I’ll never forget the first time I made soup by myself - mostly because it turned out terrible. I diced some vegetables, threw them in a pot of water, added a bay leaf and simmered it for less than an hour. It tasted like absolutely nothing.

Fortunately, I’ve learned a few things since then and now it’s one of my favorite topics to teach. Here are a few secrets to making your soups turn out spectacular.

Caramelize your onions. This is one of my favorite tricks. I rarely make a soup without caramelized onions. It’s an easy way to add a rich and natural sweetness to your soups - with just a few cheap, Spanish onions. Caramelize sliced or diced onions by sautéing on low heat for at least 30 minutes - I usually cook them for a solid hour. Use a stainless steel pan rather than a nonstick and stir frequently. Add a little water if it starts to stick.

Make your own stock. Phenomenal stock can turn an ordinary dish into a exceptional meal. And likewise, crappy stock can ruin a perfectly good soup. If you can’t make your own, make sure you buy a quality brand. If I don’t have homemade stock, I use Imagine’s No-Chicken Chicken Broth or check out this article at Serious Eats for other store-bought options.

Use meat drippings, bones, and leftover vegetables. If you’ve browned meat, deglaze the pan by adding a little water and scraping off the drippings for your soups. Use bones and vegetable scraps for added flavor and nutrients.

Cook it the day before you serve it. Add enough liquid to cook it down on low-heat for at least a couple of hours - the flavors will become more concentrated. Store it in the fridge in a sealed container (after it’s cooled down!) for several days. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. Soup also freezes well - store it in dinner size portions for last minute meals.

Remember to salt! When I teach my students how to make soup, I also teach them how to salt properly. I have each of them taste the soup before I salt and then afterward so that they can taste the extraordinary difference. Salt makes all of the flavors “pop.” Use kosher salt or a high-quality sea salt.

Buy an immersion blender. The best invention ever - you can purée soups and sauces right in the pot. They are also great for smoothies.

I posted this recipe on my website awhile ago but wanted to share it again here on my blog. I taught this recipe recently and one of my students moaned as she ate it and said that it “tasted like pie.”

Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup

Roasted garlic is totally underrated - it tastes like “butta” AND it’s good for you. I can’t tolerate heavy cream so I discovered that using whole milk plain yogurt adds just enough dairy fat to take soups to that next luscious level. Another tip: Start by roasting or sautéing your vegetables - it releases all of their succulent juices.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 head of garlic
1 jeweled yam
2 butternut squash (about 4 pounds total)

2 tablespoons butter (or omit and just use olive oil)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1-2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8 oz. whole milk plain yogurt (omit if you want to make it vegan or pareve)
1 bunch chives, diced

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut ¼ inch off the top of garlic head to expose cloves, loosely wrap in foil, drizzle with olive oil and close up foil. Scrub yam well and pierce with a fork. With a very sharp knife, cut butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place butternut squash, flesh side down, garlic and yam on a lined baking sheet. Roast garlic, yam and squash until very tender, about 1 hour.

While vegetables are roasting, heat butter and oil in a medium or large stockpot. Add onions and caramelize over low heat for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour. If the pan gets dry, add a few drops of water.

When vegetables are done roasting, peel and scoop flesh into stockpot with onions. Add stock, water, spices, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours – the longer it simmers, the better it will taste but you may need to add more water if it gets too thick).

Turn off the heat and add yogurt. Purée using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

This dish can be prepared 1-3 days ahead, just cool, cover and refrigerate. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months. To serve, simply reheat.

Serves 8
Active time: 30 minutes Total time: 2 hours (or more)
Recipe by Julie Negrin© 2005

I’ve been working too much lately - so much that when I stop working, my brain just shuts off and I have to wait several minutes for it to reboot. One way to give my brain a serious rest is to turn off the real computer, hide the blackberry, and get outside where I can cook over an open fire.

