LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC (WIS) -
A Lexington middle school student's school lunch recipe caught the eye of White House officials and earned her a spot at the first-ever Kids' "State Dinner."
"I like to eat Asian food. I'm an Asian food lover," said 12-year-old Lauren Kuperman, who is a rising seventh grader at Pleasant Hill Middle School in Lexington. "All I ever eat is Asian food."
That includes Lauren's mom's Vermicelli Chicken Salad. It was that recipe that earned the Kuperman's a place in First Lady Michelle Obama's Healthy Lunchtime Challenge Cookbook.
"It's a combination of many recipes I've made over the years," said Lauren's Mom, Faye. "It's a nice recipe because I can make it hot or cold, and I can pack it in her lunch."
"It's got chicken, it's got a little bit of noodles and vegetables," said Faye. "It's Asian-based, and Lauren loves it, so I know she'll eat it."
Lauren was selected as the "Healthy Lunchtime Challenge" representative for South Carolina. She was one of only 54 children chosen to be in the cookbook and to attend the luncheon at the White House on Monday.
Lauren said in addition to meeting First Lady Michelle Obama, Nickelodeon stars, Big Time Rush and Neville from iCarly, the children also had a surprise visit from the President.
"He said he got left off the ‘dinner' list," said Lauren. "It was funny. I was making a face and said, ‘I didn't know he was that funny.'"
The dinner was held as part of Mrs. Obama's Let's Move efforts to fight childhood obesity. The Kupermans say they also got a White House tour and saw the White House kitchen garden with the Executive Chef.
Lauren's Mom said she originally saw and entered the contest on Epicurious.com. Epicurious.com partnered with the Departments of Education and Agriculture to sponsor the "Healthy Lunchtime Challenge."
Kuperman's Vermicelli Chicken Salad Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup vermicelli noodles
1 cup cooked chopped chicken breast
1 tablespoon chopped red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
1 teaspoon chopped onion
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon minced fresh lemon basil
¼ cup rice-wine vinegar
Preparation:
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the vermicelli noodles for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and return the noodles to the pot.
- Add the chicken, bell pepper, celery, peanuts, onion, pepper, lime zest, lemon basil, and rice-wine vinegar and stir to combine. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for two minutes. (This can be prepared the evening prepared.) Serve hot or cold.
Copyright 2012 WIS. All rights reserved.
Mary King interviews 7th grader Lauren Kuperman and her mom
