Collards

I love greens. Greens in every form, in every way. Almost everything is done in the garden right now, but the collards carry on. A little promise of spring to come and a reminder that even when it looks like nothing is happening, growth still continues. (as an aside...man, I love that garden and its glimpse into life. not so much the work involved...but I can really appreciate the beauty and lessons that I find there)

So, anyway.. This is my favorite way to cook collards. It will work for almost anything else you get your hands on, too. Chard, bok choy, spinach, escarole, you name it. The only thing I don't like this way are turnips and mustard. But collards are definitely my favorite.

Heat olive oil in a large shallow skillet. Add whole garlic cloves and crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I usually do 4-5 cloves and 2 tsp red pepper flakes). Add chopped collard greens until the skillet is overflowing. Then just quickly stir-fry until they are done. If you like them more done, add 3 T water and cover the skillet for a few minutes. But they are good just stir-fried.

We eat this as a side dish, as a filler for burritos, as a main dish underneath a piece of meat (like a steak or chicken breast). You name it--you'll find a use for these collards.

Premium Leftovers

In our house, if you declare something "premium leftovers", then it's understood that they should be shared. Not scarfed down in the middle of the night (!) or first thing while you let your very tired wife sleep in on Saturday mornings. Not that that has ever happened. But just in case.

This dish is one of my favorites and very worthy of the premium leftover designation. It will last for a couple of days, but it never makes it that long in our house. If there is any left over, it is eaten by lunch time the next day. I've been known to eat it for breakfast. So good!

Pea/Corn Salad
3 T red wine vinegar
4 T oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 cups cooked peas (these were pink eye, but anything will work; even frozen)
1 cup corn, cut from the cob (about 2 ears)
1/2 cup chopped basil (to taste)
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if desired)

Mix vinaigrette in a medium bowl, whisking until combined (vinegar through sugar). Add peas, corn, onion, jalapeno, and basil. Mix to coat with the dressing. Allow to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature for flavors to mingle. Taste and correct for seasonings if needed. Enjoy!

Early Spring Ramen

I'm a huge, crazy fan of Ramen. I know, I know. But the cheap, beloved food of college students everywhere is still one of my favorites. With my first pregnancy, I ate the stuff almost every day. These days, I don't eat it THAT often, but sometimes, you just want some ramen.

But how to make it into supper?

Add the ramen to stir-fry. That's how! As always, I just grab whatever is in the fridge, and it somehow works together. This was a few weeks ago, so it was what was growing then. Mostly green. I added some chicken, baby carrots, onions, garlic, ginger, and then, the greens. This was a mixture of broccoli, bok choy, spinach, and scallions. Mixed with a sauce and cooked ramen, it's the perfect easy meal for a warm night.

Stir-fry sauce
4 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
1 T brown sugar

Mix well and pour over stir fry just as it finishes cooking. Let everything cook together for an additional 1-2 minutes to thicken. Squeeze lime wedges over individual servings and top with Siracha hot sauce to taste.

Potato kale enchiladas

I love enchiladas. So good! I especially like plain cheese enchiladas from our local Mexican place. The sauce is sooo good, the cheese melty, and they always hit the spot. But...with no dairy, it makes it a little harder to eat enchiladas! So, I remembered an old recipe from Veganomicon that I made once for a vegan relative. They were tasty, but a lot of trouble. The filling was what was great about them, though. Hearty and filling, even without the cheese. And, as kale season draws to a close, a perfect choice.

I topped these with an equally old recipe from Cooking Light, for tomato almond mole. It's a really great sauce that goes together quickly (win!).

And, my potato kale enchiladas were born. I was lazy and just layered these, casserole style. My homemade enchiladas always end up a big, tasty, mushy mess, so sometimes, I just go with it instead of doing the work of rolling them. But, rolling works, too. Whatever you have the patience for.

