Collard Greens Stir Fry with Fried Tofu

Fall greens from last year are at the end of their lifecycle, flowering and going to seed now. If I am not too lazy, I hope to save the seeds and use it again this year.

After the cold winter, it is refreshing to see the hardy annual greens in the garden survive and thrive till they give up: Kale, Chard, and Collard greens. Arugula has flowered and gone to seed as well. Time to dig up the patch and start afresh...

Anyway, I have been incorporating these greens from the garden in my cooking lately. Collard greens is a special favorite thanks to their sturdy leaves and their tender stems that cook up easily.

Some collard greens from the garden, plus  carrots, and bell peppers, along with hunks of onion-flavored fried tofu come together in this simple stir-fry. Use any favorite stir-fry sauce, I tend to go with whatever is handy to throw together and am in the mood for, and I don't measure exactly.

Spring onion and garlic shoots have been popping up, fresh and happy as ever so I liberally garnish the dishes with these beauties.

Bui's Natural Tofu is my go-to store for getting tofu that I enjoy.
(Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with Bui's Natural Tofu)


Ingredients
Onion flavored fried tofu (pictured in buinaturaltofu.com)
Carrots
Red and green bell peppers
2 cups chopped collard greens, stem and all

Flavoring:
Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce, if preferred)
Tamari
Sesame oil
Rice vinegar
Mirin
Agave nectar or Grape Molasses (or, just brown sugar is fine)
freshly grated ginger
minced fresh garlic

Preparation

1. Heat some sesame oil in a pan, add the ginger and garlic, and stir fry till aromatic, then add the bell peppers, carrots and collard greens
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce, adjust flavors to taste and keep handy; usually, I make more than needed and save the rest for another day
3. When veggies are slightly tender, add in the sauce, stir fry, and finish cooking.
4. Garnish with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds

Buckwheat Oat Chickpea Flax Pancake with Collard Greens, Asparagus, Leeks

Growing up with an array of dosai made from the traditional rice and urad dal, as well as chickpea and sooji and anything else my mom felt like throwing together for an amazing experimental dish, I love quick pan fritters and pancakes and pan breads for a weeknight meal, along with vegetable curries and chutneys.

This time, I went with a combination of quarter cup each of buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, rice flour, oat flour, flax meal, and fine cream of wheat (sooji). To boost it a bit, I also added some cooked brown lentils leftover from making Mesir Wat.

For the vegetable side, wilted collard greens with leeks, zucchini, yellow squash, and asparagus  turned out perfect.

Ingredients:
¼ cup each of:
buckwheat flour
oat flour
rice flour
chickpea flour
cream of wheat
flax meal
¼ cup cooked seasoned brown lentils
¼ cup finely chopped radish greens or beet greens
¼ cup finely diced onions
salt to taste
water as needed to make a thick batter

oil for pan-cooking

Preparation

1. Combine the dry ingredients, mix well; add a little water at a time stirring gently to make a thick pancake-like batter
2. Heat a seasoned cast iron skillet to medium, and cook like pancakes
3. Serve warm with any favorite chutney or the Wilted Collard Greens-Leeks-Asparagus side

Wilted Collard Greens Leeks Asparagus Zucchini Yellow Squash 

Since there is no rigid combination here, use as much or as little of each of the above, chopped or sliced to desired size/length. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and wilt the collard greens; then add the other vegetables and saute till desired doneness. Season to taste.

Collard Greens Masiyal/Saag

Keerai Masiyal (mashed cooked spinach) with spices and tempering was one of the staples I grew up with. Creamy mashed cooked spinach in North Indian style, known as Saag, as well as Spinach masiyal can be bland or spicy as they lend themselves well to combining flavors. Most greens can be made into masiyal, not just spinach- Swiss Chard Masiyal is another favorite in my kitchen.

I had a few wonderful leaves of collard greens left over after making some Collard Greens Dolma, much like Swiss Chard Dolma. Collard greens need to be cooked longer in boiling water to get tender enough to be appealing as dolmades.

I love the pressure cooker and use it often for cooking beans and lentils and dals and anything else that needs to be soft and mushy. Collard Greens Masiyal comes out perfectly in a pressure cooker.

