RECIPE: Hummus Collard Wraps

Easy and healthy hummus collard wraps with crunchy carrots, cucumbers, cabbage and roasted asparagus.

Ingredients:

2 collard leaves

1/2 cup hummus

10 asparagus spears, roasted or raw

1/2 cup cucumber, peeled and sliced into short thin strips

1-2 carrots, peeled and sliced into short thin strips

1/2 cup zucchini, sliced into short thin strips

1/2 cup radish, sliced into short thin strips

1/2 cup red cabbage, sliced thin

1/2 avocado

micro greens, sprouts or baby greens

Directions:

Wash and dry collard leaves and then use a paring knife to shave down the stems. This will make them much easier to fold.

Place collard leaves on a flat surface, spread 1/4 cup of hummus near the top/middle of each leaf, fill each leaf with the remaining veggies, splitting each amount between the two wraps. Wrap the leaves as you would a burrito. Cut each wrap in half and enjoy.

RECIPE: Easy Vegetable Soup

This soup is perfect when you have veggies in your fridge but CSA pickup day is tomorrow!  Throw it all in a pot and make a delicious and nutritious soup.

Ingredients:

- At least one onion, chopped (more are better)

- All your other CSA veggies chopped into bite-size pieces, including summer/winter squash, carrots, hearty greens, kohlrabi, cauliflower, celery, …

In a large pot, heat 4T olive oil on medium-high heat.  Add chopped onions (and carrots and celery, if using) and some salt and allow them to cook till light brown.  Add other vegetables that you think taste better browned, like squash, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and allow them to brown in the pot.  After they are brown, add at least 8 cups water, or more if the pot and amount of veggies will accommodate it. Add the rest of the veggies (like the hearty greens: kale, collard greens, etc).  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30-60 minutes depending on size of veggies. Veggies will be tender when soup is done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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RECIPE: Stuffed Collards

Note: We made this recipe -recently and it was delicious - we used turkey sausage. You could easily use a non-meat filling with the rice as well. They are like stuffed peppers but the collard greens stay beautifully and they are easy to work with once blanched. The only problem is that the recipe takes an hour to cook - which can be painful during this summer heat when people in NYC try not to turn on their ovens (as least that is what happens in our house. We made enough to put some in the freezer as well. 

Makes: 16

16           collard leaves or halves, a little bigger than hand size

1 1/2 cups cooked white rice

1/2         pound ground pork

1/2         cup diced onion

1/2         cup diced celery

1/2         cup diced green bell pepper

2              teaspoons of your favorite creole seasoning

1              egg, lightly beaten

1/4         cup chicken broth

Blanch the collard leaves in boiling water for about one minute. Rinse, cool and pat dry. Brown the ground pork in a saute pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go until it loses its pink color. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and creole seasoning to the pork and continue to saute until the vegetables soften a bit. Cool the mixture to room temperature. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the cooked rice and beaten egg. Place about 2 (coffee) teaspoons of the mixture just above the base of the collard leaf. Roll up the bottom, tuck in the sides and roll the rest of the way. Repeat for the remaining leaves and place in a shallow baking dish. If you have extra filling, just sprinkle it over the top of the rolls. Pour the quarter cup of broth over the casserole, cover tightly and bake at 350F for about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE: Hearty Greens with Tomatoes and Curry

Ingredients:

At least two big bunches of hearty greens, shredded like slaw

2-4 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil, or other oil of your choice

1 onion, diced

Big can of tomatoes, diced, or however you like

2 Tablespoons Curry

If you don’t have pre-made, you can make your own using cumin, coriander, tumeric, mustard seeds and maybe even a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Be bold! Curry is an art, not a science.

Heat the butter in a pan on medium-high heat.  When it’s foaming, add the diced onion. Sprinkle with salt and stir often till the onions are sweated and turning slightly brown.

Add the hearty greens and the curry.  Cook till fragrant, about two minutes.

Add the can of tomatoes and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.  (In an Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.)

Serve with meat and/or over rice, or eat in a bowl while it’s still warm.  Delicious!

