Celebrate a World of Flavors

National Nutrition Month

Amid these turbulent times, MANNA wants to bring light during National Nutrition Month by celebrating food as a connector. Person to person and culture to culture, food holds a multitude of meanings. Food can represent love, community, connection and so much more. Here in WNC, we are home to a wide array of people, cultures and foods. Thanks to that diversity, our region contains a wide palette of flavors and delicious recipes.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, we wanted to highlight the culinary practices of some of our partners across WNC, including the Qualla Boundary. Below, you will find a list of recipes for dishes that our partner agencies and clients love to eat.

Calvary Episcopal Church’s Bean Dip

In 2021, The Calvary Food Pantry served over 14,000 individuals in their home of Fletcher, NC. Since 2009, The Food Pantry has served neighbors and members of the community looking for food assistance.

For a taste of some of the ingredients The Food Pantry serves, we recommend that you make their Bean Dip, which features beans (pinto, black eye or white), tomatoes, sour cream, green onions and other tasty ingredients. Learn how to make The Food Pantry’s Bean Dip by watching the video above.

Cherokee Tribal Food Distribution Program’s Three Sisters Salad

The Cherokee Tribal Food Distribution Program operates in the Qualla Boundary and works in partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian (EBCI). The organization works to provide fast access to high quality foods and allows clients to choose which items they want to bring home.

Cherokee Tribal Foods Distribution Program provided us with their Three Sisters Salad recipe. The low-sodium recipe provides calcium, potassium, protein, iron and fiber through a minimal recipe that primarily uses three main ingredients: corn, beans and squash. The Three Sisters Salad is a fantastic compliment to any gathering or even just a healthy lunch.

The Hunger Coalition of Transylvania County’s Vegetable Soup

The Hunger Coalition of Transylvania recognizes that many of us suffer from food insecurity at various points in our life, so they do all they can to make sure everyone has access to food.

At times, The Hunger Coalition will perform cooking demos at their markets using ingredients that are being distributed to clients that day. One of the recipes they have made for one of their markets is a vegetable soup. The soup features cabbage, lentils, onion, carrots, celery, garlic and other delicious ingredients. Learn how to make The Hunger Coalition’s vegetable soup by watching the video above.