Create delicious, traditional recipes while learning about the rich history and culture of the Navajo people.
Join three generations of Navajo women—grandmother, mother, and daughter—as they teach through storytelling why certain foods and how we make them are important in Navajo culture. The Blue Corn Kitchen features 10 simple recipes for drinks, snacks, and meals using fresh, healthy ingredients readily available to families everywhere. Perfect for young cooks ages 7 to 9, the recipes are easy enough that kids can make the dishes on their own, following the clear step-by-step instructions, while learning the important histories and teachings behind Navajo ingredients, traditional cooking tools, and methods of preparation.
Beautifully illustrated, this fun and educational book includes a variety of yummy treats and engaging stories, including:
- Blue Corn Patties – The growing and harvesting of corn and the importance of juniper ash
- Corn Cakes – Prayer and the kinaaldá (coming of age ceremony for Navajo Girls)
- Sumac Berry Yogurt Pops and Navajo Tea - Foraging for foods like sumac, Navajo tea, pine nuts
- Mutton Noodle Soup – Traditional butchering and respect for animals
- Frybread – Outdoor cooking in Navajo culture
- Blue Corn Ice Cream – Using nature to make food
- Blue Corn Mush Fruit Bowls – Supporting native food sellers
- Blue Corn Cookies – Modern recipes that keep traditions alive
- Boba Navajo Milk Tea – The staying power of Navajo flavors
Along the way, you’ll also learn a few words and phrases in Diné, the Navajo language. The Blue Corn Kitchen provides young readers with a hands-on approach to connecting with Indigenous and Native American culture in a fun, meaningful, and respectful way.
Alana Yazzie is the creator of
The Fancy Navajo, a lifestyle and food blog launched in 2014, that follows Alana’s life as a contemporary Diné/Navajo woman living in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Originally from Northwest New Mexico, Alana inspires others to embrace their culture, wherever they live, by sharing a variety of lifestyle content such as recipes, fashion, and gardening infused with her Navajo heritage. Alana’s greatest passion is developing innovative and approachable recipes that use Indigenous and Southwestern ingredients. Through
The Fancy Navajo, she enjoys capturing her Navajo lifestyle in modern and bright settings to showcase the continued presence and thriving of Indigenous peoples. Yazzie’s first book,
The Modern Navajo Kitchen, was published by Wellfleet Press in 2024.
Natalie Schnitter is an illustrator and artist living on the unceded traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation. Having graduated with a major in illustration from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2016, Natalie now enjoys using digital, oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, pencil crayon, and ink professionally. A lover of storytelling, Natalie’s work has been featured in films and tv shows—like Goosebumps, Fresh, The Imperfects, and more—across North America. Growing up on Vancouver Island, nature has always been a huge part of Natalie’s life and the inspiration behind her work. In her free time, Natalie enjoys painting, rock climbing, and spending time with her friends, family, and two cats.
