This past weekend was a major family event – we gathered together to celebrate the birth of my two new nephews. All three of my siblings and three of my cousins (who are like siblings) were in town with their respective families. As usual, every gathering revolves around a meal. This time it was at my Auntie Janet’s house – who, like most of my family members, is a wonderful cook.

After we stampeded the buffet table and piled our plates high with my aunt’s homemade delicacies, I noticed that my 5 year old nephew - who makes most picky eaters look like serious gourmands - gobbled up his borecas (Sephardic potato and cheese pastries - they are in left corner of photo). Even this little guy who could live on just French fries and pizza, already shared the family love of home cooking: at age 5, his palate was already being “trained” to eat the real deal.

Observing my nephew made me think about how we often hear about the importance of introducing new foods to children - but rarely do we talk about refining their palates. Because the truth is, the more refined our palates are, the less likely we will indulge in an unworthy food.

When we regularly consume really scrumptious, superb meals, we are much less likely to reach for a carefully engineered “item,” otherwise, known as processed foods. It can be hard to figure out how to teach kids to be healthful with the rise of childhood obesity – but simply exposing them to quality meals (which happens to be fun for everyone) will minimize their preference for processed foods and set up good eating habits for life.

Turn them into food snobs (without spending a fortune):

1) Many children are naturally picky, which is normal, and will eventually  outgrow it. But if the child continues to be treated as a picky eater and never offered anything new, then their meal repertoire will never expand. I was out to dinner with my 6 year old niece - who is actually a very adventurous eater - but when I offered her soy sauce for her rice, my brother started to say she didn’t like it.  She stopped him and said she tried it at school and liked it. Keep offering new foods - they will often surprise you.

2) When you eat in a restaurant, disregard the kids menu (which is often not as healthful) and instead have them pick something from the main menu. If you don’t see many dishes that are kid-friendly, check out which vegetables and proteins are on the menu – and create your own meal. Many chefs want happy customers and are more than willing to prepare simple dishes like steamed broccoli and cauliflower or plain grilled chicken. Discuss the menu options with the kids and ask them to be creative in coming up with a meal. I’ve spoken to many people whose kids are sophisticated eaters - and a lot of that is because they keep the food conversation going.

3) Find eateries that have naturally healthful cuisines like Asian or Mediterranean restaurants. The Seattle restaurant, Boom Noodle, has wonderful bento boxes for kids that include a protein entrée, edamame, fruit and rice – all “real” food and I watched kids all over the restaurant chow down on them.

4) While cooking at home (or eating out), if your kids still opt for the usual wheat-and-dairy fare, try offering a few side dishes that will provide some extra nutrients like black beans, raw or cooked vegetables, fruit, brown rice, cubed tofu, corn, olives, sliced avocados, or any other healthful ingredients. Offer the most nutritious foods first, while they are hungry, and after they’ve had a few bites, then bring out the rest of the meal.

5) Try to use high-quality ingredients as much as possible and help them learn how to pay attention to how food tastes and smells – to enjoy and savor each bite. Ask them to describe what it tastes like - they are very imaginative. Set up a taste test between a tomato shipped in from far away and a tomato from someone’s garden. And of course, my usual advice: get them cooking!

If we put delicious, “real” food in front of children, they will eat it. And likewise, if we keep putting processed foods in front of them, they will eat that too – so let’s get them hooked on real food that’s full of nutrients as young as possible!

Read this article to find out how it’s never to early to expose children to strong flavors!

Stay tuned for the next post where I will share my family recipe (and photos) on how to prepare borecas.

My brothers, cousins, and the kids eating together.

I’m far from being the first person to write about Amanda Hesser’s New York Times op-Ed article that gave Michelle Obama a hard time for not promoting cooking. Lettuce Eat Kale wrote a thoughtful post about it and ended the entry asking a valid question: how important is it that the First Couple cook meals for their children? Gastropoda and Eat Me Daily were a little more direct and dished it right back to Hesser, pointing out that there are plenty of people cooking on TV already and that it’s a bit of a throwback to suggest that the First Lady spend time in the kitchen.

