Honoring Indigenous Food Traditions

December 28, 2021

We are honored to partner with the Indigenous Food Network and local members of Native-led organizations to share their ancestral knowledge through a series of cooking and lecture workshops exploring of the nutritional and cultural significance of the ingredients used.

In the videos below, learn how to make delicious meals, drinks, medicines, and desserts using local and traditional foods.

We are grateful for these leaders and elders for guiding the way in respect for the land, sustainability, and how we hold our places in history for future generations.

Classes by year
2021 | 2022 | 2023

2021

Four Sisters Pasdayapi Salad with Alanna Norris and Youth Leader Ava

Alanna Norris and Youth Leader Ava show us how to make a Four Sisters Pasdayapi Salad, from Dream of Wild Health’s Youth Leader Cookbook. Four Sisters Pasdayapi Salad is a fresh and healthy recipe using wild rice, black beans, and hominy. Alanna and Ava talk about the harmonic growth and “complete protein” of the Three Sisters – corn, beans and squash; and the incorporation of the Fourth Sister, wild rice or sunflower. While preparing this family-friendly recipe, Alanna and Ava share their experiences working with Dream of Wild Health, and how they developed their interests in healthy Indigenous foods. Find the complete recipe here.

Tea Workshop; Medicine Around Us with Derek Nicholas and Hope Flanagan

Derek Nicholas and Hope Flanagan discuss various Native teas in this video. Teas are not just a drink – tea is medicine used orally, in direct contact as a wet compress, as a foot bath, hair rinse, or bath additive. In this workshop, we’ll learn about Cedar Cranberry Tea, Hyssop Tea, and Raspberry Tea, all of which can be foraged respectfully from the land in Minnesota. They share their knowledge about responsible harvesting, noting that wild plants get to choose where they grow, if humans allow it and are mindful of their need for clean water, air, and rich soil. Wild harvested plants and food are as nutrient dense as it gets. To harvest sustainably, consider the seven generations prior and seven generations to come. Find the complete recipes here.

Bison Roast and Bison Tacos with Derek Nicholas

Indigenous foods are all around us and are traditionally made without dairy. In this recipe, Derek Nicholas showcases how to cook a bison roast by slow braising. He talks about ways to make the most of the ingredients – especially the bison fat, bones, and produce scraps to make tallow, grease, stock, soups and teas. After the meat is cooked, Derek instructs how to use the bison roast to make delicious tacos with a simple avocado sauce and pico de gallo. Find the complete recipe here.

Maple Cranberry Apple Crisp with Puffed Wild Rice with Chef Vanessa Casillas, Hope Flanagan

Learn how to puff wild rice for this tart and sweet dessert with Chef Vanessa Casillas and Hope Flanagan. Hope and Vanessa share stories about ricing and discuss how the effects of climate change are leading to the drastic decline in available wild rice sources. We’ll also learn about wild rice characteristics, maple syrup harvesting, and cranberries; all of which are Minnesota-grown ingredients Find the complete recipe here.

DIY Underground Oven with Kateri Tuttle and Derek Nicholas

Built into the earth, underground ovens are used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food. Kateri Tuttle introduces us to the Dream of Wild Health farm and tells us more about the 25-year old health-oriented Indigenous food program. Then, Derek Nicholas shows us how to cook a meal of peppery burdock-wrapped smoky duck and sweet squash in a traditional underground oven at the farm. He walks us through the process of building the structure for cooking, including safety tips when selecting rocks to line the cooking pit to prevent injury and keep the food safe from exploding rocks. Find the complete recipe here.

2022

Squash, Walleye, and Blue Corn with Brian Yazzie

Chef Yazzie used a tool called a bitogan, which is like a molcajete bowl, and it’s used to break down corn or spices. Bitogans aren’t sold in retail stores, they are mainly made and sold within the tribal community. He used it to break down the sumac to make sumac powder for his Pumpkin & Walleye Bisque with Hominy, Beans, and Greens.

Wild Rice with Derek Nicholas and Hope Flanagan

Hope and Derek talked about the impact climate change has on wild rice in Minnesota. They showed us many varieties of wild rice and the tools and methods needed to harvest it. Derek also showed us how to make this Wild Rice Porridge recipe.

Squash and Maple Syrup with Vanessa Casillas and Hope Flanagan

In this class, Vanessa demonstrated her handmade bitogan, which she used to grind the hominy in this Maple Butternut Squash Puree recipe. Hope and Vanessa also explained gift traditions in Native culture.

Wild Rice and Hazelnuts with Alanna Norris, Hope Flanagan (Dream of Wild Health)

Hope walked us through a variety of nuts and acorns that can be found in Minnesota, the best times to harvest them, and how to prepare them. Alanna showed us how to prepare hazelnut butter for making a no-bake Manoomin Hazelnut Butter Bites recipe.

Nettles with Derek Nicholas and Hope Flanagan

In this class, Hope talked about how fall is the perfect time to harvest nettles, found along river banks. She demonstrated using the stems to make twine, and Derek showed us how to make a delicious Nettle Hummus recipe.

2023

Wild Berries & Hazelnuts with Derek Nicholas and Hope Flanagan

Berries and nuts both hold significance throughout the tribes on Turtle Island. Accompany Hope and Derek for Hazelnut Cookies with Mixed Berries.

Elderberry Syrup and Fire Cider with Francesca Garcia and Jessica Ferlaak

Many people utilize elderberry syrup as a safe, effective, and delicious natural remedy for fighting viruses and boosting the immune system, but did you know that you can also incorporate this tasty healing syrup into various recipes? Join sisters Francesca Garcia and Jessica Ferlaak, as they demonstrate their favorite elderberry syrup recipe. They will also show you how to make fire cider, a potent immune supporter.

Pinecone Cookies with Simone Rendon

In this class, Simone makes pine cone cookies, with foraged pine cones, maple syrup, and wild rice flour.

Bison Meatballs & Wojapi with Vanessa Casilles

This recipe for bison wild rice meatballs is gluten free, dairy free, lean and protein dense. They are wonderfully savory and are very versatile. Vanessa pairs them with a Wojapi (maple berry sauce) that is aromatic, bright, and balances well with the savory meatballs.

Popped Amaranth with Anthony Barela

Join Anthony to learn about amaranth, an ancient grain, which can be popped for a delicious snack of popped amaranth bites.

More Indigenous Cooking in Your Kitchen

Derek Nicholas, featured in a handful of these videos, is a wealth of knowledge for cooking with Indigenous ingredients, foraging, and cooking seasonally. We are fortunate that he shares his knowledge with us in this series, and there’s much more to glean from his expertise in his book, “Eating with the Seasons, Anishinaabeg, Great Lakes Region.” This field guide for seasonal eating includes over 24 recipes with the addition of Anishinaabemowin language and cultural lessons. You can purchase the book here.

Thank you to the following organizations for their contributions to this series:

Indigenous Food Network
Dream of Wild Health
Division of Indian Work
Gatherings Café
American Indian Family Center
Wiisinig LLC
Department of Indian Work