Kids Cooking Class Video - The Kids Cook Monday!

As a cooking teacher, I have had the pleasure of watching hundreds of my students transform into adventurous eaters and talented little chefs. Even the ones as young as two years old will gobble up all kinds of “grown up” foods including brown rice, sautéed mushrooms, tofu, kidney beans, and caramelized onions. The key is getting them into the kitchen. Much of kids reluctance to taste new dishes is fear of the unknown. But if they help create the mysterious meal, they feel a sense of ownership and are more likely to try it. There is nothing more fun than eating your own art project!

In this video of my kids cooking class, you can see, hear and feel their excitement about ingredients such as black beans, mint, and cherry tomatoes. You’ll also see how easy it is for them to pick up sophisticated cooking skills like mincing garlic, dicing vegetables and emulsifying their own vinaigrette. They are so incredibly capable - we just have to give them the tools and education. How can they have healthy bodies if they don’t know how to cook healthy meals?

Cooking with kids is a fun and effective way to instill healthy habits for life. Exposure to scratch cooking helps kids develop a mature palate and a taste for fresh, wholesome ingredients. The earlier kids become accustomed to nutritious foods, the less likely they will acquire a taste for processed products. Teaching young people how to cook is also a powerful way to start a ripple effect beyond the classroom. Once children are empowered to feed themselves, they have the opportunity to show their families, classmates, teachers, communities, and future generations, that the key to good health starts in the kitchen.

For more information about cooking with kids, visit the new site, The Kids Cook Monday for recipes, resources and a community of people who love to cook with kids.

Rainbow Couscous Salad

A couscous medley is the perfect dinner for chaotic weeknights since it takes only minutes to prepare and you can add in leftover vegetables or meat from the night before. It’s also convenient for lunch boxes since it can be served at room temperature.

One 10- or 12-ounce box of plain couscous
2 cups any combination of vegetables, diced
3-4 scallions, sliced
¼ cup currants or dried cranberries
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped

Optional: beans, nuts, feta cheese, cooked chicken or shrimp

Dressing

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice(about ½ lemon)
2-3 teaspoons garlic, minced (about 3 cloves)
2 teaspoons white miso
1 teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons of honey
½ cup olive oil

ADULTS: Cook the couscous according to package directions.

KIDS 4 and up: Add the diced vegetables, scallions, and dried fruit to the couscous and stir. Gently fold in the parsley and mint (and the optional ingredients, if using).

KIDS 6 and up: In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, miso, celery seed, oregano, black pepper, and honey together and slowly add in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the couscous and vegetables and stir. Serve this dish cold or warm. Store the couscous in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

KID TIP:

-Since this dish can be easily changed according to taste, encourage kids to come up with their own dressing and combination of vegetables.

COOKING TIPS:

-Suggested vegetables and other dried fruit options: carrots, celery, radishes, mushrooms, spring onions, leeks, artichokes, raisins, or chopped apricots.

-Try adding seasonal vegetables, such as sautéed leafy greens in the winter, roasted beets in the spring, or peas in the summer.

-Miso is a fermented product like vinegar so it can be stored in your fridge indefinitely. It should not be heated.

-I recommend white miso because of its mild, kid-friendly flavor, but you can use any kind of miso. (Or, omit it if you don’t have it on hand.) Most health food stores carry several different flavors so feel free to experiment.

Prep time: 30 minutes   Total time: 40 minutes   Serves: 4-6

Recipe from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids © 2010 by Julie Negrin

Granola bars are supposed to be healthy, right? Unfortunately, many of the products on the market are not as nutritious as we are led to believe. This is the case for many products that beckon you with their front-of-the-package claims. “Low-fat!” “Zero trans-fat!” or, my favorite “Made with Whole Grains!” The last one should read “Made with Whole Grains that were pulverized, processed, bleached, and mixed with a bunch of additives and sugar.”

The fact is that more claims usually equals unhealthy products. The food industry is getting pressure to make improvements from consumers all the way to the White House. This doesn’t mean that their products are going to become healthy - maybe just a little less unhealthy. What will probably happen is that the companies will become even more savvy in the laboratories where they develop their goods and in their marketing departments which are hell-bent on selling.