This past weekend, I went camping. Camping was one of the top 5 reasons (after being near family, of course) why I moved back to the Northwest after living in New York City.  After living without a car for nearly 8 years, I realize that it’s not easy for a lot of people to spend time in the outdoors. However, it takes just a little creativity to find ways to prepare a meal outside (anyone that’s ventured through Prospect Park in Brooklyn on the weekend can attest to this).

Whether it means having a picnic at a nearby park, barbecuing in the backyard or backpacking in the wilderness - I think it’s human nature to crave a meal by a fire, surrounded by friends and family. I mentioned the concept in my “Can Cooking Make You Happier?” post and it was reinforced this past weekend while we sat around the campfire, laughing, eating and decompressing.

The importance of eating together as a family has been getting a lot of press lately. With hectic weekday schedules, it can be a challenge to get the whole family together, let alone coordinate with friends and extended family. But with summer finally here and families looking for inexpensive dining options, I can’t find a more relaxing and fun way to get together than to eat a meal outside underneath the stars.

While camping this past weekend, I saw a couple of boys, clearly city kids, having a blast racing tiny cars down a hill over and over again. I asked them if they were having more fun than if they were at home watching TV and they both looked up with huge smiles on their faces and said, “YEAH!”

Outside, sitting with the trees, I found it was much easier to “shut down” the part of my brain that worries about work, bills, projects, etc. And after we ate, I didn’t have the compulsion to turn on the TV or check my computer and blackberry. Instead, we all sat around and talked about nothing of any real importance. The only important thing going on was hanging out with each other and watching the fire cackle.

And of course, the best part of the evening was eating the food we prepared on open fire! Earthy, strong flavors never tasted so good.

So, here’s to cooking outside.  Here are some Campfire Cooking ideas (for mostly car camping):

MARINADES: I called my friend, Elana, expert camping cook, for some ideas and she said they usually bring marinated beef or chicken in a ziploc bag to throw right on top of the grill. They serve the meal along with some Farmer’s Market vegetables and guacamole and chips.

WRAPPED FOOD: Try baked potatoes, portobello mushrooms, or corn wrapped in foil and thrown right into the fire. I love grilled corn - it has such a great flavor versus the usual boiling option but it’s easy to burn so keep it to the side of the flame or throw it on top of the grill to prevent serious damage. Be sure to bring tongs or some other tool to maneuver the hot food.

ON A STICK: The easy route? Hotdogs. The more gourmet, healthy option? Meat and vegetable kebabs. Cut the meat and vegetables at home and marinate them in a ziploc - keep them separate so that vegetarians can make their own meat-free kebabs. If you are able to properly wash your hands, skewer them there at the site and then grill. Also, a few years ago I discovered how tasty grilled bananas on-a-stick with melted chocolate taste together. Or try grilling pineapple (or other fruits) and serving as is - delicious all by itself. And of course, s’mores are a camping necessity!

PAN ON THE GRILL: Bring along a large skillet - preferably iron, since it’s heavy enough to not be destroyed by the hot flames and will cook food evenly. You can cook pretty much anything you’d cook at home - but note how much more flavorful it tastes. Elana loves to make fajitas for dinner and then in the morning, prepares breakfast burritos. She scrambles eggs in the pan and then wraps them in tortillas with cheese and tops it with guacamole. That way, they have enough sustenance to go hiking all day with only a light lunch on the trail.

HAPPY TRAILS!

For more ideas, check out the Campfire Dude.

Until last summer, I ran a culinary program for over five years straight, often working until 10pm at night. Cooking for pleasure was a rarity – I’d prepare a dish for a dinner party I was attending or bake a cake for a friend’s birthday. That didn’t mean I ate poorly. In fact, I was spoiled. I was fed delicious meals by my chef instructors and students late at night or I’d go out to eat in great restaurants. Students would ask me if I cooked my dinner every night and I’d laugh out loud. Like many people in the culinary profession, I ate odd meals at odd hours.

It wasn’t until I moved back to Seattle last fall, though, that I realized what I was missing. While in New York, I was surrounded by some of the best food in the world. And yet, I didn’t feel truly fed until I moved back home and ate my family’s cooking – and my own cooking.

