A really different, simple recipe for all the green stuff:
Braised Greens with Dried Fruits and Nuts
1/2 lb (about 5 cups) fresh green such as kale, chard, nappa cabbage
2 T. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. chopped apricots
1/2 c. pine nuts
2 cubes veg. or chicken bouillon
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 cup hot water
1 t. salt
Freshly ground black pepper.
1. Wash greens and coarsely chop, removing thick stems.
2. Heat oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and saute until fragrant. Add raisins, apricots and pine nuts. Saute 5 minutes. Add bouillon cubes, smashing them into mixture. Add white wine. Boil 1 94 2 minutes. Add greens and toss. Add hot water, salt and pepper. Stir and cook over low heat until greens are wilted and liquid has thickened, about 8 - 12 minutes. Serves 6.
Note: I made this with water instead of oil.
Preparation
Whisk together vinegar, sugar, ginger, oil, chile, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 10 minutes.
1 head chapped finely shredded
1/3 cup shredded coconut
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil and soy sauce
3 Tbsp sesame seeds or golden raisins or grapes
1/3 tsp turmeric and curry and cumin
1 cup cooked Quinoa
Mix together and chill 1 hour
Being the web guy for Valley Flora has it's benefits. Each week brings cucumbers, radishes, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, squash and any number of odd but tasty items that pile up -- hey a geek can only eat so many vegetables between pizza and espresso!
Oh I grill and salad to my hearts content but each Wednesday yet more produce comes and I'm still left over with whatever I didn't get around to gnoshing on the previous week. Fresh food is wonderful but what's worse is watching it slowly wilt into mush so I hit on a simple solution: Vinaigrette Slury
I have a big covered stainless steel bowl in my fridge filled with vinegar, olive oil, chopped up garlic, some basil, cilantro, black pepper, a bit of marjoram, some jalapeno or crushed red pepper and Dijon mustard -- a classic vinaigrette but heavy on the vinegar (I use a combo of red wine and apple cider vinegar). As the Valley Flora Veg get a little on the squishy side I just chop them up and throw them in the bowl. Cucumbers, tomatoes & onions do especially good in this bath, but squashes, and even spinach will soak up the goodness for quite a while without turning to yuk.
So whatever I'm making, I just grab out some of that pickled veg and add it. For fresh salads it's great as a bit of spice and vinegar, it's freaking awesome on hot bagels with creme cheese and even better as a crunch on a taco or as a side to a nice bit of lamb. Best part is, it doesn't go bad!
So don't despair if your veg are going soft -- just open up a vinegar spa in your fridge and let them soak
BTW: Lee's Bees Honey just went live with a bunch of Oregon honey just south at Cape Blanco so check out the new site. Still working on it but I think it's going to be pretty cool.
-Zachary the VF web geek
Ingredients:
1 head red cabbage, cut into 2" pieces
A few radishes, cut into half moons
5 c water
2 Tbs. sea salt
2 Tbs. ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne
Instructions:
From "Healing with Whole Foods," Pitchford 2002.
Helps to have a mandolin for this recipe (the kitchen slicing gadget, not the musical instrument....though that, too, could help:).
Serves 6.
Cut carrots crosswise into 2-inch pieces, then julienne with slicer. If you don't have a slicer, you can either do this by hand, or just grate them. Whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
Toss cabbage and carrots in a large bowl with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season with salt and let stand 30 minutes before serving.
Simple and quick. Serves 6-8
Preparation
Remove all the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into four, remove the stalk and then cut each quarter into fine shreds, working across the grain. Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan, together with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add the cabbage and toss over a high heat, then cover the saucepan and cook for a few minutes. Toss again and add some salt, freshly ground pepper and the knob of butter. Serve immediately.
Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Cabbage
An easy stir-fry that will help you put your pac choi and (some of) that lunker of a red cabbage from a few weeks ago to good use...
Preparation
Trim 1/8 inch from bottom of pac choi, then quarter lengthwise and thinly slice crosswise.
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates instantly. Pour vegetable oil down side of wok, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add cabbage and 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add bok choy and stir-fry until ribs are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Serve drizzled with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
When we make kaleslaw - which is alot, especially in the fall and winter when the lettuce is gone but the kale, cabbage and carrots still persist - we kind of just wing it each time, using whatever we have on hand. The basic trio is kale, cabbage and carrots, but it's great to add apples, nuts, feta or anything else to jazz it up.
Slaw
1 bunch kale, stems trimmed, leaves finely chopped
1/2 of a red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 bunch carrots, grated
Handful of currants, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, toasted pinenuts (or any other nut) or any other treats you like
Optional: chopped apple, celery, onions or any other veggies you're fond of
Dressing
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice and/or cider vinegar
splash of tamari or soy sauce
splash of sesame oil
spoonful of tahini
a few big spoonfuls of mayo or vegenaise
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
dash of chile flakes or fresh minced chiles
Tbs. of sesame seeds
Glug of maple syrup, or a heaping Tbs. of brown sugar