Find out how label savvy you are:

1) Healthy foods have labels that tell me everything I need to know: True or False

2) I can make good food choices if I read food labels closely: True or False

3) Low-fat products are not better and, in some cases, may be worse for me: True or False

4) Products that say “Made with Real Fruit” contain 90% or more of real fruit: True or False

5) Products that say “Contains Zero Trans-Fats” may still have .5 grams of it: True or False

6) Ingredients are listed in order of weight: True or False

7) Products that are fortified with added nutrients are better for me: True or False

It is easy to tell the difference between products made with refined flours vs whole grains: True or False

Here are some tips on how to outwit the food industry:

1) FALSE: Many terms such as “natural” or “healthy” are unregulated. In fact, the FDA has been sending warning letters to companies for the last year or so to admonish them for making false claims.

2) FALSE: The majority of the foods that are best for you have little to no packaging and/or labels: fruit, vegetables, fish, lean meats, nuts, and seeds don’t have packages that tell you how healthy they are. Beans and grains may come in cans or plastic bags but there is only one ingredient (themselves).

3) TRUE: If ’s it low in something, it’s usually going to be high in something else. Remember the low-fat craze of the 90’s? Many of those products had (and still do) contain extra sugar - and not the pure out-of-the-ground sugar but usually something ending in -ose (like dextrose) that was created in a lab.

4) FALSE: Products that claim to contain “real fruit” may only have a few drops of the real thing. There is no law requiring how much real fruit must be in the product.

5) TRUE: Any food that contains 0.5 grams or less of a nutrient can be listed as zero grams on the nutrition facts label. This can add up to a lot of harm trans fats if we are eating packaged foods throughout the day.

6) TRUE: Keep in mind that if a product says “contains whole grains” but there aren’t any grains listed until the bottom of the list, then you know it doesn’t contain much of it.

7) FALSE: We tend to go a little overboard in this country when something is revealed as good for us rather than depending on Mother Nature. For example, after folic acid was added to flour in Chile, one study showed an increase in colon cancer. When in doubt, eat unfortified foods that occur in nature.

#8 TRUE: Be aware that manufacturers won’t necessarily call their processed flours “refined” on the label. Anything that is listed as corn, rice, wheat, or oat flour IS processed and refined unless it specifically tells you that it is “whole”.

This Granola Bar recipe was developed by my cousin, Sonya. She is a kindergarten teacher who is passionate about sharing her knowledge about nutrition with her small students. This recipe is a winner with both adults and kids. The more foods we prepare at home, the more we know exactly what we are putting into our bodies.

Sonya’s Homemade Granola Bars

3 cups whole oats
2/3 cup whole-wheat flour (or any flour - we use corn flour for a gluten-free option)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
CUSTOMIZE: 1/4 cup raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, or anything else you want to add to your bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. If you’re short on time and dishes, add the wet ingredients directly to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Otherwise, combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl before adding them to the dry. Transfer the mixture to a  a lightly oiled 9×13 pan. Use a spatula to firmly press the mixture into the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, until brown and firm. Remove from oven and cool. Cut into squares. Eat or freeze. Enjoy!

Recipe by Sonya Jassen Basseri

It’s finally here. My new cookbook, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids, is a three-dimensional reality in all its colorful, glossy glory.

Self-publishing has been quite an adventure (and still is!) but, it’s finally done and on sale. I’m thrilled to share my recipes with you - along with tips on how to safely incorporate kids into the cooking process, advice on how to purchase high-quality ingredients, and lots of other information for families who want to cook together. To get a sneak peak at the inside of the book and to find out how to purchase a copy, click here. If you want a personally inscribed copy, email me at julie@julienegrin.com.

Although this cookbook is written for kids, it’s also perfect for adults who are looking for easy recipes. If you’d like to get a “taste” of Easy Meals to Cook with kids, check out a recipe from the book, Baja Fish Tacos with White Sauce on my website. It’s so good, it will become a staple in your dinner repertoire.

If you’re new to cooking or haven’t cooked with children much, it’s never too late to start. There are so many great reasons to cook with kids - the most important, of course, is that it is an essential life skill. The more meals we make from scratch, the more likely we are eating a variety of natural, nutritious foods.

Here is some advice on getting started in the kitchen - this is an excerpt from my cookbook:

It’s important that your first cooking experience with children is a positive one, so pick a time when everyone is relaxed and well-fed – perhaps a Saturday brunch or a Sunday night dinner.

Start with something familiar. When introducing the concept of cooking to kids, it’s important to start with one of their favorite dishes so that they equate cooking with something they already enjoy. Once they get the hang of it and trust the process, you can graduate to more unusual dishes.

Find assistants. Invite Grandma over or keep your sitter for an extra hour. It’ll be more fun for everyone if there is someone else to help oversee the project and clean up.

