There is something so rewarding about sharing your passion, especially when it's something as tangible and, well, nutritious as healthy food. On September 30^th, Vermont FEED, Upper Valley Farm to School and Southern Vermont Area Health and Education Center held a district school food service training. We packed up coolers full of grains and veggies and headed off to Springfield to share our knowledge and hopefully impart some excitement about cooking tips, tricks and techniques.

Sixteen food service professionals from around the state gathered at Springfield School to learn about a handful of ways to cook a virtually limitless number of things. Abbie Nelson, director of Vermont FEED, helped them whip up four different beans to make a delicious dip. Peter Allison, director of Upper Valley Farm to School, introduced several new (to some) kinds of grains - quinoa, rice, orzo and whole-wheat couscous - and showed how to make easy, tasty and colorful salads. Nancy Schaefer and Daylyn Finnegan explained the wonders of squashes, and stuffed an incredible amount of veggies into two fabulous lasagnas.

I was amazed at the grazing and appreciative 'yum!'s coming from the women as they munched on cold but perfectly cooked broccoli, green beans and carrots. I also roasted several root veggies - beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga and carrots - and gladly handed out spoons to the eager tasters. Finally, we all tucked in to our healthy, low-fat, nutrient-dense feast - and the smiles on everyone's faces proved that we had done our job well.