Potato Kale Enchiladas
adapted from Veganomicon
1 pound waxy potatoes
1 bunch kale washed, trimmed and chopped finely
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 – 14 corn tortillas
Enchilada Sauce (recipe follows)

Prepare the filling: Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil them until tender. Drain and set aside. Cook the oil and minced garlic over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic is slightly browned. Add the kale, sprinke with salt and raise the heat to medium stirring constantly to cover the kale with oil and garlic.

Partially cover the pot to steam the kale until it has wilted – 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and mix in the potatoes, vegetable stock, lime juice, pumpkin seeds and salt. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash some of the potatoes. Cook for another 3 – 4 minutes.

To assemble, place a ladle full of sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan. Add a layer of torn corn tortillas, followed by a layer of potato kale filling. Top with another layer of corn tortillas, and top entire casserole with the enchilada sauce.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro and white onion rings.

Enchilada Sauce
adapted from Cooking Light, October 2002
1/2 c roasted almonds
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
2 dried Anaheim chiles -- stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 chipotle chile canned in adobo -- chopped
1 1/2 c fire roasted crushed tomatoes -- such as Muir Glen
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cloves
2 6-inch corn tortillas -- torn into pieces
14 1/2 oz chicken or vegetable broth (I used better than bouillon chicken)
1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Place almonds in food processor and process until smooth (about 2 1/2 minutes) scraping side of bowl once. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high. Add Anaheim chiles; saute 1 minute or until softened. Add onion and garlic and saute 4 minutes or until onion is lightly browned.

Add chipotle, tomatoes, sugar, spices, tortilla pieces, and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon the mixture into a food processor and process until smooth. Return mixture to pan; stir in almond butter and vinegar; cook 1 minute.

I'm linked to the summer link party at Rhoda's, as well as Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam today.

Stuffed peppers

For my family, the change of seasons always brings with it new challenges. Kids act crazy, schedules change, and it seems impossible to find time for blogging and other quiet tasks.

And, then, inexplicably, things seem to fall into place (or perhaps it is the eye of the storm!). Still, it's hard to make time for the things that I like in the day in and day out. Ah, life.

And speaking of life. Sometimes, my international market has random great deals. Like bell peppers, 6 for $1.19. I got 18, planning to freeze them, and we ate them all, in a mere 2 weeks time. Guess I had missed peppers since last summer! This was my stove top variation on stuffed peppers. It's hot already, so I avoid the oven as much as possible.

This recipe starts with ground beef and onions, of course. Even if I don't know what to cook, that's how I start. It always turns into something.

A can of diced tomatoes. I'm out of home-canned tomatoes, so Hunt's will have to do until summer. This is the lazy version, with onions, celery, and bell pepper added. Makes life easier.

Leftover rice. I had made this extra on purpose, thinking we'd have fried rice, but stuffed peppers sounded better.

I steamed the peppers for a few minutes until they were tender. Maybe 5 minutes? Not long.

I had no tomato sauce in the house, so I whisked together some tomato paste and water to make the sauce for the peppers.

Stuffed the peppers with the ground beef/rice/tomato mixture, then placed them in the skillet with the tomato paste mixture. I topped the peppers with a little of the gravy/sauce. And, yes, one of the peppers is pepper-less. My husband isn't a huge fan of bell peppers, so he ate one stuffed pepper and one pepper-less pile of stuffing. Whatever works.

I just covered these and simmered for about 15 minutes, until everything was heating through.

They turned out great! I was so pleased to find an oven favorite that translates to the stove-top. Yay for a cooler kitchen!

I'm linked to Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam today.

Homemade Woodstock dressing

In my quest for new salad dressings, I came across this one. (again with thanks to my friend Tammy!) It reminded me of a dressing that I used to buy, Annies Natural Woodstock dressing. My local store stopped carrying it, so I got out of the habit of buying it, but I always loved that dressing. So, when I saw the recipe from daily garnish, I had to try it.

So good! This one sounds a little crazy, but it's good, in a very rich, earthy, sort of way. If you like the deep flavor of beets, nuts, and parmesan cheese (yes, I realize those are very different), then you'll like this dressing.