Accept that it will get messy. Plan on some mess and you’ll feel less stressed. Kids are great cleaner-uppers so ask them to pitch in. Many kids, as young as 2 years old, love using a sponge and do a surprisingly good job of wiping up.

Give specific instructions. Kids think very literally, so be extremely clear with them. Years ago, I asked my students to peel carrots and turned around. When I looked again, just minutes later, they had peeled the entire carrot down. (From this experience, I realized it was a safe way for them to “grate” the carrot and continued using that method to prep carrots.)

Roll with the punches. If something goes wrong, just laugh. It’s a good opportunity to teach children how to shrug off mistakes and learn from their blunders. Best of all, that “mistake” could end up being a new recipe idea for family dinners!

Respect their wishes. If they aren’t interested in cooking, it’s okay. The non-cooks can still contribute to the meal in other ways such as: washing produce, cleaning off cans, setting the table, folding napkins, deciding which platters to use, garnishing the dishes, clearing the table, and tasting each dish to determine if it needs additional seasoning.

Praise their efforts. They adore making food for family members so give them lots of compliments when they complete a task well – genuine, well-deserved praise builds self-worth and confidence.

Excerpt from Easy Meals to Cook with Kids © 2010. All rights reserved.

I’ve been a negligent blogger this summer! My apologies. Now that my new cookbook, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids, is off to the printers (yeah!), I will be able to write more frequently. I look forward to sharing recipes from the cookbook and tips on how to turn kids into veggie lovers over the next few months. (It will be on sale soon - I will keep you posted.)

Since Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is around the corner, I thought I’d share a challah recipe that I’ve been teaching for many years. Challah is a braided egg bread served on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays. On Rosh Hashanah, people typically create a round-shape challah to represent the “head” of the new year. They also add raisins to make sure it’s a SWEET new year!

Even if you don’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I highly recommend this recipe - it’s absolutely delicious fresh out of the oven and once it’s a little stale, it makes wonderful French toast. It’s a one-bowl recipe and although you can certainly allow the dough to rise twice, you can get away with letting it rise only once. If you want to add whole wheat flour, just make sure half the flour is still white otherwise it will be too dense. Some of my students like King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat Flour which is organic.

Don’t be intimidated by the idea of working with yeast! If you’re unsure how to “proof” yeast (allowing it become frothy), buy a cheap candy thermometer to gauge the temperature of the water - it should be around 105-110 degrees F. If it’s too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it’s too cold, it won’t “grow.” I recommend proofing yeast in glass - I find that it prefers glass over metal.

If you’re unsure how to knead dough, here is excerpt from my book, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids, on how I teach kids to knead:

“This is an oversimplified explanation for a fast-moving technique, but it’s helpful for kids to have a step-by-step method that they can repeat to themselves during the task. Once the dough is in a ball, have them Fold, Press, Turn.

1) Fold over the top half of the dough
2) Press with the heels of their palms
3) Turn the dough halfway around the surface
Keep repeating this process for 3-5 minutes.”

If you’d like to watch a video on how to prepare a round challah (versus braided), check out this clip from the Today Show where I teach Al Roker how to make challah for the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Best Ever Challah

Yeast mixture:

1 cup warm water
1 package yeast (or 2 ¼ teaspoon yeast)
1 teaspoon sugar

Dough:

1/3 cup canola oil
¼ cup sugar
2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 ¾ - 4 cup flour (or up to 4 ½ cups total if dough is very sticky)
poppy or sesame seeds
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
½  cup raisins (optional)

1.    In a small bowl or measuring cup, add water to yeast and sugar.  Stir.  Let stand for up to 10 minutes. Water should be around 105-110 degrees F.
2.    In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, salt, eggs and 2 cups of flour.  Stir in yeast mixture.
3.    Gradually stir in remaining flour.  Dough will be sticky.
4.    Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding flour as needed.  Dough will feel silky and smooth.
5.    Put dough in lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 to 1 ½  hours.
6.    Punch down dough and knead in raisins.

FOR A ROUND CHALLAH

1.     On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a very smooth 24-inch long “snake” of even thickness.
2.    Bring one end around to form a circle that is about 5 inches in diameter.
3.     Continue winding the rest of the snake on top of the circle so that it spirals inward and upward, finishing in the center.
4.     Tuck the end of the snake into the center.