I admit, as a cooking teacher, my first instinct upon reading Hesser’s piece was that I was glad that someone brought up the importance of cooking, which is a natural partner of gardening but often gets lost in the discussion. However, after a lively online conversation with two colleagues, Lauren Slayton, (nutritionist and owner of Foodtrainers) and Sarah Abrams (chef and cooking teacher), we all decided that Hesser’s message could have been more tactful and offered more realistic, positive suggestions for Michelle Obama and others who don’t like to cook.

Everyone’s reactions were very understandable - it’s easy to feel protective of Michelle Obama and the incredible work she has done by promoting organic, local, and seasonal food by starting a garden AND having local elementary kids work on it. It’s easy for someone like Amanda Hesser, or even myself, who love cooking so much that we made a career out of it to point fingers, but what if cooking does NOT make you happy? How important is it for parents to provide home cooked meals for their children if they can still find a way to feed them well?

With childhood obesity on the rise – is it really the job of our First Lady to provide a retro role model? Perhaps the USDA and the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act that’s up for re-signing this year could shoulder some of the responsibility. Maybe there could be more funding for schools to have gardens and kids to learn how to cook at school - instead of continuously slashing education budgets and keeping vending machines and junk foods in schools. I would hope that some other people and agencies within our government besides Michelle Obama could take this on.

When all is said and done, I think we are very lucky to have her on “our side.” She has legitimized the work of many of my colleagues by simply planting a pesticide-free garden. For someone who doesn’t like to cook, she has done a phenomenal job of promoting healthy living by her regular workouts and making a point of feeding her children nutritious foods. If parents are able to find a way to provide healthy meals for their children, with or without a White House staff, that should be enough.

So, for those parents who like being in the kitchen the same way I like to clean bathtubs, here are some tips on how to keep your families healthy without turning on the stove:

Sign Your Kids Up for Cooking Classes. If it’s economically feasible for your family, find cooking classes that focus on dishes with healthy ingredients (not just muffins and cookies) which can be a great way to expose kids to the world of cooking and nutritious foods without actually doing it with them. (I couldn’t help putting this suggestion first!)

Create Your Own Cooking Class, for Free. Find a family member or another parent who likes to cook and have cooking play dates.

Take Your Kids to the Farmer’s Market. Explore the market together and allow each child to buy a new fruit or vegetable and if they can read, have them find a recipe online that doesn’t entail much preparation like fruit salad. They can prepare the food while you supervise - this pays off as they get older and can cook full meals for you…

Explore New Cuisines while Eating Out. When eating in restaurants, forgo the kiddie menus and encourage your kids to try new dishes with unique and nutritious ingredients off of the main menu.

Keep it Raw. My mom always kept sliced fruit and vegetables on the lowest shelf in the fridge making it easy for us to nibble on melon, strawberries, carrots and celery after school. A lot of produce can be safely cut with a butter knife, so have the kids help out.

Hire a Chef. I know this isn’t possible for many families, especially these days, but perhaps there is a culinary student who will take a reduced fee or a college student in the area who could cook in exchange for housing or meals. I have a friend who offers a low rent to a grad student who, in return, helps prepare dinner and take care of her son. In times like this, there are lots of barter scenarios that are a win-win for everyone!

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the filming of the Sesame Street segment! It was last spring when I received a phone call from a location scout that they wanted to film a kids cooking class and asked if they could do it in the JCC in Manhattan kitchen where I worked. I was planning on leaving my job as culinary arts director just a few months later so the timing was extraordinary. I had spent over five years building and developing the kids cooking program so being asked to be on Sesame Street with my adorable students was the perfect send off from a great job.

It was an intense experience - I’m used to working long days on my feet but filming what ended up being a 2+ minute segment took 12 hectic hours. I found kids from past classes who loved to cook (and always made me laugh!) and decided on a Mexican themed menu. Two of my wonderful teachers (and friends), Jacquie and Maggie were filmed as well. Jacquie is a native of Mexico City and Maggie’s husband is from Oaxaca, where she once lived so we all worked on the menu and coordinated the kitchen set up together. The kids did a fantastic job - they were well-behaved, sweet, and funny.

My favorite quote is from Tabitha, who, at the time, was 5 (going on 40). When Murray asked her what it’s like to eat her own cooking, she said, “It feels good because you’re tasting the food that you made, instead of tasting somebody else’s.”

I now have a link to the video - check it out! (Note: it takes a little while to load.)

