DooF » Michelle Stern

Asian Bean and Rice Rolls

Michelle Stern — Sat, 15 May 2010 23:49:10 +0000

Asian Bean and Rice Rolls
Recipe By: American Dry Bean Board
www.americanbean.com
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup medium grain rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon dry cooking sherry
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 to 3 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/2 cup diagonally sliced snow peas (1/4-inch slices)
2 teaspoons minced gingerroot or 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon water
1 15-ounce can or 1 3/4 cups cooked dry-packaged red or light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1 orange, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
2 medium green onions and tops, thinly sliced
Salt
White pepper
12 large Boston lettuce leaves or leaf lettuce

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.
In a small saucepan heat vinegar, sherry, sugar, and lemon rind over medium heat until sugar is melted, about 1 minute. Drizzle vinegar mixture over rice and toss.
While rice is cooking, toast pine nuts in sesame oil in small skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes; remove from skillet. Add snow peas, gingerroot, and water to skillet; cook, covered, over medium heat until snow peas are crisp
tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir pine nuts, snow peas, gingerroot, beans, cucumber, orange and green onions into rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve warm, or refrigerate and serve chilled; spoon about 1/4 cup packed rice mixture onto each lettuce leaf and roll up.

Notes:
Medium grain rice is also called sushi rice or sweet jasmine rice; it can be purchased in supermarkets and Asian groceries. If desired, the rice mixture can be eaten with a fork or chopsticks, rather than rolled into lettuce leaves.

Crab Cakes

Michelle Stern — Sat, 15 May 2010 23:45:29 +0000

Alaska Dungeness Crab Cakes
Recipe By: Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

10 ounces Alaska dungeness crab meat, (about 2 cups) Thawed, if necessary
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced green onion
1/4 cup celery, minced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, beaten
1 generous dash bottled hot pepper sauce
1 dash salt and pepper
flour
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except flour and oil; mix well.
Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Shape into 4 cakes, about 3/4 inch thick.
Dust with flour.
Saute crab cakes in hot oil on both sides about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 4 crab cakes.

Serving Suggestions: For hot crab sandwiches, serve on toasted English muffins. Delicious served with chili sauce.

Strauss Yogurt Topping

Michelle Stern — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:39:23 +0000

Yogurt Topping
Recipe By: Straus Organic

Summary:
This simple and delicious topping is wonderful over fresh fruit.

1 cup Straus Nonfat or Whole Milk Plain Yogurt
1-1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
Mix all this together and pour over your favorite fruits. Toss gently and enjoy.

Cobb Sandwich

Michelle Stern — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:20:20 +0000

Cobb Sandwich

Recipe By: Amy Sherman
www.cookingwithamy.com

2 slices sourdough bread
1 Tbsp. gorgonzola
1 Tbsp. avocado
2 strips bacon, cooked
2 slices tomato
1 handful arugula

Directions:

Spread one slice of bread with gorgonzola.
Top the bread with bacon, tomato and arugula.
Top the sandwich with a second slice of bread spread with avocado.
Press together gently and slice in half.

Instructions for Kids:

Spread the bread with gorgonzola cheese
Rinse and dry arugula leaves
Scoop the avocado from the peel
Layer sandwich ingredients on the bread

Connecting the Dots: Mealtime & Mental Health in Teens

Michelle Stern — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:53:20 +0000

Earlier this week, I went to a parent education night at a school in our community, and listened to a riveting talk by Madeline Levine, author of The Price of Privilege. She painted a pretty dismal picture of the state of mental health of teens in our country these days. I’ll start you off with the depressing parts so that we can get them over with…and then you can learn about how you can make a difference.

Although parents want to “do right” by their children, there is a growing trend towards over involvement and micromanagement. Kids are over-scheduled, with every moment taken up by classes, extra-curricular activities, tutoring and homework. Parents feel pressure to compete with their friends and colleagues, and to have their children stand out from the crowd. It’s hard to imagine, but parents are building a “resume” for their children, which they falsely believe will set them up for a more successful future.

Continue reading at the What’s Cooking Blog; http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/02/26/connecting-the-dots-mealtime-and-mental-health-in-teens/

Michelle Stern, DooF’s Community Outreach Director, owns What’s Cooking, a certified green company that offers cooking classes for children in the San Francisco Bay Area. When she isn’t in the kitchen or at the computer, she’s the head chauffeur for her two children, dog walker to her two mutts, and chicken feeder for her backyard flock.

