RECIPE

Educational Dining

In October of 2020, 4Roots Foundation, the philanthropic arm of 4R Restaurant Group, opened 4Roots Café inside an exhibit at the Orlando Science Center. The goal was to create an immersive and educational dining experience by highlighting the link between the food we eat and its origin. Exhibits feature cooking and farming demonstrations, kids’ activities, a video wall playing the stories of 15 local farmers — “food heroes” — and more. 4Roots Foundation founder John Rivers hopes the Café helps educate both children and their parents on where their food comes from, how it relates to their health, causes of food waste, and what we each can do to support a better food system and address food insecurity in our community.

The cafe menu includes plant-forward items, sourced from as much produce as possible from local growers, and a portion of the proceeds benefits the 4Roots Foundation. Customers can utilize grab-and-go options or dine in and create customizable sandwiches, flatbreads bowls and salads. Here is one of our favorite salads.

4Roots Signature Mediterranean Bowl

A base of romaine and spinach mix, with Kale Power Mix, Four Bean Medley, Baja Chicken, topped with tomatoes and parmesan.

INGREDIENTS

Baja Chicken

2lb Chicken Thighs – seasoned with salt and pepper 2 Cups Baja Dressing (see sub recipe) 4 Tbsp. Lime Juice 1 Bunch of Cilantro 1 Tsp. Lime Juice

Baja Dressing

½ Cup Red Wine Vinegar 1½ Cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 ½ Tbsp. Italian Seasoning ½ Tsp. Kosher Salt ¼ Tsp. Black Pepper ¼ Tsp. Sugar ½ Tsp. Dried Oregano

Bean Medley

1 Cup Yellow Onion-diced ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil Blend ¼ Tsp. Garlic Powder ¼ Tbsp. Italian Seasoning ¼ Tsp. Kosher Salt ¼ Tsp. Black Pepper ½ Tbsp. Sherry Vinegar 1 Cup Red Kidney Beans 1 Cup Pinto Beans 1 Cup White Kidney Beans 1 Cup Cannellini Beans

Kale Power Mix

1 Cup Shredded Kale ¼ Cup Grated Carrot ½ Cups Cabbage- thinly sliced 1 Tbsp. Lemon Vinaigrette (see sub recipe)

Lemon Vinaigrette

¼ Cup Lemon Juice 2/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 pinch Kosher Salt 1 pinch Black Pepper

Mediterranean Bowl Assembly

6 oz Spinach 6 oz Kale Power Mix 3 oz Bean Medley 3 oz Baja Chicken 2 oz Tomato 2 oz Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Baja Chicken

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add chicken to Baja Dressing, lime juice, and cilantro marinade Marinate between 2 and 4 hours. Remove chicken from marinade and reserve cilantro bunch. Grill chicken until 165 ° while brushing marinade and mopping the chicken with the cilantro bunch. Let chicken rest for 3 minutes. Cut chicken into ¾ x ¾ dice. Toss with lime juice.

Baja Dressing

Mix all ingredients together.

Bean Medley

Sauté onion in Olive Oil Blend. Add seasonings. Add Beans. Cook until beans are tender. Finish with sherry vinegar.

Kale Power Mix

Add all ingredients to a bowl and toss in Lemon Vinaigrette.

Lemon Vinaigrette

Whisk all ingredients together.

Mediterranean Bowl Assembly

Combine all prepared ingredients into a bowl in this order. Start with a base of 6 oz Spinach. Add 6 oz Kale Power Mix. Add 3 oz Bean Medley. Add 3 oz Baja Chicken. Add 2 oz Tomato. Add 2 oz Parmesan.