It’s starting next week. The bread-free holiday of the Jewish faith: Passover. I actually like Passover. As a kid, I survived the week by eating hard-boiled eggs and buttered matzoh. Fortunately, I’ve expanded my repertoire since then – and have some recipes to share with you.

I am including spring time recipes that will appeal to everyone regardless if you celebrate Passover. They include Spring Leek Patties (Keftes) and Seared Salmon with Sauce Gribiche (see below). For more holiday dish ideas, click here to find links (scroll down the page) to the four video clips and Passover recipes I did for New York’s channel, NY1.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend and Happy Spring and Passover!

Mom’s Passover “Bread” Rolls
For those of you who do celebrate Passover, these “bread rolls” are a must. They aren’t the most attractive bread products you’ll ever see (flashback to my brothers and me eating them for lunch with peanut butter and jelly in a mostly non-Jewish elementary school) but they are a lifesaver for on-the-go meals during the holiday week.

2 cups matzoh meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a medium sized bowl, mix matzoh meal, salt and sugar together. Whisk eggs together in a separate bowl. Bring water and oil to a boil in a small saucepan. As soon as the water and oil reach a boil, add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir together. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to cool, then add in egg mixture. Blend well until slightly sticky. Shape into desired roll size and line them up on greased baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Recipe by Mama Negrin adapted from Manischewitz

Leek Patties (Keftes)
This Mediterrinean recipe is often served at Sephardic seders in Seattle. Leeks, which are in season for a little longer, are perfect for spring, Passover dishes.

2 lbs leeks (will need 1 1/2 cups of cooked leeks)
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped (you can omit for nut-allergies)
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup maztoh meal
2 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking powder or potato starch
Matzoh cake meal for dredging
Canola oil for frying

Wash, slice, and parboil leeks in a large pot of water for 10 minutes or until tender. In a colander, drain all of the water. Squeeze leeks to remove as much water as possible - leeks need to be very dry. Combine all of the additional ingredients except cake meal and oil. Moisten hands and shape into patties 3- to 4-inches in diameter. Dip each patty in the cake meal and pan-fry until golden brown. You can serve the leek patties warm or room temperature.

Seared Salmon with Sauce Gribiche
If you’re tired of eating meat meals two nights in a row at the seders, seared salmon makes for a lovely, light dish during the middle of the week. The gribeche is a little heavier but absolutely delicious. The key to searing is to make sure the pan is very hot - when you carefully lay the piece of fish in the pan, don’t try to move it. Once it’s cooked, you’ll be able to gently lift it up with a spatula and turn it over. If it’s a really thick piece and the center isn’t quite cooked, you can throw it into a heated oven for a few minutes - just make sure you don’t overcook it.

For the salmon:
4 (5-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1-inch thick) with or without skin
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For the “sauce gribiche”:
6 hard boiled eggs, diced
1 large red onion, diced
4 tablespoons capers
1/2 cups kalamata olives, diced
3 anchovies, finely minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (omit for Passover)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil

To prepare salmon, sprinkle each filet on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in heavy large oven-proof skillet until it shimmers but not smoking. Add salmon fillets, flesh-side down in skillet. Sear until brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and sear skin side until salmon is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together all sauce ingredients gently with a rubber spatula. Drizzle some of the sauce gribeche over the seared salmon filets and serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Serves 4-6
Recipes by Julie Negrin and John Scoff (chef instructor at the JCC in Manhattan and Home Cooking New York)

I think it’s time I explained why I am so passionate about children’s nutrition. It’s a long story and we all know now that I have trouble being concise but I’ll do my best.

I was a sick kid. All the time. Knowing what I know now, simply removing wheat and dairy from my diet and adding in some supplements probably would have done the trick. But, that sort of information wasn’t around at the time. And we want to believe what doctors recommend - especially when it comes to kids. Many rounds of antibiotics and four years of allergy shots later, I ended up with an inflammatory bowel disease at the age of 17, called Ulcerative Colitis. I don’t talk about it much but if sharing what happened to me helps the kids, then so be it.