RECIPE: Last-Minute Cooked Hearty Greens with Butter and Lemon

Ingredients:

1 bunch Kale, Collard Greens, Swiss Chard, or any other hearty green

2-4 Tbsp butter, or fat of your choice

Juice of 1 or 2 lemons

To prepare the greens:

Remove the spine from each leaf;

Cut into thin strips;

If using the spines, chop them into small pieces and cook them first before adding the leaves as they take longer to cook.

Heat the butter in a large pan or pot over medium-high heat.  

Once the butter has melted and the pan is hot, add the greens.  

Cook the greens, stirring, for a few minutes to coat in fat and start them wilting.  Then add 2 Tablespoons of water and put a lid on the pan so the greens steam and cook down.  Cook at a lower heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring and checking on it once or twice. You decide if you want chewier kale (shorter cooking time), or falling-apart, tender kale (longer time at a much lower temperature, probably adding more water as it cooks).

When the kale is cooked to your desired tenderness, remove from pan leaving juices behind.  Coat in lemon juice and taste. Add salt and pepper if desired.

RECIPE: Collard green wraps with cabbage slaw

Here’s a fun and low carb recipe that’s both easy to make and refreshing to eat on a hot summer day!

Collard green wraps

1 brunch collard greens

Cut the long part of the stem off of the collard green leaf and trim the thick middle stem of the collard green so that the stem feels flat.  Try not to tear the leaf here, but don’t worry if you do!

Bring a pot or tall skillet full of water to a boil.  One at a time, place the trimmed collard green leaf in the boiling water (it should be submerged) and let it sit for about 20-30 seconds. You’ll know it’s done when it’s bright green in color and a little bit wilted.  Let the collard green leafs dry on paper towels before using as wraps!

Cabbage slaw

1 head cabbage

1 bunch scallions (optional), chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (your choice!)

1.5 teaspoon vinegar (I like apple cider and rice vinegar here, but any will work)

1 teaspoon olive oil or sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Cut the cabbage in half, and place the cabbage cut-side down on the cutting board.  Thinly slice the cabbage so that you have “shreds.”

Combine and toss cabbage and the remaining ingredients.  Let marinate in the fridge while you prepare the rest of your meal!

To create the wraps:

Lay one of your collard green leafs flat on the counter or your plate.

Use protein filling of your choice (I used sliced steak) and place a few pieces on the middle of the collard green. Top with a few spoonfuls of your slaw and any other toppings of choice (grilled onions and hot sauce are great here too).

Fold in the two long sides of your collard green (the top and bottom of your leaf- where you trimmed off the stem). Starting on one end of the leaf that is not folded in, roll the leaf in to create a “burrito” or wrap that encases your fillings!

Eat and enjoy!

Green Juice

Green juice

1 medium bunch of dark green vegetables – Kale, Chard, Collards, Leaf Lettuce or combination

6-8 ribs of Celery

2 large Cucumbers

½ bulb of Fennel

1-2 Green Apples, depending on preference of sweetness

½ bunch Italian Parsley

1 inch piece of Ginger, skin on scrubbed

1 small lemon, skin peeled with as much pith left on as possible

1 lime, skin peeled with as much pith left on as possible

1.      Fill sink, rinse vegetables thoroughly and soak until ready to juice.

2.      Roll parsley into dark green vegetables and juice first, followed by celery and fennel. If you do not have any more room in juicer at this point, pour into container and remove pulp from juicer. Set pulp aside.

3.      Juice cucumbers, apples, lemon, lime and ginger. Pour into container to combine.

Alternate:

Use tops of vegetables such as carrots, beats, and radishes. Note that these greens may make the juice very bitter, however, this can often be balanced out with more apple or lemon juice.

Add ½ bunch of mint when juicing the parsley. Remove tough stems.

Substitute or combine apples with pineapple or peeled kiwis for a tangier version.

