The White House Kitchen Garden Fall Harvest and Grilled Garden Pizza

The White House Kitchen Garden Fall Harvest and Grilled Garden Pizza

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Today, First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by a big group of helpers for the third annual White House kitchen garden fall harvest. Students from Bancroft and Tubman Elementary Schools got their hands dirty picking produce from the garden and then had a chance to try some of the vegetables that they picked on grilled garden pizza.

White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford shared the recipe for grilled garden pizza:

Serves 4

• 1 12 inch pizza dough,  can use freezer dough
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 eggplant, cut into coins, ½ inch thick
• 1 sweet potato,  peeled, sliced thinly
• 1 red pepper,  sliced, ¼ inch thick
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 oz.  tomato sauce, your favorite brand
• 6 oz.  shredded mozzarella, lowfat
• chopped fresh basil, for garnish.

Toss the vegetables in olive oil and salt and pepper.  Grill until softened but still a bit crunchy.  Set aside.

Flatten the pizza dough  until about 1/8 inch thick.  Brush with olive oil.   Season with salt and pepper.  Grill on both sides for about 2 minutes on each side.  Top with the tomato sauce,  mozzarella and grilled veggies.  Garnish with basil.  Serve immediately.

The food from the harvest didn’t all go to grilled garden pizza, it will also be used in the upcoming State Dinner and will be donated to Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C.

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The White House:
October 05, 2011

Remarks by the First Lady at the Third Annual White House Fall Harvest

South Lawn

3:09 P.M. EDT

        MRS. OBAMA:  Hi, Sam Kass.

        MR. KASS:  How are you?

        MRS. OBAMA:  What’s going on?  What have you been doing out here?

        CHILDREN:  Waiting.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Waiting.

        CHILD:  Looking around.

        MRS. OBAMA:  We’re looking around.  Well, let’s stop waiting.  Let’s get going.  Well, you guys ready to harvest?

        CHILDREN:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  We are going to harvest.  We’re going to pull up some vegetables, right?

        CHILDREN:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  And then we’re going to make some snacks.  Mmm.  Well, let me welcome everybody who’s here.  We’ve got our tried and true students from Tubman and Bancroft.  Where is everybody?  Bancroft, raise your hands.  Tubman, raise your hands.  And where are your teachers?  Raise your hands.  Where are they?  Where are they?  There — say hi to your teachers.

        And we have some other guests, as well.  We’ve got some “Let’s Move” Twitter fans that are here.  (Applause.)

        MRS. OBAMA:  Twitter fans in the house.  You guys ready?  Got your thumbs ready?  All right.  Well, this is going to be exciting.  I’m always happy to have you guys here.  You know why we do this, right?

        CHILDREN:  Yes.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Tell me, why are we here?  Yes.

        CHILD:  Because we have to, like, cook — and pizzas.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Pizzas is a good reason to be here.  You see that?  Having a little pizza.

        Why do you think we’re here?

        CHILD:  I think we’re here to learn how to stay healthy.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Ah!  Awesome.  Yes, to learn how to stay healthy how?

        CHILD:  By eating healthy and doing exercises.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Awesome.  Wow, you guys have been paying attention, paying attention.  What do you guys have to say?  Why are we here?

        CHILD:  For picking vegetables.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Yeah, yeah, but why are we here?

        CHILD:  We’re here because, like, we want to, like, help the White House garden.

        MRS. OBAMA:  Excellent.  Excellent.  So you guys have learned some things since you’ve been here right?  Well, we don’t just pick these vegetables for the White House.  I mean, we are going to eat these vegetables — the President, me, Malia, Sasha, Grandma.  Bo doesn’t really eat them.

        But we also serve them at our big official functions, and we also share them with some of our neighbors.  And we have Miriam’s Kitchen folks here — where are our Miriam Kitchen’s people?  There you guys go.  Always there, always ready.  We’re going to give some of the food to Miriam’s Kitchen, and they serve good healthy food to people who don’t always have access to good healthy food.  So they’ve been a partner with us for a very long time, and we’re happy to have them.

        So I am excited to have you.  Do you guys have your assignments?

        CHILDREN:  Yes!

        MRS. OBAMA:  All right, well let’s move!  Let’s get picking!

END 3:11 P.M. EDT

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The White House
Office of the First Lady

*  The above story is adapted from materials provided by  The White House

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