Woodstock dressing
3 T nutritional yeast
2 T soy sauce
2 T oil (I used canola)
1.5 T whole grain mustard
4 T water

Place all ingredients in a jar or cruet, shake well to mix, and enjoy!

I'm linked to Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Lots of great ideas over there!

Thai Red Curry

My littlest one is a rashy little fellow. We've tried lots of stuff, but I'm at the point where I think it might be my diet. So, I'm experimenting with being mostly dairy free for now to see if that clears it up.

And nothing makes you want macaroni and cheese, cream soups, and ice cream more than avoiding dairy. Of course.

But, I'm trying to experiment with other flavors to make this easier. This was a very easy meal pulled out of Moosewood Simple Suppers. It utilizes a very handy convenience product, Thai red chili paste. Sure, I could make my own, but for now, I'm going to spend my time on other stuff.

It's just a basic stir fry. For this one, I used boneless pork loin, cut very thin (my boys called them "worms"), plus broccoli, green beans, onion, red pepper, and bok choy. When I took my last Chinese cooking class, they were talking about how, in Chinese food, you try to cut all the pieces of the dish in the same shape (in this case, long and skinny). Try it. It makes the dish very pleasing to the eye, and it really does add something to it.

Once everything is cooked, you add the sauce. Which couldn't be simpler. Red curry paste and a can of coconut milk, to taste.

Thai Red Curry
adapted from Moosewood Simple Suppers
1 lb boneless pork, sliced thin
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 T oil
2 T (to taste) Thai red chili paste
vegetables of choice--the original called for snow peas and tomatoes; I used broccoli, green beans, red pepper, and bok choy
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (I used about 3/4 of this)
1/2 t salt
2 T lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a skillet or wok on high heat, sear the meat, in two batches if necessary to not crowd the pan. Remove from the skillet.
Add the oil to the pan, and when hot, add the onions, then the other vegetables. Stir fry until crisp-tender. When the vegetables are almost done, add the curry paste and coconut milk, salt and lime juice. Bring to a simmer and add the cilantro. Taste and add salt if needed (it might). Serve hot over jasmine rice.

As usual, I'm linked to Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday. Check it out!

Sopes

I've mentioned it before, but in my house, tacos are THE beloved food. I get tired of the regular ole' crunchy taco shells with ground beef, though, so in order to keep everyone happy (including me!), I mix it up frequently.

This week, I spotted these sopes at our local grocery store. We used to eat them frequently, but I hadn't seen them in several years, so it was a treat to find them.

They are flat discs, sort of like fat tortillas, with a raised edge.

You pan fry them in a tiny bit of oil, until the edges are crisp and brown. Then, I topped with cheese. It would be good with beans, but my nursling hates beans, so I've sworn off them for a few months. But, if you have no nursling, try the beans.

On top of that, I added some carnita meat (just slow cooked pork butt, crisped in a cast iron skillet). But, they are versatile, just like tortillas. Add whatever you like.

And topped with tons of fresh pico de gallo. One of my favorite tastes of summer.

Only one thing left! Dig in! These were so good. If you see them in your grocery store (on the bread aisle, next to the tortillas), definitely try them.

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Check it out!

Corn salad

Sometimes, it's the simple things. This salad was an easy side dish recently that combines two favorite flavors of summer--corn and basil.

Fresh corn, cut off the cob (I used 3 ears for our small family)
1/2 onion, diced small
1 jalapeno, diced small
basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Olive oil
Rice wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and allow to sit for 15 minutes for flavors to combine. Enjoy! (and try not to fight over the left-overs)

This post is linked to Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday. So many good ideas over there! Take your time, browse the links, and find a new favorite.

Calabacitas

Last summer was a great summer for squash, both yellow and zucchini. We had it coming out of our ears. I think I still have a few cups of shredded zucchini in the freezer from then (it melts into spaghetti for my non-green vegetable eaters). This year--not so much. Our squash was just sad. My mother's was as well (and she's always my back up for when Mike's garden doesn't work so well). So, we've had squash, but infrequently, and really not enough to get tired of it.

