Logan Guleff and his prize-winning lunch: Tuna Schooners with lettuce sails!
A quinoa and tuna salad in red pepper boats is sending 9-year-old Memphis chef Logan Guleff to the White House for the first ever “Kids State Dinner” hosted by first lady Michelle Obama.
The dinner on August 20, which is actually lunch, is Logan's prize for being the Tennessee winner of Obama's Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a cooking competition for youngsters nationwide. His "Tuna Schooners" is one of 54 winning recipes selected from more than 1,200 participants who created nutritious lunchtime meals using each of the four food groups. Already, his recipe has been created by White House chefs and will be included in an online cookbook at Epicurious.com, co-sponsors of the contest along with the Departments of Agriculture and Education.
In addition to the White House lunch, Logan and his parents Kim and Tom Guleff will participate in a weekend of activities, including a pizza welcome party, a bus tour of Washington, D.C., a tour of the White House vegetable garden and a visit to Julia Child's kitchen in the Smithsonian. (Now I'm really jealous.)
As you might imagine, Logan and his family are thrilled about the upcoming trip. “I am so excited to go to the White House and represent the state of Tennessee,” Logan said via e-mail. “And I love Epicurious 'cause I am Epically Curious about food!"
The home-schooled fifth-grader also is a great cook whose previous accomplishments in the kitchen include a prize-winning “Chomp Burger” created for Jif Peanut Butter earlier this year. Logan also plans to package and sell his own spice rub to earn money for a cub scout project, and he will be cooking his Tuna Schooners at the Cooper Young Farmers Market on September 1.
If you'd like to try making Logan's schooners at home, here's the recipe written up by his mom, who says the family also likes the tuna salad as a dip for carrot slices or stuffed inside lettuce wraps. You can also watch Logan prepare his recipe in this clip from ABC News 24.
Logan Guleff's Tuna Schooners
1 cup cooked quinoa 1/2 cup cucumber 1/2 cup onion 1/2 cup diced sweet red and orange peppers 1/2 cup celery Salt pepper 1 can tuna drained 1/4 cup light mayonnaise Sprinkle of cayenne pepper 2 sweet little peppers cut in half for the boat bases 3 lettuce leaf triangles for sails cut from one leaf Combine the quinoa, diced veggies, mayo and tuna and mix thoroughly. Stuff the peppers with the salad and insert the lettuce leafs cut into triangles for the sails. To meet the My Plate nutritional standards, add seasonal fresh fruit and a glass of milk.
