other vegetables
- Bake enchiladas for 20 minutes or until bubbly
- Serve with a side of brown rice

9. Chicken salad
Ingredients:
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup onion, diced
- 1/3 cup celery, diced
- ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup carrots, diced
Directions:
- Dice poached chicken breasts and place into a large
bowl.
- Mix Greek yogurt in until all the chicken is coated
evenly.
-
- Add celery, onion, and carrots to the bowl and mix in.

10. Creole Chicken Sauce
A traditional Haitian dish
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
- 2 large table spoons of tomato paste
- 4 cups of no sodium chicken broth
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 2 tablespoons of thyme and parsley mixture
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 leek
- Pinch of salt
- Hot pepper to taste (taken out before serving)
Directions:
- Cover chicken with 1 cup chick broth and cook. Save broth for
sauce
- Pestle and mortar 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1 small leek, and a pinch of
salt
- Take ½ cup of the broth and put it into a sauce pan; bring to a boil
- Add garlic/leek mixture and green pepper, cook for 3 minutes
- Add tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes
- Add 3 more cups of chicken broth, parsley, and thyme, and hot
pepper.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 30-45 minutes until it starts to become
less watery looking.
- Sauce can be served over rice

11. Pastelon
Sweet plantain “lasagna”
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced into strips
- 1 lb. cooked ground turkey
- 3 eggs
- 1 onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green pepper, minced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, skim (optional)
Directions:
- Layer the bottom of the pan evenly with plantains
- Add eggs to keep plantains together
- Add cooked ground turkey over the first layer of
plantain evenly (optional add shredded cheese)
- Add another layer of plantain over the ground turkey
meat
- Add the rest of beat eggs evenly over plantains
- Place in over for 250 degrees F for about 20 minutes or
until eggs are cooked

12. Haitian beet salad/salad betrav
A traditional Haitian side dish
Ingredients:
- Half dozen beets, peeled
- 6 potatoes, peeled
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoon light mayonnaise
- Pinch of salt
Directions:
- Boil the beets, potatoes, carrots together until soft
- Finely chop onion and bell pepper
- Remove all beets, potatoes, and carrots from the water
and chop after cooling
- Add salt, vinegar, mayonnaise and pepper to taste

13. Pupusas Revuletas
Salvadoran-style stuffed Masa cakes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. ground chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ small onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 medium green pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 small tomato, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 cups instant corn flour
- 6 cups water
- ½ lb. low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated
Directions:
- In a nonstick skillet over low heat, sauté chicken in oil until chicken
turns white. Constantly stir chicken to make sure it is evenly cooked.
- Add onion, garlic, green pepper, tomato, and salt; mix well. Cook until
chicken mixture is cooked through (internal temp 165 degrees F).
Remove the skillet from the stove. Put the mixture in a bowl and cool in
the refrigerator.
- While chicken mixture is cooling, place corn flour in a large mixing bowl
and gradually stir in enough water to make a stiff tortilla-like dough.
- When chicken mixture has cooled, add in chees
- Divide the dough into portions. Roll into balls with hands and press a
hole in each ball with thumb.
- Put about a tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the hole of each ball.
Fold the dough over to completely enclose it. Press the ball out with
palms to form a disk.
- In a very hot iron skillet, cook the pupusas on each side until golden
brown

14. Lentil Soup
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 medium stalks celery, chopped
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups dry lentils
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 6 ½ cups water
Directions:
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add
carrots, celery, and onions; cook and stir until the onion
is tender.
- Stir in garlic, oregano, basil, and pepper. Cook for 2
minutes
- Stir in lentils and tomatoes, and then add the vegetable
broth and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat
and simmer for at least one hour until lentils are tender

15. Plantain and meat casserole
A traditional Puerto Rican dish
Ingredients:
- Meat filling
o 1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
o 2 medium green peppers, chopped
o 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
o 3 bay leaves
o ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
o 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
o ½ tablespoon annatto paste (achiote)
o 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
o 1 cup tomato sauce
- Dough
o 8 lg. yellow plantains, ripe
o 10 cups water
o 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Other layers
o 5 egg whites, beaten
o 1 ½ cup cooked green beans
o ½ cup low-fat mozzarella, shredded

16. Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Brown the meat in a large pot. Drain the fat and add the
remaining filling ingredients. Cook over medium heat
for 5 minutes. Set aside
- Boil the peeled plantains in 10 cups of water until soft,
then drain. In a large bowl, mash the plantains then add
the olive oil. Mix well, making it into a soft dough. In a
separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they are foamy
- Spread half of the plantain dough in a baking pan. Add a
layer of the meat filling, egg whites, and half of the
green beans
- Repeated layers and top with a final layer of plantains
and egg whites. Separate with the mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes

17. Chickadillo/ chicken picadillo
A traditional Hispanic dish
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut into thin strips
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 medium red pepper, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, mashed
- ½ cup no-salt-added tomato sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup golden raisins
Directions:
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, peppers,
and garlic; sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes
- Add the chicken and stir fry for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the
chicken is cooled
- Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, lemon juice, cumin, bay leaves, water,
and rasins to the vegetables and chicken.
- Cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes until chicken
is tender
- Remove bay leaves and serve with brown rice and black beans. Garnish
with fresh cilantro, capers, and olives.

18. Baked tilapia with tomatoes
A traditional Hispanic dish
Ingredients:
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 4 tilapia fillets
- 4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ cup pitted black olves, diced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray baking dish with vegetable spray
- Arrange fillets in the baking dish.
- Mix remaining ingredients into a bowl
- Spoon the tomato mixture evenly over fillets
- Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until the fish flakes
easily with a fork
- Garnish with parsley and lemon wedge

19. Quinoa and black bean salad
A traditional Hispanic side dish
Ingredients:
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- 1 ½ cup water
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander (cilantro seeds)
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 2 medium scallions, minced
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups tomato, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 fresh green chilies, minced
- Black pepper (to taste)
Directions:
- Rinse quinoa in cold water. Boil water in saucepan, then add
quinoa, return to boil, then summer until water is absorbed, 10 to
15 minutes.
- While quinoa is cooking, mix olive oil, lime juice, cumin, coriander,
chopped cilantro, and scallions in a small bowl, and set aside
- Combine chopped vegetables with black beans in a large bowl and
set aside
- Once quinoa has cooled, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve

20. kimchee (pickled vegetables)
A traditional Korean dish
Ingredients:
- 1 cup carrots, sliced in ¼ inch pieces
- 1 cup chinese cabbage, sliced in 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup cauliflower, cut into flowerets
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions:
- Sprinkle carrot, celery, cabbage and cauliflowerets with
2 teaspoons salt; toss.
- Let stand 20 minutes, rinse with cold water and drain
- Toss drained vegetables with remaining ingredients.
Refrigerate at least 48 hours