It was pretty rough for 8 or 9 years during some crucial “growing up” years. Fortunately, I lived in the progressive city of Seattle and had access to alternative practitioners. In the end, it was food, natural remedies, and Chinese medicine that led to my recovery after being sick for nearly a decade.  I’ve now been in remission for over 10 years. It was definitely not easy getting well - it was a lot of work. But it’s possible - more than possible. And it breaks my heart now that there are kids all over this country who are becoming sick at SUCH young ages because of what they are EATING. So unnecessary! So preventable and fixable. This is why I work so hard to help kids out - so many of our health problems can be fixed in the kitchen - not all, of course, but many.

Why am I bringing this up now?

The Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) act is going to be re-signed in Congress very soon which is why I was lobbying in Washington DC last week. CNR is a huge piece of legislation that covers several extremely important programs including school lunches, after-school and summer feeding programs, and Women Infants, and Children (WIC). It’s only signed every 4 or 5 years so what Congress decides NOW will affect these programs for half a decade.

It’s bewildering to me why the government is hemming and hawing over how much money they should invest in CNR. It could be as low as a half a billion (which sounds like a lot but divide that by five years and millions of schools) and as much as $1 to 4 billion per year over the next 10 years.  When they give so little for each child’s school lunch, how can the school staff be expected to produce healthy, balanced meals for growing children? Even the most talented chefs I know would have a hard time coming up with a well-rounded meal appropriate for children if they only had a couple of bucks to spend per person. And had little to no kitchen equipment. And were given low-quality ingredients.

Why does this matter to you? Well, for one, every time you get taxes taken out of your hard-earned paycheck, it’s funding programs like school lunches. And even if you don’t have kids, this legislation affects our economy - sick kids grow up to be sick adults. Last year obesity related health problems cost this country $147 billion. That $1 billion doesn’t sound like so much anymore, huh?

It even affects national security! Currently, 70% of military age kids are UNFIT to serve. Even retired generals know we need to improve school lunches and nutrition education for kids. People are worried about higher taxes if we support these kinds of programs but the truth is, this is a drop in the bucket for our nation’s spending and we will be saving ourselves a lot of money in the long run. Consider this: we spend roughly $7 billion PER MONTH in Iraq!

We need to start investing in prevention and turning our health around in the kitchen - starting with school lunches. Invest now, save later. A fundamental of finance theory that applies to our health.

So, what can you do? While you sit on your computer or doing the laundry? Quite a bit, actually.

1. Sign petitions at: Healthy School Lunches, at Takepart.com, and on Facebook to show support for healthier school lunches.

2. Healthy Schools Campaign made it VERY easy for you to send an email to your legislators by simply typing in your name, address, and zip code. It took me about 10 seconds - literally. Click here to make a difference.

3. Call your Representative or Senator and tell them to support $1 billion per year for CNR. That’s all you have to remember: $1 billion per year for CNR. Click here to find their contact information by typing your zip code into the Getting Involved box.

*If you want to add in one more line, ask for $50 million in mandatory funding for farm to school programs. which help local school kids as well as farmers in the region.

4. And it’s last minute, but tomorrow is Chefs Day of Action - New York chefs, led by Chef Bill Telepan (founder of Wellness in the Schools) will be lobbying in DC. Click here for more information.

5. For those of you on Twitter, use the #CNR to find out more about what you can do.

6. If you’re a parent, get involved in your local school(es) and support healthier school lunches.

If you know of any other ways to support CNR, please feel free to let me know!

I promise that I will get back to some fun spring recipes and nutrition 101 in upcoming blog posts. For now, please do what you can to support our nation’s children.

Some people call it procrastination - I prefer the phrase, “working well under pressure.”