For the first time in many years, I’m now cooking for pleasure on a regular basis – even though, for the most part, I’m testing recipes for my cookbook. Yet, it feels like pleasure because I run the leftovers over to my grateful brother and sister-in-law or cook for friends or my parents. Right now, I have dough rising for a pizza recipe and I just finished sautéing the mushrooms. It’s gorgeous outside – a well deserved sunny, 70 degrees in Seattle – and yet I don’t mind being inside kneading dough, listening to the birds chirp. It’s while making the dough – something I did a thousand times back in New York - that I remember why I fell in love with cooking in the first place. It is one of the only activities that slows down my overactive mind - I’m able to actually be in the moment and I feel more relaxed than I do during a massage (during which, for whatever reason, I stress about things I should be doing).

I keep thinking about what my 5 year old student, Tabitha said during the Sesame Street segment. Kids are so smart - only a small child could say something so profound while talking to a puppet. After being asked what it’s like to eat her own cooking, she says, “It feels good because you’re tasting the food that you made, instead of tasting somebody else’s.” Out of the mouth of babes!

I think that lately, we view cooking as a lot more difficult than it really is – maybe because of the sophisticated dishes that are always on television. Over the last 10 years, everything in our lives has become more complicated, including the culinary scene.

Cooking doesn’t need to be an all-day affair – adding to your already stressful lives. In fact, it can actually help relieve your stress. Even grilling a piece of fish and some asparagus and making couscous – all of which would take about 20 minutes, can do wonders to separate you from the busy, chaotic feeling of the workday and the relaxation we all need in the evening. I really notice a difference in how I feel both mentally and physically when I eat my own cooking. I feel more energetic, more nurtured, more satisfied - or, even that elusive word we can never seem to truly pin down: happy. I can’t explain it. I don’t have any scientific evidence. I just know it’s true.

I was talking to my friend, Alex, about this concept because he prefers his own cooking to eating out. And he said that for  him,  it’s a sense of accomplishment when he cooks a full meal - and he said that maybe it’s satisfying the human need to sit around the fire and share a meal like we’ve done throughout history. I had to agree. We have such overflowing Inboxes both at home and at work on projects that are never ending - maybe creating a meal from start to finish makes us feel like we accomplished something with our day. So, on top of eating healthier and saving money,  we can also add “feeling accomplished” and “happy” to what we get out of cooking at home.

So, try making a full meal for yourself and/or your family . It doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be yours. Make note of how you feel during the time you prepare it, when you are eating it and the hours and days afterward. Perhaps all of this fuss and confusion about what to eat isn’t just about calories and labeling – it’s about how to nourish ourselves. And I think a good place to start figuring that out is in the kitchen.

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Since I try to keep these posts under 6,000 words (note: sarcasm), you can find a new recipe on my website, Lentil Salad with Sherry Red Wine Vinaigrette. It’s delicious! Enjoy.

You can also view this post on Sustainable Table’s blog!

A few years ago, I was chatting with my Uncle Raymond, the youngest brother of my Papoo Albert (my grandpa) about how they ate as kids. He told me that the family of 9 ate vegetarian meals during the week and saved a meat meal for the Jewish Sabbath on Friday night. I was shocked! People in MY family eating mostly vegetarian? They are HUGE  meat-lovers.

My uncle went on to explain that in the 1920’s and 1930’s, large families could not afford to eat animal protein during the week. They ate vegetables and beans on weekdays and saved up for a decadent meat meal on Friday nights.

Since we are talking about meat and it’s a hot topic, I will disclose my stand on it. I’m frequently asked, “Is meat bad?” And my answer is always the same: “No food is bad. It’s the quality, the source, and the amount of it.” I remind my students that people used to hunt their own meat which burned up a lot of calories and the animals were very lean from running in the wild. And each animal had to last as long as possible in case another hunt wasn’t possible, so 12 oz steaks were not a typical dinner.

