Celebrating Native American Cuisine with Chef Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D.

Tell us a little about yourself and your work.

My name is Lois Ellen Frank and I am a chef based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, cooking alongside Chef Walter Whitewater at Red Mesa Cuisine, LLC, a small catering company specializing in Native American cuisine. We focus on Indigenous Cuisine and Cultural Education, and work on the revitalization of ancestral Native American cuisine. We incorporate a modern touch and prepare food using ingredients focused on health and well-being. Together, we have been working with communities in the southwest for over 30 years. Our newest cookbook, From Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky: Modern Plant-Based Recipes Using Native American Ingredientswas released in fall 2023 and focuses on The Magic Eight, eight plants that native people shared with the world. We also work with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in The power to cure diabetes: food for life in an Indian country program, which uses the Ancestral Native American Diet for Health and Wellness in Native American communities across the United States to re-indigenize, revitalize, and reintroduce healthy ancestral foods into the diet. (More information at www.nativepowerplate.org.)

Could you talk about the re-indigenization food movement of the Native American community? How can this promote better health and well-being?

Using healthy foods from the ancient past, including The Magic Eight (corn, beans, squash, chili peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, and cocoa), and increasing the amount of plant-based foods in the current Standard American Diet (SAD) in English). , the Native American food movement works to reclaim ancient foods for well-being; revitalize traditional cooking techniques and the recipes associated with them; educate and teach children, adolescents, college students and adults about the importance of traditional foods and the role they play in health and well-being; develop comprehensive culinary professionals in both cooking theory and technique; develop specialized workshops tailored to individual and group needs including (but not limited to) health, nutrition, team building, youth development and technical skills improvement, as well as other social and professional developments; raise awareness of traditional and contemporary Native American culinary customs and technologies including concepts of sustainable agriculture, health and nutrition; and emphasize how the health benefits of a plant-based ancestral diet can improve health and connect community members to healthy ancestral foods.

Can you tell us about The Magic Eight? What are they and what is the history of these foods?

The Magic Eight are eight plants that the Native Peoples gave to the world: corn, beans, pumpkin, chili, tomato, potato, vanilla and cocoa. Before 1492, these plants existed only in America. Once these plants were introduced to world cultures outside of America, their cuisines changed forever. And these eight plants, now found in nearly every kitchen in the world, are inherently Native American, an important part of our cuisine and the basis of the foods we cook at Red Mesa Cuisine. Think about this: the Italians didn’t have the tomato until after 1492. The Irish didn’t have the potato. In Britain they ate fish, but not chips. The Russians did not have potatoes, nor did they have potato distillates. There were no chili peppers in any East Indian cuisine, including curries, and no chili peppers existed in any Asian cuisine. In fact, chili peppers were not introduced to South Asia until the 16th century, when they would come to dominate the global spice trade in the 16th century. Vanilla and cocoa were not used in any baking dish before 1492. The cuisines of the world as we know them today were completely different!

How were these Magic Eight foods historically used in Native American cuisine compared to modern cuisine?

These foods were used in various ways. Corn, beans, and squash were often (and still are) served together. Chef Walter considers them family. They are grown together and eaten together. Chili peppers, tomatoes and potatoes were also often used together in the past, as they are today, as their flavors go well together and they are nightshade plants. Vanilla and cocoa are considered sweet sisters and are often combined. In our cookbook From seed to plate, from soil to skyWe have shared some very traditional ancient recipes using these eight incredible plants and introduced some new and creative ways to eat them in both savory and sweet dishes.

Is there a way to better support local food systems so that more of these plants can be grown and accessible?

We are very blessed in New Mexico. There are many farmers in northern New Mexico, where I live, and they grow many varieties of corn, beans, squash, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes, so it is easy for someone who lives here to buy many of these plants and incorporate them into their diets. . It’s also easy to grow your own garden here, even in a small space. Shopping at your local Santa Fe Farmers Market helps support farmers and perpetuate the cultivation of these important crops. And more and more Native American communities are implementing gardens for their community members and growing heirloom varieties of these amazing plants, making these foods accessible and affordable to those who really need them. Programs like WIC, SNAP-Ed, and FDPIR include New Mexico-grown produce as part of their distribution programs, and Chef Walter and I are working hard to teach people how to use plants in delicious and nutritious dishes.

Are there any other lesser-known plants used in Native American cuisine that you would like to highlight?

Native American cuisine is regional, so a plant that is common in a community in one region of the United States may not be common in another. It also depends on what grows in each region. For example, wild rice grows in lake regions and is a very important and sacred food for the communities that live there. Where I live, wild plant foods play an important part of the diet. I love eating wild lettuce and spinach, wild purslane and edible flowers. There are many herbs from this region that play an important role in this cuisine, both wild and cultivated plants. I think the more plants the better. I love plants, and Chef Walter and I try to honor them and eat seasonally when they are available. We also use culinary ash to increase nutrients and minerals in some of our corn dishes.

What does Native American Heritage Month mean to you?

That’s a difficult question. Food for me is medicine. I try to practice gratitude and appreciation for the abundance of food and plants in my life every day, not just one month a year. But if people can appreciate the plants that Native Americans shared with the world and honor the contribution of Native Americans to the foods we eat every day, then that makes me happy. Many people are unaware of the contribution that First Nations have made to the foods we eat every day, including corn, beans, squash, chili peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla and cocoa. When these foods are prepared healthily and the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) surrounding these plants is revitalized, everything associated with them is also revitalized. And when people receive these foods, they are nourished and the knowledge and importance of this ancient knowledge is honored.

Delicious pinto bean and spinach tacos

This recipe, adapted from From seed to plate, from soil to skyIt is a wonderful combination of sautéed fresh spinach with cooked beans. It’s easy to prepare a healthy and nutritious meal. I use organic spinach, which is now available, and if I don’t want to cook a whole pot of fresh beans, canned organic pinto beans from the supermarket. 2 teaspoons Roasted Garlic (approximately 8 cloves) 3 medium Roma tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup) ½ large white onion, diced (about 2/3 cup) 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach 1½ cups cooked pinto beans or a 15.5 oz can A pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Heat a small cast iron skillet over high heat until hot.

Prepare the roasted garlic.

Heat a medium to large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then add the roasted garlic, tomatoes and onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the spinach and cook for another 2 minutes. Next, add the pinto beans and a pinch of black pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

Serve on your favorite corn or flour tortillas. (I like this dish with corn tortillas or gordita-sized flour tortillas.)

Top with freshly made pico de gallo salsa and homemade guacamole, if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 tacos.

You can find Chef Lois Ellen Frank. here.