Still need a few gifts? Forget the bath salts and striped ties. Buy the gift that keeps on giving — giving you delicious meals that is! Cooking classes, kitchen tools and cookbooks won’t end up on a dusty shelf in the garage. They will help the entire family save money by not eating out and help everyone become healthier - and maybe even lose some weight. They also work as gifts for both genders and every age group.

Another advantage is that you can spend as little or as much as you want. Little kitchen gadgets work well for stocking stuffers and large electrical appliances means you only have to buy one present. The key is to make sure you are spending your money on worthwhile items because there are a lot of random tools on the market now.

Macy’s is having some amazing sales on kitchen equipment - it’s worth looking through the paper for coupons.

Kitchen Equipment

Here are some of the more expensive tools:
Cuisinart Food Processor - I like the 11 or 12 cup but there are other great options.

Kitchen Aid Mixer - Make sure you get the kind with the tilting head!

Chef’s knife - I recommend a Wusthof 8″ or check out Japanese knives as well. (Don’t bother with a knife set - all you need are 3 knives: a quality chef’s knife, a paring knife and a serrated knife.)

Medium-priced items:

Immersion Blender - I recommend Braun but this Cuisinart looks good too. (Try to spend at least $40 or more, otherwise the motor is weak and it takes forever to blend your soup or smoothie.)

Cookware - I like All-Clad pans and Le Creuset even though they are pricey - and also iron pans. Limit how much teflon/non-stick you use (I own only one omelet pan and one skillet and try to use stainless steel or iron pans as much as possible - iron will become nonstick if you properly season the pans).

Less expensive tools:

I’m not into a lot of gadgets so I only recommend items I really think are useful. Here are some inexpensive tools that could be combined for one big present or used for stocking stuffers. Williams-Sonoma has a great selection of small tools and they do some beautiful gift wrapping - for FREE.

Tongs, U-shaped peeler, strainer/colander, microplane zester (for peeling citrus skin and grating), steamer basket, manual juicer, salad spinner (to wash greens and fresh herbs), oven thermometer (since most ovens are not super accurate), pastry brush (the nylon or silicone ones last the longest), wooden spoon, slotted spoon, off-set spatulas, mandoline, grilling or baking tools, measuring bowls and cups, cutting board, or salt and pepper grinders.

Cooking Classes

Some classes in your area may be very reasonably priced. If you want to splurge, you could hire a private teacher to teach classes in the home. You can search online for cooking classes or chef instructors in your area.

Cookbooks

For those of you looking for a less expensive version of the private cooking teacher, I highly recommend purchasing cookbooks that offer lots of kitchen advice in additition to recipes.

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making you a Better Cook by Jamie Oliver

The Competent Cook by Lauren Braun Costello

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking by Julia Child

The Americas Test Kitchen Family Cookbook by Daniel J. Van Ackere

Martha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook by Matha Stewart

Fast Food My Way by Jacques Pepin

The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

Betty Crocker Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, New Tenth Edition

Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition

For the gourmands who like learning about random food facts, check out The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst  or Harold McGee’s On Food in Cooking.

I’m headed to the Hazon Food Conference in Monterey, CA next week where I will be teaching several sessions, so stay tuned for my next blog post in a couple of weeks. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I didn’t have room to write about this in the Latke post but someone asked me on Facebook why some oils become unhealthy after being heated and this was my response:

Every oil (and fat) has a point in which it will start to burn - so you want to make sure you use the correct oil for certain cooking techniques. Otherwise, the resulting free radicals can cause cellular damage. If your oil starts to smoke, pull it off of the heat, pour the oil into a heat-proof dish while it cools down (do not pour down drain!), wipe out the pan and start over.

Best refined oils for cooking at high heats: canola, peanut, sunflower, safflower, avocado

Best unrefined oils for cooking at medium to low-heat: olive, sesame, grape seed, soy and pumpkin

Best oils for dressings and marinades: olive, toasted sesame, walnut oil, *flax (*should never be heated at ALL).

