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Strong conducts cooking demo full of flavor, ideas; salmon pops are a hit By Tiffany Stuart Everyone was greeted with a smile and a smoked salmon lollipop with agave nectar-Dijon mustard lacquer at the Healthy Traditions Cooking Demo with Jack Strong on June 8. The Siletz Tribal Community Center was embellished with white tablecloths, colorful placemats with the menu listed, chia seeds and glass Mason jars. Participants snacked on their smoked salmon pops and chose from healthy drinks – fresh-squeezed lemonade with chia seeds and essence of lavender, citrus- infused water, berry-infused water and cucumber-infused water. Fresh huckleber- ries, strawberries, oranges, lemons and mint were available to put in your drink. Strong, executive chef at Chinook Winds Casino Resort and a Siletz Tribal member, gathered everyone together to demonstrate how to cook quinoa, chicken and salmon. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a seed that comes from South America. This healthy and traditional food for the Incas took just 15 minutes to cook. It is a good choice for diabetics and is rich in protein. Strong included information on the back of the menu for quinoa, suggesting that kids will love it because it is digest- ible and is an excellent source of nutrition for infants and children. Throughout his cooking demo, Strong gave lots of laughter and was engaging with the audience. The participants could look at a huge mirror above his stove to see how he was cooking. Strong explained the salad station in detail. There were fresh vegetables, bay shrimp, citrus, vinegars and olive oil to add to your quinoa. Along with the quinoa salad station, there was herb- garlic chicken, wild salmon on cedar (donated by the Nisqually Tribe) and thyme-scented summer squash for tasting. Dessert included strawberries, raspber- ries, peaches and cantaloupe glazed with agave nectar. Six copies of the cookbook The New Native American Cuisine, co-authored by Strong, Michael O’Dowd, and Mar- ian Betancourt, were given to audience members who had received free raffle tickets. Strong dedicated the book to his mom and grandmother. The cookbook includes recipes from Strong and other chefs from the five star restaurant at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa in Arizona. Strong was a chef there for five years and a chef in Eugene, Ore., at Adam’s Place for eight years. Strong has 20 + years of experience in the culinary industry and it definitely showed at this event. Everyone left with a Healthy Warrior Chia Bar (chocolate peanut butter with 1,000 mg of omega 3), a bag of quinoa to cook at home and their Mason jar drinking cup. Photos by Tiffany Stuart Chef Jack Strong (above) explains how to bake corn with the outer pieces on it. Dessert (below, far left) and salmon pops (below, second from right) enticed participants with a multitude of flavors. Strong takes time to visit with his grandmother, Wilma Strong (below, second from left), while Hayle Strong starts to learn the craft of being a chef. Help with student housing available Help replenish supplies of wood The Temporary Tribal Student Assistance Program (TTSAP) is a time-limited program that assists a student while he or she is obtaining higher education for a period during Cut Wood for the elders Day not to exceed six years. Participants must: 1. Maintain full-time student status (defined as 12 or more credits per semester) 2. Attend a college, university, vocational or trade school 3. Maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA The Siletz Tribal Housing Department (STHD) will allow up to 30 vouchers for this program each year, as long as funding exists. The family’s share of the rent is 30 percent of their adjusted annual income. Annual income is any earned income from employment by a member of the family who is 18 years of age. This does not include income received for school grants, such as financial aid. STHD will start accepting applications for the 2013-2014 TTSAP on July 16, 2013. Applications submitted before that date will not be considered. The deadline to submit applications to STHD is Aug. 16, 2013. An applicant will not be deemed eligible for the program until the application is complete, meaning that all questions in the application are answered and all support- ing documents are attached. The application will be available on the Siletz Tribal website – ctsi.nsn.us – and at the STHD office starting July 16, 2013. For more information, contact Jessica Garcia, Rental Assistance Program coor- dinator/Resident Services advocate, at 541-444-8315 or 800-922-1399, ext. 1315. The Tribal Natural Resources Committee and Natural Resources Department will sponsor another Cut Wood for the Elders Day on July 20. The woodcut will be held in the clearing across Gwee-Shut Road from the Siletz Community Health Clinic in Siletz, Ore. We need lots of volunteers to help cut, split and deliver firewood for Tribal Elders. Bring your chainsaws, hydraulic wood splitters, splitting mauls, axes and lots of energy. Lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided. We will start at 8 a.m. and go until mid-afternoon. The goal of this event will be to deliver firewood to as many Elders as possible. The Elders Program maintains a list of Elders who burn wood for their winter heat. People willing to haul firewood to Elders outside of the Siletz area should contact the Elders Program clerk at 800-922-1399, ext. 1261, or 541-444-8261 to be paired up with an Elder in need. We especially need folks who can haul wood to the Eugene, Salem and Portland areas. Elders in need of firewood also should contact the Elders Program clerk to get their name on the delivery list. If you have parents or grandparents who burn wood in the winter to stay warm, you need to help out at this event. Come help replenish those wood piles for next winter. One additional woodcut is on the schedule for Sept. 14, so mark your calendars now. July 2013 • SiletzNews • 5
