#NativeEats Cookbook by American Indian College Fund

(American Indian College Fund photo)

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction

Soups

Meats

Breads

Sides & Sweets

Additional Resources & Index

(Graphic courtesy of First Peoples Worldwide)

Introduction The #NativeEats cookbook is a product of First Peoples Worldwide and Proud to be Indigenous in collaboration with the American Indian College Fund. “The Great Native Eats Challenge” was a project to “add an Indigenous flavor” to the holiday season through gathering photos, stories, and recipes from a variety of Native communities. The Native Scholars Facebook page of the American Indian College Fund then used this initiative to create a collection of holiday recipes provided through the duration of this project. This cookbook would not be possible without the cooperation and partnership with First Peoples Worldwide and Proud to be Indigenous. Please click on the organizations’ names throughout this cookbook to learn more information about their mission, work, and impact within the global community. You can also learn more about the American Indian College Fund and our scholarships by clicking on the appropriate keywords and by following our Native Scholars Facebook page. Thank you to all who shared your stories and photos to make this collection possible. Enjoy!

Soups Corn Hull Soup submitted by Native Scholar Robin Máxkii “When I was younger, I would dread the hull-removing process. My neck would always ache and I couldn’t barely sit still that long. But now some of my favorite memories are from preparing traditional food!” Ingredients • 2 Cups Dry Corn • 1 LB Venison • 2 Cups Cooked Kidney Beans • 1 Large Onion (Chopped) • Wood Ash

Preparation Cover corn with water and add wood ash. Bring to boil for thirty minutes or until the hulls turn black. Rinse corn of all ashes and soak in cold water while removing the black hulls. Then pour corn into a pot, adding enough water to cover corn by at least an inch. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer for an hour. Add venison, chopped onion and kidney beans. Simmer for two more hours. Make sure that ingredients are submerged in water throughout entire simmer process. Salt to taste.

Sweet Potato Soup provided by the American Indian College Fund’s “Thanksgiving is almost here!”

Mommy Soup provided by Dale Carson from Indian Country Today Media Network’s “Native Soup for the Soul” “I have read that the onion may be the oldest food on the planet, since it has been found in some form in nearly every country. By that description, soup may be the oldest recipe.” (Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/12/30/native-soup-soul-146621) Ingredients First:

Preparation Simmer all for about an hour, than add about a cup of fresh cut up kale or spinach and a can or two of light red kidney beans. If you have dried navy, kidney, northern, or other dried beans, add them with the rice and barley as above. If you like tomatoes, a small can of diced tomatoes with mild chills is a good but not a necessary addition. Crumble the bacon into the soup about ½ hour before it is done. Herbs like parsley, sage, thyme or cumin might be added sparingly at or near the end of cooking time, which is about 2 to 3 hours.

3 strips of bacon, drained and set aside saving some of the bacon fat to sauté 1 large Vidalia onion, chopped, and 3 ribs of celery, chopped Fill the soup pot with: 1 quart of water and 1 quart of chicken stock (or vegetable broth) Add to this: 3 carrots, sliced fairly thin ¼ cup of each: white or brown rice, wild rice, and barley, and split peas

Chippewa Wild Rice and Chicken Soup provided by Gabriel Arevalo from First People’s Worldwide: “#NativeEats Recipe: Chippewa Wild Rice and Chicken Soup” “The Chippewa collect rice using a boat or canoe – the vessel is pushed from the rear using a pole, while the front man, using what looks like oversized drum sticks, knocks the ripe rice from its stalk into the boat. It takes two to three pounds of green (unprocessed) wild rice to yield one pound of finished (processed) wild rice.” (Read more at http://firstpeoples.org/wp/nativeeats-recipe-chippewa-wild-rice-and-chicken-soup/)

Ingredients • 2 quarts water with 2 teaspoons salt added to pre-boil the rice • ¾ c raw wild rice • ½ cup butter • 1 cup chopped celery • 1 cup chopped carrots • ½ c chopped onion • ⅓ cup flour • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces • 5 Cup(s) chicken broth • 2 Cup(s) half and half • ¼ Teaspoon(s) rosemary • ⅛ Teaspoon(s) dill • ⅛ Teaspoon(s) fennel seeds • Salt • Fresh Ground Black pepper

Preparation Boil the water to cook the rice in a large pan or pot. Once the water is boiling, add 2 teaspoons salt, sprinkle in the raw wild rice and stir. As you boil the rice, you will see it transform from hard to soft. Boil the wild rice for one hour and drain in a colander. Set aside. Over medium high heat, melt ½ cup of butter in a large pot, stirring to make sure the butter doesn’t burn. Then add the chopped celery, carrots, and onion. Stir to coat the vegetables evenly with the butter and cook until onions are translucent, and the vegetables are soft, about 8 – 10 minutes. Next sprinkle in ⅓ cup flour, stirring constantly. Once all of the flour has been incorporated into the butter, fry the flour in the butter for 2 minutes. This prevents the finished soup from having a floury taste and completes the roux. Stir in the cut up chicken pieces, which have been seasoned with salt and crushed black pepper. Allow the chicken to cook through, stirring often. Add the 5 cups of chicken broth and stir to incorporate the broth and the flour/butter roux. Simmer the broth for about five minutes, stirring often. Turn the heat down to low and slowly add the 2 cups of half-and-half, stirring constantly. Then add the cooked wild rice, stir and incorporate. Add the spices, rosemary, dill, and fennel seeds. Simmer the soup for 1½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. DO NOT BOIL, as it will cause the cream sauce to break.