For more info on oils and which ones can be used for frying versus those that should only be used for cold dressings (flax, toasted sesame), check out: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/guides/oils.php

Smoke points differ depending on if the oil is unrefined or refined - there are many sites that list the smoking points, here is one:  http://tinyurl.com/pfk4s

Time for an update on my self-publishing cookbook project. In a previous blog post, I promised that I would finish my manuscript by the end of 2009…I’m getting close but I’m finding that completing a book is like finishing a marathon. You THINK mile 26 is just ahead but you’re really only at mile 18. But I like to keep my promises so I will be buckling down over the next few weeks in order to finish it. Oddly, the idea of completing it makes me a little nervous. What happens when you finally accomplish a dream that’s been sitting inside of you for years?

When I need some inspiration, I only have to look to my brilliant friend and colleague, Lauren Braun Costello. She co-authored her first book this year with Russell Reich who published it for them. “Notes on Cooking,” is a wonderful collection of kitchen “notes” on how to become a better cook.  Jacques Pépin said this about the book, “Concise, focused, and sensible…full of useful advice.” Yeah, THAT Jacques Pépin! And if you can believe it, this talented woman has another book coming out this month,  “The Competent Cook” which includes more kitchen advice and a collection of her extremely well-written recipes. You know I’m picky about cookbooks - but anything written by Lauren is a sure bet.

Self-publishing has become much more common in recent years. The internet, social media sites, and online “publish-on-demand” (POD) sites make it much easier for people to market and self-publish books. When I first started contemplating self-publishing, I spoke with Russell (co-author of “Notes on Cooking” - he and Lauren started dreaming up the book in one of my JCC in Manhattan cooking classes). He pointed out that even if newbie authors have a traditional publisher, they still have to do a lot of their own self-promotion - with very little profit.  With a little creativity, it’s now possible to successfully market your book on the internet. The author of, “The Middle Place” found herself paying for her own book tour - but after a youtube.com video of her doing a book reading went viral, her novel ended up on the New York Times bestseller list. Clearly, she is a talented writer - but she also knew how to take advantage of technology.

So, for those of you who are interested in self-publishing, I interviewed Russell Reich, co-author of Lauren’s “Notes On Cooking.” Russell very successfully self-published his first book, “Notes on Directing,” before online publishers existed - and has since then picked up a lot of knowledge on the topic.

What are the benefits of self-publishing?

Autonomy. Speed. Quality assurance. Total control over the finished product and every aspect of the brand we’re creating. The sense of accomplishment and integrity in the work. And the potential for a lot more of the profits going to me and Lauren rather than a bunch of other people.

What have the been the challenges?

The financial risk of financing it myself. The extraordinary amount of sheer hard work in writing, editing, designing, producing, warehousing, publicizing, and selling the book. It’s joyful, but it’s A LOT. Having a co-author like Lauren makes a huge difference.

Did you use a P.O.D. site or did you do the more old school method? And why?

I did not go POD. Custom sizes are very hard to come by with POD, as are custom papers, inks, and endpapers. Our brand requires a high quality of material execution, and the highest standards of the printers art, so we went with traditional, smyth-sewn binding, offset printing, and true cloth-covered boards. POD quality is increasing all the time and the stigma and barriers to acceptance within the channel are decreasing, but it still isn’t right for us. We have to put up with the higher costs, warehousing, and time to print, but I think it’s worth it to get the best possible book.

What tips would you recommend to other people who are thinking about self-publishing?

-Read The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom and Marilyn Ross
Buy and read two more books on self-publishing of your choosing.
Join ibpa-online.org (Independent Book Publishers of America) and attend their Publishing University, held every year just before Book Expo America.
-Subscribe to and read Publisher’s Weekly (you get a good deal on a subscription by being an ibpa member) Know what you cannot do and find good people who can do that for you. Only do this if you are absolutely convinced that many, many people will want to buy your book (your desire to create a book is virtually irrelevant. Who [else] cares is very relevant.)
-Only do this if you are absolutely certain you can write a great book with a distinguishing element in the marketplace. Only do this if you have a source of income to sustain you while you’re working on the book. Know your audience.