NOTE:

Makes approximately 6-8 cups of green juice. The vitamins and chlorophyll in green juice begins to degrade only 15 minutes after it is juiced, unless you have a cold-press juicer. I find it hard to juice every day, however, so I have found that freezing it in mason jars immediately is a good way to store green juice for a few days. However, even in the freezer, green juice will not last for more than about a week before degrading in quality.

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Couve a Miniera - Brazilian quick collard greens with garlic.

Couve a Miniera - Brazilian quick collard greens with garlic. 

These quick-sauteed collards are traditionally served with Fejoida (black bean and pork-ends stew) and are an easy and crunchy way to enjoy collards. It makes an excellent side dish with any meal. 

Ingredients:
1 bunch collard greens
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced or mashed
1 1/2 tsp kosher (coarse) salt
A little olive oil and butter

Directions:
Wash the greens thoroughly. Gather the collards up and roll them into a bundle, then slice very thinly as if shredding for salad. If they're still big slice once or twice in the opposite direction, creating little strips or shreds of collards.

Using a cast iron skillet (always my favorite) with medium heat, coat with oil, add garlic and salt and cook a few minutes, then add the greens and saute only for a few minutes (up to 4 minutes or so), using tongs to flip them over halfway through, making sure the greens are all thinly coated with oil. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper if desired, and serve immediately.

Sautéed Collard Greens and Garlic

Sautéed Collard Greens and Garlic

Ingredients

• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3 bunches collard greens, stems discarded and leaves cut into 1-inch strips
• 1/2 cup olive oil (I just threw some in)
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Directions

Serves 8| Hands-On Time: 10m| Total Time: 25m

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the collard greens in batches and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the greens in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool; squeeze to remove any excess water.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the greens, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing often, until wilted and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.

RECIPE: General Vegetable Storage Tip

When you have whole vegetables, remove the stems and leaves before storing. They keep longer when stored separately. Beet and turnip greens are great sautéed. Celery and radish leaves are great in salads. Celery leaves also make a delicious pesto! Cilantro stems and roots make great broths and stir fries in Thai and Vietnamese recipes.

RECIPE: Saag Paneer

Difficulty level: Advanced

Usually, when this dish is ordered in restaurants, it is made with spinach, but it can also be made with a variety of dark leafy greens, including kale, collards, beet greens, and swiss chard.  If using greens with a tough stalk like collards or chard, make sure to strip the leaves and only sautee the greens, discarding the stems.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds dark leafy greens, finely chopped

2 Tbs ghee (clarified butter), or vegetable oil
8 oz of paneer or halloumi cheese, cut into 1 in. cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 in. piece of peeled ginger (use the edge of the bowl of a spoon to scrape away ginger skin while getting into those nooks and crannies), finely chopped
2 tsp garam masala spice
1/4 tsp turmeric
kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg

1. Heat a large saute pan over med-low heat.  Add the ghee or oil.

2. Toss in cheese cubes.  Fry while turning so all sides turn a nice golden brown.  Set aside on a plate.

3. When oil is hot, but not smoking, add onion and sautee, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until it starts to get soft.

4. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, and a pinch of salt and sautee, stirring, until fragrant, a minute or two more.

5. Turn heat up to medium and add all your greens.  Cover and cook down, stirring occasionally until greens are completely wilted, about 5 minutes more.

6. Uncover and add heavy cream.  Simmer a few more minutes until mixture is a bit thickened.

7. Add toasted cheese cubes, stir, taste for salt and spice preference, stirring in some more garam masala if desired.

8. Serve with a pinch of grated nutmeg sprinkled over the top.

RECIPE: Superpower Smoothie

Difficulty Level: Easy

Servings: 1

Equipment: blender

Ingredients:

1 large handful of roughly chopped kale (spinach or collards can be substituted, or a combination can be used)
1 frozen, peeled banana, chopped into large chunks
1 c. unsweetened coconut water (can be switched out for a different favorite liquid, i.e. almond milk)
2 Tbs. almond butter (or other favorite nut butter)
1 Tbs. ground flaxseeds
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
a few ice cubes (optional, for a colder beverage)

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients into a blender. For a smooth blend, it's best to pour the coconut water in first.
2. Puree until completely uniform in color and all the bits of green are pulverized.
3. Serve immediately.