I think it’s pretty clear that all of us, including the planet, would be better off eating less meat. However, eating vegetarian “style” can be hard for some people to swallow. Instead of thinking of it as restrictive, consider it as an opportunity to explore new ingredients, dishes, and cuisines. This picture is of the bulk bins at PCC Natural Markets. I realize that not everyone has access to stores like this but I wanted to emphasize how many different ingredients there are to try out and how inexpensive they are (since we keep hearing how health food is so pricey  - which is the case for some items but not all). Bhutanese red rice, Thai sticky rice, French lentils, fava beans, beans you’ve never heard of (just try typing “beans” into the search box at 101 Cookbooks), nuts, and seeds - all packed with fiber and nutrients but costing only $1-3 per pound. Save money and stay trim? Can’t beat that.

For more on this topic, check out Meatless Mondays. Or try out Seattleite, Michael Natkin’s gourmet vegetarian recipes at Herbivoracious. Cheap Healthy Good is also a good resource. I love the cookbooks, Seductions of Rice by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, who traveled all over the world collecting exotic rice recipes and my friend, Myra Kornfeld’s book, The Healthy Hedonist - she has GREAT recipes.

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Last week I was at my cousin Sonya’s house. Her husband, Etan and I created this recipe for veggie burgers using cheap, healthy ingredients that we found in the pantry. I know it’s not the same as a juicy burger for you meat-lovers but I like to think that these patties are something my great-grandmother would have cooked for her family.

Straight from the Pantry Veggie Burgers

Matzoh meal can be found in most major supermarkets – it’s a great binder but you can use breadcrumbs too. And feel free to use whatever you already have in the house – use any beans, nuts, seeds or spices – make sure you use roughly the same amounts as this recipe. The entire dish costs around $10 (plus cheese), will serve 4 people for dinner and still leave you with enough leftovers for lunch.

1 small onion, finely diced
¼ teaspoon each of the following: cumin seeds, mustard seeds, celery seeds, ground ginger, ground mustard
1-2 garlic cloves, minced (or crushed garlic from a jar to save time)
1 small sweet potato, finely diced
¾ cup almonds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 15 oz can garbonzo beans
1 15 oz can kidney beans
2-3 tablespoons matzoh meal (or breadcrumbs)
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Optional: havarti cheese and mini hamburger buns

In a medium skillet, sauté onion on low heat for 10-15 minutes (the longer you cook them, the sweeter tney become). Add spices to onions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sweet potato and cook for 20 more minutes or until sweet potato is very tender. (If you’re short on time, combine ½ teaspoon of water with diced sweet potato in a glass dish with a lid and microwave for about 5 minutes and then add to onions).

Meanwhile, grind the almonds and sunflower seeds in a food processor (or use an inexpensive coffee grinder but use a “clean” one that’s only for nuts/seeds/spices because the coffee flavor is too strong.) Set aside.

In a large bowl, mash garbonzo beans and kidney beans with a fork. Add ground almond and seeds and stir well. Stir in 2 tablespoons of matzoh meal, onions and sweet potatoes.  The texture should be soft and form into a patty easily. You may need to add more matzoh meal if it’s not binding well. Make around 16 or so patties – keep them small and thin so that they cook through easily.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté patties until golden – about 5 minutes and flip over. Add more oil if necessary. Melt cheese on top and serve with or without buns with a salad and vegetable side dish.

Preparation time: 40 minutes to 1 hour
Yields 16-18 patties
Recipe by Julie Negrin and Etan Basseri © 2009

I recently wrote the  following article for a wonderful site, www.savvyauntie.com that offers resources and an online community for aunties. Although the article is targeted toward aunts, it’s still useful information for parents, grandparents, sitters, teachers, and anyone else that spends time with kids (or likes asparagus). This will be the first of many posts on how to encourage children to eat more nutritious foods - many parents mention that this as a big issue for them.

Getting Kids to Eat More Green

Green, green, green! It’s definitely the color of 2009. But a lot of kids aren’t a big fan of green – especially when you’re talking about vegetables. I know that it’s hard for us aunties to feel like we have much influence on our nieces and nephews’ eating habits. But there are plenty of ways for you to introduce a love of food, even vegetables, to your nieces and nephews even if you don’t see them frequently.

