The highlight of this week’s cooking class was the reaction of Leilah Cruz when she saw the cilantro among the ingredients on the prep table.

She quickly grabbed the bunch of stems and held it up high over her head.

“This is my country!” she exclaimed proudly. “Dominican Republic!” she shouted with pride. “Everything we make, we add cilantro.”

She went on to say that she and her mother had made the most delicious tacos over the weekend, and, of course, added cilantro.

We were making Cauliflower Fried Rice and Cucumber salad this week, both of which included cilantro in the ingredients. I wasn’t sure how the students were going to react to this vegetarian meal, and to grated-up cauliflower replacing the rice.

But Leilah’s grand enthusiasm was contagious.

We talked about meals that were filling and flavorful, even if they didn’t include meat, and how important it was to include vegetables in every meal, counting five in this one. Jizelle Santos was quick to let us know, she was not a fan of one: “I don’t like cauliflower,” she said.

While some vegetables, like cauliflower and cucumbers, don’t have much flavor, we can build flavor with herbs and spices as well as alliums like garlic and scallions. Everyone wanted to smell the cilantro and the ginger, and many knew them from their families’ cooking. “Don’t you make tea with ginger if you have a belly ache?” Jizelle asked.

These kids easily worked through all the prep, with Jizelle grating the cauliflower she didn’t like, Gabriella Diaz chopping the snow peas, Margie Hernanadez peeling and chopping the carrots, Joel Palillero cracking and scrambling the eggs, and of course, Leilah chopping the cilantro. “This is how we do it in the Dominican Republic,” she said, her knife hitting the herbs with rapid-fire chops. Margie and Leilah also peeled and sliced the cucumbers for the salad, sampling many along the way.

“Save some for the salad!” I told them.

When it all came together, the kids were delighted with the result.

“It doesn’t even taste like cauliflower!” said Jizelle. “It tasted exactly like Chinese fried rice, and it smelled so good!”

“We seasoned with soy sauce and ginger and garlic and it was great,” said Margie.

“We built our flavor by working hard, helping and doing great seasoning,” said Gabriella.

“It honestly was awesome!” said Leilah. “The cucumber with the cilantro and the dressing is killing it!”