FOR BRAIDED CHALLAH

7.    Divide into 3 equal sections.
8.    Roll each section into equal strands, pinch 3 strands together at one end and braid.
9.    Place dough on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds.
10.    Preheat oven to 375.
11.    While oven preheats, dough can go through a second rise (can be 30-45 minutes for final rise) or skip second rise altogether.
12.    Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Original recipe by Judy Genack Matthews, adapted by Julie Negrin

It’s been a busy summer so far. I’ve been doing a lot of teaching which has been wonderful. One of my jobs is teaching teenagers how to cook through a new camp at the 92nd Street Y called Passport NYC Camps and the other was teaching for Dr. Oz’s non-profit HealthCorps for the third summer in a row. Teaching the teen camp cemented my belief that the key to better eating is refining the palate. By the end of each three-week session, my teens became food snobs - sub-par food and snacks just aren’t as appealing after being exposed to stellar home-cooking! More on that later….

I’m also excited to announce that my cookbook, Easy Meals to Cook with Kids, is nearly done! It should be on sale next month. I can’t wait to share it with you.

All these exciting things means that I haven’t had much time to blog! So, I decided to share a canning recipe with you from a terrific book, Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone. There are lots of great canning books on the market - I recommend finding one that suits your needs and taste buds. I didn’t get this blog post up in time to support Canning Across America’s annual summer event - but you can visit their site for more information about food preservation and how to host your own canning party.

This is an excerpt and recipe from Eugenia Bone’s, Well-Preserved. There are also some mouthwatering recipes for Figs in Brandy, Strawberry Balsamic Jam, Cherries in Wine, and Spiced Apples. I chose the apricot recipe because they are in season now. Eugenia not only shares her expert tips on how to preserve and can, she also includes wonderful recipes on how to cook with them throughout the year. What I like best about her book is that she writes her recipes like a cooking teacher - she explains things in the middle of the recipe and they are easy to follow.

I’m eyeing the Ricotta Balls Stuffed with Apricot Amaretto Jam and the Apricot Almond Shortbread…but first, here’s how to make the jam:

Apricot Amaretto Jam

“Of all the fruit jams and marmalades I make, this one is particularly versatile, I suppose because the apricot taste crosses the sweet and savory line with such finesse. It is equally good mixed into barbecue sauce or combined with whipped cream to make a fool. I have to confess I also prefer this jam because it is so easy to prepare the fruit; just split the apricots in half with a knife and flip out the pits. You don’t have to peel them, as the skins are tasty and delicate.

Apricots, which are available in Juy and August, are high in acidity, making this product safe for water bath processing. Because this recipe calls for a short water bath process, you have to sterilize the jars first. The citric acid will help hold the beautiful orange color of the fruit. The jars will keep in a coo, dark place for up to one year. If, after a few months, you notice the apriocts discolor at the top of the jar, don’t worry. This happens when excess air gets trapped in a jar, usually because of an air bubble or because there was too much headspace in the jar. If your seal is good, the food is fine.”

4 cups pitted and chopped apricots (about 3/4 pound)
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon citric acid (I use Fruit Fresh)
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
3 to 4 tablespoons amaretto

Combine the apricots, sugar, and citric acid in a large, heavy pot and heat over medium-low heat until sugar melts. Pay attention and stir often, because sugar burns easily. Once the sugar is melted, turn up the heat to medium and bring the apricots to a boil. Add the butter. Apricots tend to foam up as they boi, and if the foam spills over on to your stove youwill have quite a mess on your hands. Butter keeps the foam down. Skim off any foam that does form. Cook the apricots, uncovered, at a brisk but not riotous boil. After the first 5 minutes, you will notice that the apricots look thin and soupy. Keep boiling for 15 minutes longer. They will thicken up.
You are basically boiling off the water in the fruit. Stir periodically to make sure that the apricots don’t stick. Take the apricots off the heat and stir in the amaretto to taste.

Bring 4 half-pint jars and their bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack. Boil for 10 minutes. The lids are only simmered in a small pan of hot water, to soften the rubberized flange. Remove the jars with tongs (the tongs don’t need to be sterilized). When the jars are dry but still hot, spoon the apricots into jar with a slotted spoon, leaving 1/2 to 3/4 inch headspace. (If your apricots were very juicy to start wtih, you may have extra juice. You can refrigerate it, or boil it down to a thick syrup and can the syrup the same way you do the jam. It is great poured over ice cream and pancakes.) Wipe the rims, set on the lids, and screw on the bands fingertip tight.