That usually means I just cook it the "regular" way, in a pan with some onions. Good, easy, and we like it, but nothing exciting.

And, then, I ran across this recipe for "calabacitas" somewhere. I think that calabacitas is just the Spanish word for squash, and this is just a Mexican inspired take on squash.

You had me at hola.

It starts with a poblano and an onion. This is one of each, finely diced and sauteed in butter. It would be good with roasted poblanos, too, and in a pinch, a can of green chiles.

I used about 5 small squash for our family.

And 2 ears of corn, cut from the cob.

Added the squash to the pan with the pepper and onion, then fried until it was done.

I just added the corn kernels the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking, to heat through. This was really good, sweet, fresh corn, so it didn't need much.

I served this with a take on one of my mom's classic week night meals--fried squash, pork chops, rice, and brown and serve rolls. For us, that means pork adovado (bought preseasoned at the latino butcher), calabacitas, and tortillas. But, otherwise, just like mom used to make. ~smiles~

This post is linked up to Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday. Lots of people share what they are cooking this week--I always walk away with a great idea. Check it out!

Migas

Sunday nights are breakfast for supper nights in my house. It's ordinarily because I'm exhausted by the end of the weekend, and I need something quick and easy to make. Plus, who doesn't love breakfast for supper?

So, this week, I made migas tacos. It's a pretty starch heavy meal, but for lunch, I ate cucumbers, tomatoes, and cottage cheese, so it all evens out.

I hope.

The farmers' market (both the real one and the international market that bills itself a farmers' market) had beautiful produce this week. Eggs are always a good place to showcase some great vegetables. I had local potatoes, Vidalia onions, 3 types of peppers, local oyster mushrooms, cherry tomatoes in lots of colors, cilantro, lime, and fresh, warm tortillas.

Migas are probably best made with stale tortillas, but you make due. These were fresh tortillas, and they did fine. I cubed the tortillas and fried them in a little butter with half an onion and the 3 chiles.

Then, I added the cherry tomatoes and oyster mushrooms. I probably should have halved the tomatoes, but they worked out fine.

Then, I added scrambled eggs to the pan and cooked until done.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, I made home fries with onions and potatoes. I forgot the pictures, but use your imagination.

Heated some corn tortillas.

Until they all looked like this.

We ate this as tacos, with the potatoes, egg mixture, then topped with cilantro, diced onion, a squeeze of lime, and hot sauce.

This is a great, easy, fast meal that we all love.

As an aside, Mike takes leftovers every day for lunch. Eggs don't work so well, so for his leftovers, I made extra home fries that I combined with some browned sausage from the freezer. I sent some corn tortillas on the side. He'll eat those as potato tacos, with hot sauce.

Enjoy your migas!

I'm linking this week to Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. So many good ideas! Join us over there to showcase some of your own.

Spring garden season

Oh, I've missed my blog! I have a beautiful, fast, exciting new laptop, and I'm so glad that I'm able to get back to blogging!

I love the beginning of garden season. It's so exciting to see things start coming up and to start planning meals by the seat of my pants. I jokingly call my mom's garden my personal CSA....but it's not so much a joke as it is reality. She is very generous with her garden, and every time I see her, I come home with something exciting. She loves to grow things (as does my husband), and I love to cook them, so it works out very well for us.

This week, she had an abundance of dill (which is beautiful just in a vase as a flower), plus it was time to thin the baby beets. I got a huge colander full of baby beet greens (which cook down to nothing, but taste oh so good), as well as the dill.

I can't wait to see what will be growing the next time I get over there!

I was inspired by this recipe, and I added a little to make it mine. I was out of shallots, so I used green onions. Out of wine (the horrors!), so I just omitted it. And, I used about 1/4 cup of chopped dill. But, other than that, it's exactly as written.

To serve, I mixed the beet greens (quick sauteed in olive oil with garlic and chili flakes) with spaghetti noodles, then topped with the halibut and the dill piccata sauce.

This turned out so well! We loved it. It's definitely a repeater.