And of course, if you have any other thoughts, feel free to share!

Design the cover first. It will help you stay on track as you navigate roiling waters. Don’t expect to make money. Expect to gain clout (if your book is good).

****************************

Thank you, Russell! I will be sharing more of my experiences with self-publishing in upcoming weeks as I work feverisly to tweak recipes and finish the manuscript. Stay tuned for more Adventures in Self-Publishing….

I took two of my nephews trick-or-treating on Saturday night. I love Halloween and was excited to share it with the kids. Does it get any better than dressing up in a costume and getting free candy?

Oh, the candy.  As a nutritionist, I was appalled about how much high fructose corn syrup was shuffling around their bags on Saturday. But on the other hand, it’s a once-a-year holiday and there is no reason why they can’t enjoy a few sweets. What concerns me is when children eat candy on a regular basis throughout the entire year. With the amount that they get on Halloween, it’s quite possible that it can LAST the entire year.

So, how do we find the balance in letting them enjoy the holiday without letting them eat candy on a daily basis for months on end? Here are some tips for both kids and adults (many of whom complain that it’s THEM that end up eating all of the Halloween candy because the kids forget about it).

• Give it away. Let the kids pick their favorite 10 or 15 pieces and then box it up and bring it to work, give it to neighbors or donate it to a local homeless shelter. Always allow the kids to keep some of the candy - as long as they get to pick out their favorites, they are often generous with the rest.

• Donate it to soldiers! This is my favorite suggestion - although, our soldiers shouldn’t be eating a lot of candy either, at least they are burning through the calories doing physical labor and they also share the goodies with the local kids. And it’s a sweet way for kids to learn how to be giving to others. Learn more about Operation Shoebox being held between Nov 2-11 or send your own carepackage with letters from the kids via Operation Gratitude by Dec 5.

• Send it to the Candy Fairy. This is another great suggestion I just read about in a Seattle Times article, “The Candy Fairy is similar to the Tooth Fairy…Instead of taking teeth, she takes Halloween candy and gives it to all the children who cannot go out trick-or-treating. Children leave out most of their candy and write a letter. The Candy Fairy visits at night and leaves a gift.”

• Store it out of site. Now, this often works better for the kids than it does for the adults (we know exactly where it is!) but studies conducted by Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating showed that moving candy a mere few feet away means we will eat less of it. In one study, when they moved the candy away from office workers by just six feet, the workers said that the space, “gave them enough time to think twice about whether they really wanted it. It gave them time to talk themselves out of having another chocolate. When a chocolate tempted them from one arms-length away, the interval between impulse and action was too short to matter.” So, put the extra candy in a tupperware in a hard-to-reach cupboard and everyone will eat less of it. [Note: I highly recommend the book, Mindless Eating - easy read and brilliant concepts.]

• Make-Your-Own-Gifts. Instead of spending a bunch of money on Christmas and holiday presents for co-workers and neighbors this year, use the leftover candy for little gifts. Enlist the kids in this creative project and find a supply store like Michael’s where you can pick out little containers that will still be useful after the candy has been eaten. Add ribbons, stickers or other decorations and you have inexpensive holiday presents ready-to-go before Thanksgiving!

• Create art. Build your own candyland game, build a house, create necklaces or save the candy to stuff in a pinata for the next family birthday party.

And if nothing else, remember to only indulge in candy that you actually ENJOY. Last night, I noticed that I started to pick up a piece of candy that I don’t even really like and I stopped myself and put it down. So, this advice goes for grown-ups too: pick out a few of your favorite pieces and get rid of the rest!

This post can also be found on the Savvy Auntie site.