Even the smallest of activities can help you and your nieces and nephews forge a bond in the kitchen so that they become open to eating new foods with you. When my nephew was only 2 years old, I began making smoothies with him and talking to him about how it’s important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Now, at 7 years old, he constantly peppers me with nutrition and food questions and trusts me when I encourage him to try a new dish – and of course, he still loves smoothies! Even if you aren’t a confident cook, you can still make basic recipes like yogurt parfaits (yogurt, cut fruit and granola or graham crackers layered in a clear glass).

Once you have them excited about sweet, fruit-based recipes, you can try introducing them to vegetables and more exotic cuisines. They will often be more receptive to trying a food for you that they might not otherwise try for their parents. While many parents are often too busy (and tired) to keep introducing a new food (it can take up to 15 tries, or in the case of my 4 year old nephew, 150) you have the advantage of being the Cool Auntie who can make something as simple as eating a fun, new adventure!

Some tips on introducing new foods to kids:

Don’t make a big deal out of it. Keep your tone light and offer it only a couple of times per meal. Remind them that if they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat all of it. The point is to get them to TRY new foods – so compliment them for trying it, even if they don’t end up liking it. It’s fine if they spit it out but they must do so politely into a napkin.

Be a good role model. Introduce the new foods around other adventurous eaters – including yourself. Don’t expect them to eat something that you won’t - they are too smart for that. If they don’t want to even taste it, I’ll eat it instead and say “Mmmmmm” and tell them how lucky I am that I get to eat something so good.

Have fun with it! If you’re at a grocery store, make it a safari hunt or at a restaurant, pretend that you’re on an exotic vacation – they love immersing anything into a “story” so let both of your imaginations run wild.

Here is a spring time dish that is a favorite with adults and kids. Kids are more open to vegetables like broccoli and asparagus because they look like little trees. I can’t explain it – I just know it works. It’s very easy-to-prepare and this is asparagus season so try to pick up a fresh bunch at your local farmer’s market.

Parmesan Crusted Asparagus

1 pound green (or white) asparagus stalks, ends cut off
1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of ½ lemon (zest is finely grated lemon peel – it’s best to grate with a microplane)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup grated parmesan
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Arrange asparagus on baking sheet. Whisk olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice in small bowl and pour over asparagus. Toss asparagus stalks gently to coat. Spread asparagus in a single layer. Sprinkle parmesan and salt evenly over stalks. Roast until asparagus is tender, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves 2-4
Recipe by Julie Negrin © 2006

Do you wish you had the time to go to a farmer’s market to buy fresh, local produce? If you become a CSA member, they will do the shopping and delivering for you!

This is a great time of year to become a member of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). They differ in how they are set up but essentially, a CSA member purchases a “share” of the farm’s crop at the beginning of the growing season. This way, the farmers have guaranteed revenue and each CSA member can count on fresh produce throughout the growing season. Some CSA’s deliver your box of recently picked, seasonal produce directly to your home while others have a pick-up location or on-farm pick-up.

If you need a little motivation to eat more fresh, local vegetables and fruit - there is nothing more inspiring than having gorgeous produce land on your kitchen counter each week. Many CSAs include recipes on how to prepare the produce you receive and also offer other items like milk or eggs - saving you trips to the grocery store.

And if you are worried about receiving too many vegetables - find a CSA that offers bi-monthly deliveries instead of signing up for the standard weekly box. Or start off sharing it with a neighbor, friend or co-worker. You’ll be eating better, saving money, and helping the planet and your local economy. Visit Local Harvest to find a CSA in your area and celebrate Earth Day by becoming a CSA member!

For ideas on how to integrate more vegetables into your daily eating habits, check out the recipes page of my website for tips and recipes.

And for those extra vegetables you aren’t sure what to do with? I recommend finding recipes that don’t rely on specific ingredients such as chili, stews, and soups so that you can take advantage of whatever is in season. It’s more economical and efficient to prepare these kinds of dishes.