My Cooking School for Kids: How it Began

Michelle Stern — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:39:42 +0000

When people learn that I own a cooking school for children, they almost always say, “Oh, you are a chef.” And I always jump in and correct them, “No, I am a teacher.” To me, chefs are artists – creative people who get inspired by raw materials (forgive the pun) and transform them into something wonderful and delicious. An excellent chef, in my opinion, will inspire people — inspire them to try new flavors, taste the foods of different cultures or maybe even to cook more at home. But me? No, I am not a chef.

However, I try to inspire people, too — but not through the food itself. I am a teacher – and my craft is intended to motivate. My goal is to inspire families to open fewer packages and cook a little more. My goal is to build the confidence of our children so that they will taste new foods and have a hand in their creation. My goal is to help children recognize what it means to eat real food, grown by real farmers. My goal is to encourage families to applaud their children’s efforts to be involved in their food choices…and listen when the kids ask them to consider the environment when they shop. And my goal is to empower kids to help those who need it – all through the power of food. Feed the Hungry. Feed the Sick. Feed the Homeless.

Continue reading at the What’s Cooking Blog: http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/02/09/my-cooking-school-for-kids-how-it-all-began/

Recipe for Cooking with Toddlers

Michelle Stern — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:32:15 +0000

I love when people ask me for tips about cooking with their kids. Sometimes I feel really qualified to answer. Other times, not so much. But I got excited when someone on Twitter asked me for tips on how to make cooking with her 2 year old less frustrating…

Ingredients:

1 gallon Patience
1 pinch Expectations
Several squirts of Hand Soap
2 dozen kitchen towels or rags?(and maybe a mop)
1 set measuring cups
1 set measuring spoons
1 wooden spoon or silicone spatula
Some inexpensive ingredients, such as water, dry rice, beans or oatmeal?(Or try something that is safe for your dog to lick from the floor)
1 large mixing bowl with a non-skid bottom*

A Few Suggestions:

If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, maybe you should reconsider this activity. Have a glass of wine and a good night’s sleep – and try again tomorrow.
If you are new to cooking with your toddler, I would recommend that you start by practicing a few techniques before actually trying to prepare some real food.
Set up all of your tools and ingredients in advance, so that your young chef doesn’t have to use up her entire attention span waiting for you to get ready.

Continue reading at the What’s Cooking Blog: http://whatscookingblog.com/2010/02/05/recipe-for-cooking-with-toddlers/

“Avoid Food-Like Substances” & Other Pollan Ideas

Michelle Stern — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:28:05 +0000

I am a huge fan of Michael Pollan.

He does his research and then gives it to us straight. You never have to wonder what he is really thinking. He is all about eating fresh food. Real food. Yes, I said “real food.” As opposed to “fake food.” In case you are curious what fake food might entail, it includes items like the Twinkie that has been sitting in his desk drawer for years, refusing to rot.

Real food is much easier to identify. It grows. On plants — as opposed to being produced IN plants. For more ideas about “real” food and other Pollan-isms, continue reading at the What’s Cooking Blog…

A rambutin fruit from Hawaii

Michelle Stern, DooF’s Community Outreach Director, owns What’s Cooking, a certified green company that offers cooking classes for children in the San Francisco Bay Area. When she isn’t in the kitchen or at the computer, she’s the head chauffeur for her two children, dog walker to her two mutts, and chicken feeder for her backyard flock.

Kids’ Food Art and Photography

Cooking With Kids for Community Service

Michelle Stern — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:05:49 +0000

On the surface, cooking with kids and community service might seem like they have nothing in common. But if you just take a moment to consider it, they share several characteristics. Both require a serving of cooperation, a dash of patience and a pinch of creativity. Think it might not be worth the effort? Close your eyes and recall the expression on your child’s face when you praised her cooking or his participation in the kitchen. Now, imagine her sharing the fruits of her labor with a hungry child, or selling his treats at a bake sale…and then donating the proceeds to a cause he cares about.

Continue reading to learn about some of my favorite organizations that encourage children to use cooking as a vehicle to help the needy.

Negotiating Dessert with the Kids

Michelle Stern — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:36:44 +0000

Kid Decorated Treats

The holiday season seems to burst with sugary treats. It is pure heaven for our kids, but can often lead to stress for us, as parents. Lots of my friends struggle with the issue of dessert – if to give it, and how often. Does this sound familiar: “How much more do I have to eat before I can have dessert?” If so, you are not alone. In fact, we started hearing this so often at our table that we decided to stop serving dessert every night. Dessert was becoming such a powerful incentive to eat their “growing food” that our kids were no longer listening to their bodies. Instead of considering how full they were, they were completely focused on the prize at the end. Now, we only offer dessert randomly, as an unexpected treat or as part of an afterschool snack.

Continue reading for a few things to consider when entering into Dessert Negotiations with your children…