RECIPE: Millet and Greens Gratin

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

1 generous bunch dark greens

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1 to 1 1/4 cups cooked millet

3 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (3/4 cup)

1. Stem the greens and wash the leaves in 2 changes of water. To blanch the greens, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt generously and add the greens. Blanch for 1 minute or until tender. Alternatively, steam the greens over 1 inch of boiling water for about 2 minutes, until tender. Transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain. Taking the greens up by the handful, squeeze hard to expel excess water. Chop medium-fine. You should have about 11/4 cups.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the herbs, greens, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir and toss in the pan for about a minute, until the mixture is nicely infused with the oil, garlic and herbs. Remove from the heat.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, egg yolk and milk. Add salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, the millet, the greens and the cheese and stir together until the mixture is well blended. Scrape into the oiled baking dish. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on top.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until it is sizzling and set, and the top is just beginning to color. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes or longer before serving.

Submitted by Erin Hotchkiss

RECIPE: Stuffed Collard Greens

Difficulty Level: Intermediate (many steps)

Use your favorite stuffed cabbage recipe and substitute collard greens for cabbage. So much easier! Try different veggies like peppers, celery...anything from our CSA. If you do not eat pork, use other types of ground meat sausage like turkey and chicken.

SAUCE

•1 large onion, finely chopped

•3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

•2 tablespoons canola oil

•One 28-ounce can plain tomato sauce

•1/4 cup light brown sugar (start with less and taste)

•1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar

•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

•1 large bunch collard greens (about 18 leaves), stalks discarded

RICE FILLING

•1 tablespoon canola oil

•1/2 pound pork sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing

•1 large onion, finely chopped

•2 zucchini, finely chopped

•1 carrot, finely chopped

•2 cloves garlic, minced

•1 cup chicken broth

•1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

•2 cups cooked rice (any leftover grain)

•1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

•Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To start the sauce: Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-high heat, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, brown sugar, apple-cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and let simmer for 15 mins.

Set a large pot of water to boil. Lay each collard leaf out on your work surface, and remove the tough large stem and center vein. Don't cut the whole leaf in half; just cut the toughest part of the stem out in a V-shape. Once the water is boiling, slip the collard leaves in and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain into a colander, and rinse with cold water to help stop the cooking.

While the sauce is simmering, begin the  rice filling: Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage is browned, add the onion, vegetables and garlic, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the chicken broth, cayenne, cooked rice, and parsley, mixing thoroughly and letting the broth reduce until there is no moisture left in the pan. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Lay out each cooked collard leaf and put 1/4 cup of the  rice in the center. Fold both the sides into the center, and the top and bottom over the center. Roll up into a cylinder—tightly, like a small burrito—and repeat with the remaining leaves. If there happen to be any remaining leaves, you can chop them up and add to the sauce. 

Pour a 1/2-inch layer of the sauce into a 13- by-9-inch casserole dish. Arrange the collard rolls, seam sides down, on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the stuff ed collards, and cover the pan with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and serve.

 

 

 

Submitted by Sarah Marder

RECIPE: General Greens Tip

Easy Tip: 

Sautee your dark greens -- kale, collards, escarole -- at the beginning of the week and use it all week for quick and easy weeknight meals, like a whole wheat pizza, frittata, or panini.

 

 

 

Submitted by Erin Hotchkiss

RECIPE: Collard Greens Tips

Collards contain 8 times as much Vitamin A as cabbage and twice as much as broccoli.  There is more vitamin C in a serving of collards than in a glass of orange juice!

Storage Tips:

• Store collards unwashed in a plastic bag in the drawer in your fridge.         
• Will keep for up to 2 weeks, but best when fresh.
• Although collards are best eaten fresh, they can also be frozen.  To freeze, clean and trim the leaves, cut them into strips, steam blanch them for 4 minutes, cool them quickly and pack them into a hard plastic container.