Place the jars in a big pot with a rack in the bottom. Add enough water to cover the jars by 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and gently boil the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, allow the jars to rest in the water for 5 minutes or so, and the remove. Allow the jars to cool, untouched, for 6 hours. Right away you will hear the popping sound of the vacuum seal as the jars cool down.

Check the seals. Store in a dark, cool place for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

Recipe from Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone

Eggs make me happy. You can eat them at any time of the day and they always fill you up. They are cheap, versatile, and a great source of protein. I’ve learned many ways to cook them over the years but I have a special fondness for poached eggs. (I admit that before trying them, I never thought I’d like runny eggs - so give them a chance if you’ve never had them before.)

There is something so comforting about a poached egg served on buttered toast. For one of my classes, I decided to pair poached eggs with a hearty rice dish. I discovered Bhutanese red rice (Whole Foods carries it) in a beautiful cookbook, Seductions of Rice by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. I don’t cook from cookbooks much anymore but if you’re looking for healthy, cheap, delicious rice recipes (that also happen to be gluten-free), I highly recommend it. And if you want to explore the world of eggs, I love the cookbook, Eggs by Michael Roux - the photography is exquisite.

POACHED EGGS OVER RED RICE
Bhutan is an independent kingdom in the Himalaya. Locally grown red rice, which can grow in high-altitude valleys, is a staple grain of the region. Bhutanese red is a medium-grain rice that can be served in place of brown or white rice, accompanied by hearty dishes like meat stews. This poached egg version offers a lighter but satisfying meal on cold days.

1 cup Bhutanese red rice
1 ½ cup water
Pinch sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 shallots, finely diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
½ cup carrots, finely diced
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 scallions, sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
4 poached eggs (see recipe below)

Place rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Swish around well and drain. The water will be a little red. Repeat two or three times, until water runs clear. Drain well in a sieve.

Place rice in a heavy medium saucepan with water and salt. Bring to a boil and skim off foam, then cover, lower the heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes, still with lid on. Turn gently with rice.

While rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, then add mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms for around 8-10 minutes or until tender. Once all of the vegetables are done cooking, turn off the heat until the rice is done cooking.

Re-heat mushroom pan, add cooked rice and sauté until flavors are well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add scallions, drizzle with toasted sesame oil and toss gently.

Divide the rice between four bowls and serve each topped with one of the poached eggs.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
Basic rice recipe from Seductions of Rice by Jefferey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Artisan Press, 2003)
Full recipe by Julie Negrin © 2008

POACHED EGGS
Fresh eggs are the best for poaching because they are more likely to gather compactly around the yolk, making a rounder, neater shape. I also prefer using organic eggs. There are many techniques to poaching eggs but this is the “old school” vortex method. If you want to see a visual, check out Smitten Kitchen’s play-by-play photo shoot.

4 eggs
4cups water
Optional: 1 tablespoon of distilled vinegar

Cook one egg at a time using this method. Crack one egg into a small glass dish. Keep another clean small, glass dish to the side for when the egg is done cooking.

Add vinegar to water and turn heat to high. Just before the water reaches a hard boil, use a spatula or wooden spoon to briskly swirl the inside of the pan to make a vortex in the center of the hot water. As the vortex is at full speed, drop the cracked egg into the water positioning the bowl as close to the water as possible. Continue stirring so that the vortex helps the egg form into a spherical shape and the egg whites encase the yolk. Turn heat down just a smidge so that it’s not at a full boil - but don’t turn it down too much.

After about 15-20 seconds, stop stirring and allow egg to cook to a total of 2-3 minutes in the water or up to 5 minutes if you don’t want your yolk runny. (Julie note: I usually cook mine just under 2 minutes.) You can test for softness/firmness by lifting an egg on a spoon and gently pressing a finger on the yolk.

Lift the egg from the water with a slotted spoon - drain water well over pan and set inside a small, clean bowl while you continue to finish cooking the rest of your eggs. Use a new clean bowl for each cooked egg so that they don’t stick together. Pat each one dry with a paper towel.

To serve best-quality poached eggs, they should be served as soon as they are pulled from the water. However, it is possible to prepare them ahead of time. To learn how to store and re-heat poached eggs (and pick up some other cooking tips), check out Julia Child’s poaching egg techniques.

If you like nifty kitchen equipment, check out egg poaching tools including William Sonoma’s fancy egg poacher.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Yields: 4 poached eggs
Recipe by Julie Negrin © 2009

I’m off to New York this weekend to work for HealthCorps so I’m not sure if I’ll get a blog post up next week - but stay tuned for more winter recipes coming soon!