Here are the recipes we made with Murray:

Stuffed Mexican Corn Cakes
This recipe is very creative and kids love to prepare it. You can use any ingredient as the filling as long as it’s cut very small. And it’s great for entertaining – serve it as a sophisticated appetizer for adults and as a main entrée for children.

1½ cups masa harina (which is corn flour - found at any major grocery store, a common brand is Maseca)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon olive oil, for dough
¼ cup cheddar cheese, grated
¼ cup black beans
¼ cup canned corn
1 tablespoon olive oil, for pan

In medium sized bowl, combine masa harina, water, salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil. If mixture is too dry, add a few drops of water and press together by hand until it’s a firm ball of dough.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll into the size of a ping pong ball – continue until dough is gone. Flatten each ball into a flat patty, four-inches in diameter, on a non-stick surface like parchment paper.

Put your thumb directly into the center of each patty to form a wide, shallow indent. In this indent, add just a teaspoon of ingredients of your choice—cheese, beans, corn, or anything else. Then fold dough over the indentation and re-shape into patty. Make sure it’s not too thick so that it will cook through.

Bring skillet (iron skillets work best) to medium high heat and add enough oil to coat bottom of pan. Add a few corn pancakes to pan but don’t crowd. After 3-4 minutes, flip each one over and cook the other side. Each side should be just a bit browned but still mostly light yellow. Serve hot with guacamole, salsa or sour cream.

Yields 6 - 8 corn pancakes
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Recipe by Julie Negrin and Jacquie Grinberg © 2005

Creamy Guacamole

The key to great guacamole is finding the right avocadoes. Look for ones that are dark green and indent just a little when squeezed. (I only buy them from April - November since I live in the north.) If they are unripe - hard and bright green - just store them in a paper bag for a couple of days and they’ll be ready for eating. Even small children can help make this dish.

2 ripe avocados
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lime juice
1 plum or on-the-vine tomato, gutted and diced
¼ cup red onion, diced (optional for kids)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed garlic (or a dash of kid-friendly garlic powder)
Optional: 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely minced

Cut avocados in half and remove pit. Scoop out avocado into a medium sized bowl. Mash with a fork and mix in lime juice until creamy consistency. Add salt, pepper, onions, and garlic, if desired. Gently fold in tomatoes and stir briefly.

Serve immediately or, for best results, chill for 30 minutes before eating with chips, quesadillas or Stuffed Mexican Corn Pancakes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus chilling time)
Serves 2-4
Recipe by Julie Negrin © 2000

I have another article on the Savvy Auntie website. It’s written for aunties but appeals to anyone that works with or has kids. You don’t need the White House lawn in order to grow your own food! Check it out:

A few weeks ago, I left behind a rainy Seattle to visit my hilarious and adorable nieces in California. On my last day there, we visited their other grandparent’s, Safta and Saba (Hebrew for grandma and grandpa). Safta is an avid gardener and was excited to show my nieces and their cousins the carrots they had personally planted.

I watched my younger niece, 3 years old and the epitome of precocious, excitedly dash around waiting for her turn to pull out her carrot. Now, this girl is the type of child who is less than enthusiastic about food. She tends to get distracted at meals and is destined to become one of those adults who forgets to eat. But when she knew that “her” carrot was ready to be harvested, she acted as though Mickey and Minnie were about to join us.

As a cooking instructor, I’ve watched many, many children surprise their parents by eating foods they usually snub but upon preparing them, decided that it was the best meal of their life. But even I was impressed with how excited the children were to pull, wash and eat “their” carrots. I realize that as aunties, you may not have the opportunity to garden with your nieces and nephews on a regular basis but there are lots of opportunities to introduce them to the wondrous miracle of growing food.

Go to a nursery. It’s planting season, so instead of taking them to the toy store, let your nieces and nephews pick out a fresh herb or a tomato plant to take home and nurture – they don’t need a yard for these plants.

Take them to a farm. Lots of farms are connected to Community Supported Agriculture programs (which deliver boxes weekly to customers) and welcome visitors – some may even have special activities for the kids. Visit Local Harvest to find a farm near you.

Pick Your Own Food. We are a little early for berry season but depending on where you live in the U.S., there are lots of Pick Your Own farms that offer great produce and an afternoon of fun for children.

