Barb City STEAM Team Has Fun with Food

We’re sharing some of our favorite recipes so you can try them at home!

By Kelly Furr, NIU STEAM educator

Just over a year ago, the Barb City STEAM Team program began, offering a group of DeKalb middle school students a chance to come to the NIU campus for mentorship, homework help, and – of course – project-based STEAM learning. We knew we wanted the FoodMASTER curriculum – which uses food to teach applied math and science concepts – to be one of the many options students could choose from. And we’re not surprised that it is always one of our most popular classes. There’s nothing more fun than learning with food!

(Learn more about FoodMASTER in this NIU Today article.)

We had just one challenge – we needed a fully equipped food science laboratory for our hands-on scientific inquiry. Thankfully, the NIU College of Health and Human Sciences offered us the use of their food lab in Wirtz Hall. Now, on most Mondays and Wednesdays that space comes to life with the energy that only excited middle schoolers can bring.

In the lab, we discuss various food science topics, then we try out some hands-on learning with experiments and recipes. Recently, we learned all about the science behind microwaves: how do they work, why can they cook food so quickly, and how safe are they to use? (Don’t worry, we debunked some myths and learned to use the microwave safely by avoiding metal.)

Of course, we had to follow up on our discussions with some hands-on microwave recipes. Our only rule is that everyone has to try at least one bite! The students were really surprised that they liked the nutritious “Mugritos” we made.

Keep reading for that recipe and several of our other favorites, including energy bites and chocolate-covered strawberry ghosts!

Try this at home – some of our favorite recipes!

Mugrito: Microwave Breakfast Burrito in a Mug

We tried out this recipe from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking, and the kids were surprised to find they really liked it.

All you need is:

• A microwave
• A coffee mug
• A large 9-inch flour tortilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons beans
• 2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
• salt and pepper
• Optional garnishes: Salsa, sour cream

Instructions

1. Press the tortilla into the bottom of the mug.
2. Crack in the eggs and whisk with a fork, taking care not to tear the tortilla.
3. Add in your favorite burrito ingredients, like cheese, beans and scallions. Season with salt and pepper and mix.
4. Microwave 1 minute, 20 seconds. Check and, if the eggs are still liquid cook for 15-20 seconds more. (As Gemma points out, be sure to keep an eye on it so the eggs don’t overheat. You don’t want an egg-splosion in your microwave!)
5. Let cool for three minutes and serve with sour cream and salsa.

If you don’t have all these ingredients on hand, try experimenting with what you have available! (If you try this, send us a message to let us know what ingredients worked well for you. We’d love to hear about your food adventures.)

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