Once the soup has thickened, season with salt and pepper to taste. Sources: The Gutsy Gourmet, Moose Lake Wild Rice, Bigorrin, Tribal Directory 6

Meats Simple Meat Recipe submitted by Native Scholar Marilyn Zavala-Blackhawk “My recipe is simple, get a nice cut of roast of your choice, throw into a crockpot with a med. sized jar of mild salsa, let cook until tender.” Ingredients • Roast of choice • Med. Jar of Mild Salsa

Preparation Add roast and salsa to crockpot and cook until tender. Salt to taste.

Clay’s Buffalo Meatloaf provided by the American Indian College Fund’s “Thanksgiving is almost here!”

Breads Fry Bread submitted by Tiffany Gusbeth (Source: Martha Ortega) “Indian fry bread is tradition to the Navajo, and comes with a story of great pain and suffering. Though the tradition of fry bread is common among many Southwestern Tribes, it is the Navajo who developed this recipe.” -Cynthia Detterick-Pineda (“Navajo Fry Bread History”)

(Photo courtesy of Martha Ortega)

Ingredients

• • • • • • •

Preparation Put flour in bowl, add baking powder, salt and powdered milk. Mix. Mix in warm water to form dough.

4 cups of flour 1 tbs. baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 tbs. powdered milk 1 ½ cups warm water 1 cup shortening Extra flour to flour your hands

Cover hands in flour. Knead dough by hand until soft but not sticky. Cover with a cloth and let stand for 15 minutes. Shape dough into balls about 2 inches across then flatten by patting and stretching the dough. Melt shortening about an inch deep in frying pan. When hot put dough in pan. Fry one side till golden brown, then turn and fry the other. 8

Blue Corn Buttermilk Muffins provided by the American Indian College Fund’s “Thanksgiving is almost here!”

(Photo courtesy of Britnae Purdy)

Cherokee Huckleberry Bread provided by the Native Eats Challenge Participant Britnae Purdy (Source: CD Kitchen, “Cherokee Huckleberry Bread”) “My attempt at huckleberry bread for the #NativeEats challenge! I used this recipe from the First Peoples Pinterest page, but had to replace huckleberries with cranberries.” Ingredients 2 cups self-rising flour 1 egg 1 cup sugar 1 stick butter 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups berries (Huckleberry or blueberry)

Preparation Cream eggs, butter and sugar. Add flour, milk and vanilla. Sprinkle flour on berries to prevent them from going to the bottom. Add berries. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

Sides & Sweets Smoked Oyster Potato Cakes provided by the American Indian College Fund’s “Thanksgiving is almost here!”

Posole with Red Chile provided by the American Indian College Fund’s “Thanksgiving is almost here!” “Want a hearty vegetarian meal with a real kick? This delicious posole, a traditional dish among the Southwestern Pueblo peoples, is spicy and satisfying.”

Calabacitas provided by the American Indian College Fund’s “Thanksgiving is almost here!” “This tasty vegetable dish can be eaten as a light lunch, served with tortillas and cheese, or used as a side dish with your favorite southwestern meal.”

Ancient Mayan Hot Chocolate provided by Gabriel Arevalo from First People’s Worldwide: “#NativeEats Recipe: Indigenous Hot Kakaw” “The Mayan Hot Kakaw or Hot Chocolate Drink was a beverage to honor Gods and high ranking individuals such as priests and lords. “ (Read more at http://firstpeoples.org/wp/nativeeats-recipe-indigenous-hot-kakaw/ ) Ingredients 3 cups boiling water 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks 8 ounces bittersweet Maya Kakaw or Xocoalt (chocolate paste) or 3 tablets Mexican unsweetened chocolate, cut into small pieces 2 tablespoons of wild pure honey, or raw sugar to taste 1 pinch of dried red chili; this is what makes the difference so try it!

Preparation In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cinnamon sticks to boiling water. Cook until liquid is reduced to 2 1/2 cups. Remove cinnamon sticks; add the vanilla bean and lower the heat a bit, wait until bubbles appear around the edge to reduce heat to low and drop the chocolate pieces and wild pure honey, mix well and whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted. Turn off heat and remove vanilla bean. Whisk vigorously to create a light foam effect, sprinkle the dried chili pepper and serve; and for an Aztec hot chocolate taste, sprinkle the roasted peanut powder.

1 dried organic grown vanilla bean, split lengthwise l tablespoon roasted peanuts, ground extra fine (optional Aztec hot chocolate taste) Source: Yukatan Adventure Mayan Recipes

Additional Resources This cookbook would not have been possible without the generosity and hard work of others, so please take time to explore these additional resources to learn more about indigenous recipes, issues facing Native communities, and higher education opportunities: • • • • •

American Indian College Fund (Facebook) American Indian College Fund Scholarships (Facebook) First Peoples Worldwide (Facebook) Proud to be Indigenous (Facebook) Cultural Survival (Facebook) • Indian Country Today Media Network (Facebook)

Index (A-Z) Ancient Mayan Hot Chocolate

Blue Corn Buttermilk Muffins

Calabacitas

Cherokee Huckleberry Bread

Chippewa Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

Clay’s Buffalo Meatloaf

Corn Hill Soup

Fry Bread

Mommy Soup

Posole with Red Chile

Simple Meat

Smoked Oyster Potato Cakes

Sweet Potato Soup

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