Preparation:                

• Wash the collard greens by swishing them in a bowl of water with a little bit of salt (to help draw any dirt away from the leaves).
• Slice out the main rib and slice it into chunks.  Slice the leaves into strips.                   
• Sautee garlic in olive oil, add sliced collards with a bit of water, cover and braise until collards become bright green, about 10 min.  Top with tamari, balsamic vinegar, or toasted sesame oil. 
• You can also add collards to stir fries.
• Combining collards with other greens (such as arugula, kale, mustard, chard or spinach) is also a wonderful way to prepare this vegetable.
• Cooking collards causes them to shrink down to 1/4 or 1/8 of their original volume.  Allow for 4-8 cups of greens per person. 

 

RECIPE: Couve A Miniera (Brazilian quick collard greens with garlic)

Difficulty Level: EASY

These quick-sauteed collards traditionally served with Fejoida (black bean and pork-ends stew) are barely reminiscent of American braised greens, and are a much easier and crunchier way to enjoy collards.  If you're not up for making Fejoida, this makes a great green side for any meal.

Ingredients:

1 bunch collard greens

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced or mashed

1 1/2 tsp kosher (coarse) salt

A little olive oil and butter

Directions:

Wash the greens thoroughly. Gather the collards up and roll them into a bundle, then slice very thinly as if shredding for salad. If they're still big slice once or twice in the opposite direction, creating little strips or shreds of collards. 

Using a cast iron skillet (always my favorite) with medium heat, coat with oil, add garlic and salt and cook a few minutes, then add the greens and sautee only for a few minutes (up to 4 minutes or so), using tongs to flip them over halfway through, making sure the greens are all thinly coated with oil. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper if desired, and serve immediately. 

Submitted by Adrienne Mishkin

 

RECIPE: What to do with Homemade Bread Crumbs

[a tip from Ann] 

Everytime you have some leftover good bread, slice and lightly toast the leftovers in your toaster, oven or toaster oven. Real cooks recommend removing the crusts; I don't bother. (Honestly, I don't even toast it first. I just grind up the old bread.)

Pulse in food processor until the bread becomes crumbs. I store them in a ziploc bag in my freezer. These have many uses: you can saute them in a pan with a little oil and add any seasonings of your choice such as garlic, herbs, or a bit of grated cheese. Use them to top roasted vegetables (broccoli, asparagus), sauteed greens in garlic, gratins, or pasta dishes (especially good when made with garlic and parmesan and used to top pasta with pesto). You can also use them for coating meat or fish for sauteing or frying.

Being a midwestern cheapskate I had stored up bags of these in the freezer and they were driving my husband crazy. Once we knew we were moving this summer I started trying to use everything up and started putting bread crumbs on everything and now we are out! They taste great and the little bit of crunchy texture is a great complement to so many dishes.

RECIPE: Portuguese Green Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bunches collard greens, center stems cut away, leaves thinly sliced

1 pound fully cooked spicy sausage (such as linguiça, andouille, or hot links), cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

5 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, diced

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is soft and golden, about 5 minutes.  Add collard greens and sauté until wilted, about 4 minutes.  Add sausage and sauté 5 minutes.  Add broth and potatoes. Simmer soup uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Transfer 2 cups soup (without sausage) to a food processor or a blender. Blend until smooth; return to pot of soup and bring to simmer. Mix in crushed red pepper.  Season with salt and black pepper.

RECIPE: Steamed Collards with Lemon Balm Cream

Adapted from Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables

1 lb. collard greens (stems removed, slice crosswise into ½ inch strips)

¼ c. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 c. half & half or heavy cream (or vegan equivalent)

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh lemon balm

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place chopped collards into a steamer basket over 1-1/2 inches boiling water, cover, and steam just until tender (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet on medium-low heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir to form a thick paste. Stir in ¼ c. of the cream and gradually add the rest, stirring so it changes to a thin, runny sauce. Stir in lemon balm and add salt & pepper to taste. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until thick again. Remove from heat. Pour sauce over the collards; toss to coat well.