Find a neighbor with a garden. I’ve never met a gardener that doesn’t love giving a tour of their beautiful yard – many would be flattered if you asked them to stop by with kids. You’ll probably end up leaving with a fresh bouquet of flowers and some just-picked produce.

Take them to a farmer’s market. It’s not quite the same as seeing food in the ground but many farmers love sharing stories and the kids can pick out a new fruit or vegetable as a treat to eat at the market or take home to prepare together.

Start your own garden. This is the time of year to begin planting! If you’re looking for tips on how to get started, visit backyardgardener.com. As you can see in the first picture, you can plant in pots if you don’t have a yard.

Find a local school garden. Bring your nieces and nephews to a local school garden so that they can see other kids digging in the dirt.

After you have collected a few vegetables from your food adventure, try serving them raw with a Homemade Ranch Dip. It takes only minutes to prepare and the yogurt and lack of preservatives makes it a lot healthier than most store bought products. If you’re willing to use a food processor, try blending in cream cheese or an avocado for a different consistency and flavor.

Homemade Ranch Dip

1/3 cup mayonnaise or lowfat sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt (low-fat products won’t provide the correct consistency)
1 tablespoon of lime juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon
¼ teaspoon crushed garlic (which is more kid-friendly than fresh garlic)
¼ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine mayonnaise and sour cream in a small bowl – blend them together well. Add lime juice, fresh herbs and garlic - stir gently. Add salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve dip with a platter of crunchy vegetables such as carrot sticks, pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, or blanched snow peas.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves 2-4
Recipe by Julie Negrin © 2005

If children and gardening is a topic you’re interested in, visit Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard site or KidsGardening - there are lots of other sites too!

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

I like teaching parents and kids how to prepare hummus because it’s the ultimate kid food (a smooth, creamy dip), keeps in the fridge all week long, and is easy to prepare. And most importantly, it’s a great source of protein - so it’s the perfect snack to serve with crackers or carrots right after school when everyone is cranky and needing an energy boost.

In my cooking classes, the kids prepare hummus old school style by mashing the garbonzo beans with a fork and then adding in tahini, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, water and salt without measuring each ingredient. If you need more specific instructions, the following recipe  is a little more sophisticated but equally as delicious! Enjoy.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

After living in Israel and working in a kibbutz kitchen, I’m a hummus snob. I like making this recipe for parties because it can be made in under a half hour using canned beans and jarred roasted peppers. Though, if you take the time to make the beans from scratch and roast your own peppers, you’ll appreciate the difference in taste. The tofu can be omitted but it’s a great way to double the protein - especially for kids who don’t eat enough of it.

*1 large red pepper (or 4 oz of jarred roasted red peppers)
1 15 oz. can (or 2 cups cooked) garbonzo beans
4 oz. silken tofu, well-drained
¼ cup parsley, chopped
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime (or lemon) juice
2 tablespoons minced garlic (or jarred crushed garlic)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup sesame tahini
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

To roast pepper, preheat oven to broil. Make sure top oven rack is positioned so that the pepper will be 4-5 inches away from heat at the top of the oven. Place pepper on a baking sheet lined with foil. Roast until black and charred, flipping with tongs when necessary. When the pepper is nearly all black, remove from oven and place in a metal bowl and cover with saran wrap to loosen skin. When peppers are cooled, gently peel skin off and remove all seeds. Save the oil released from the pepper during the roasting process. Cut 2 or 3 slices for garnish and set aside.

Blend the roasted pepper, beans, tofu, parsley, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, tahini and 1 teaspoon of salt in a food processor until desired consistency is achieved. Add in roasted pepper oil from pan or jar. Depending on your taste, add more garlic, lemon juice, olive oil or salt.

Serve warm or chilled. Garnish with slices of red pepper. This dish keeps for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

*For plain hummus, just leave out the red peppers and add in some extra olive oil to make the dish creamy.

Preparation time: 30 minutes (once beans are cooked or if using canned beans)
Serves 6
Recipe by Julie Negrin © 2008

HIRE YOUR KIDS AS SOUS CHEFS – they can:

-Kids can rip up the parsley leaves or cut with a butter knife.
-Roasting peppers is easy but peeling them is the perfect task to give to kids 6 and older as it’s more time-consuming than most parents would like.
-Kids love squeezing lemon and lime juice - or if you’re in a time pinch, buy the organic Santa Cruz bottle of fresh lemon juice.