Ingredients
2 to 3 green chilies, chopped
3 cups chopped collard greens, washed
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped ginger (more, if preferred)
⅓ cup cooked green lentils, mashed
½ tsp Tamicon® tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar
1 cup sauteed paneer cubes
2 Tbsp freshly grated coconut (or frozen grated coconut)
½ cup evaporated milk (optional)
salt to taste

Preparation

1. Combine the collard greens, onions, chilies, ginger with just enough water in a pressure cooker and cook till collard greens are mushy
2. When ready, open the pressure cooker lid, add the cooked green lentils, tamarind paste, brown sugar and salt to taste and allow to simmer till thickened to a saag/sauce consistency
3. Stir in evaporated milk, if using, for extra creaminess; add the sauteed paneer cubes, garnish with grated coconut and curry leaves and serve warm with rice or naan

Collard Greens and White Bean Casserole

Greens. What's not to like about them, right? Packed with important nutrients and readily available, greens seem like the obvious choice for daily consumption. Of course, the tough part is learning which greens to eat, how best to cook them, or should we cook them at all, and is it true that eating greens raw is always better...

Mature collard and kale and mustard greens and radish tops and such are so much tastier after steaming or light sautéing, and I'd rather not eat the woody stems. But, tender dandelion leaves, arugula, and baby spinach are wonderful raw, especially in salads.

Radish tops, Beet tops, Pea shoots, Turnip tops, Sorrel, even small Dandelion leaves- I relish them all as much as the usual Chard, Kale, Collard, Mustard, Spinach greens plus the everyday varieties of lettuces and cabbages.

Anyway, enough expounding on the virtues of the greens... This Collard greens casserole recipe is quite simple and lends itself to many possibilities. If I feel indulgent, I cook it much like the traditional Green Bean Casserole recipe with the French fried onions adding the crunch. Sometimes the sauce is creamy and cheesy, and at other times it is full of flavorful herbs in a tomato base. Sometimes it is layered and baked much like Eggplant Parmesan or Lasagna; and sometimes, collard greens are thrown together with other vegetables and finished off with a layer of melted cheese on top.

I don't have exact measures for this recipe - that's the nice thing about casseroles, it is hard to get them wrong.

Ingredients
Chopped collard greens, steamed till a bit tender
Cooked white beans or black-eyed peas or Mayo Coba beans
Andouille chicken sausage (optional), cooked, diced
small red and orange bell peppers, diced
Onion, chopped
Garlic minced
1 Tbsp oil
Tomato sauce
salt to taste

herbs/spices: lemon pepper, paprika, cumin, parsley

Cheese for topping: Colby Jack, Mozzarella, freshly grated

Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F
2. Heat the oil in a pan, sauté the onions, garlic, bell peppers; add the tomato sauce, cook for a few minutes
3. Combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish, and stir in some of the grated cheese, reserving the rest for topping
4. Bake in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes, checking once or twice
5. Top with the rest of the grated cheese and cook for another 5 minutes or so till the cheese melts

Spicy Sauteed Okra with Collard and Turnip Greens

Whole okra stuffed and pan-fried is one of my favorite ways of enjoying this unique vegetable. However, sautéed okra with spices is a wonderful side I make whenever I crave it.

Fresh okras are hard to come by here and even then it costs an arm and a leg (at least for my budget), but frozen whole okras are reasonable and cook faster as they are par-cooked before freezing.

This is a simple dish open to variations in spices and greens. I like greens a lot, be it collard or mustard, turnip or radish greens, spinach or kale, they all bring their own benefits. In this recipe I used collard and turnip greens. Serve warm with rice or Indian/Ethiopian flat breads, or enjoy as-is.

Ingredients
About 20 whole okras, thawed if using frozen ones
3 to 4 cups of favorite greens cut coarsely
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 or 3 medium tomatoes, diced
spices (adjust to taste):
1 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp Sambal Oelek or any favorite chili paste
½ Tbsp Blue Agave Nectar or brown sugar (optional)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic and tomatoes, a pinch of salt and sauté till aromatic and onions turn translucent
2. Add the okra and greens, spices, some water, cover and simmer till veggies are cooked to your liking. I prefer the okra not too mushy
3. Taste and adjust flavors, garnish with cilantro if preferred

Oven-roasted Kale

Kale koottu/dal, Kale soup, sautéed Kale (much like radish greens), marinated Kale salad, Kale pasta, Kale with Cannelloni beans (much like collard greens), Kale paruppusili, even as pizza topping, not to mention just tossing it in with other suitable recipes, this nutritious greens is a favorite, much like collard greens, spinach, mustard greens and chards.

This oven-roasted kale is quite easy to make and can be snacked on as-is, or served as a side. The spices can be adjusted to taste.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale, cleaned and chopped
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt (more if preferred)
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
2. Toss the ingredients together, spread on a cookie sheet to a flat thin layer
3. Bake in the 350°F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, checking once or twice for crispness
4. Top with toasted sesame seeds, or popped mustard seeds (much like in tempering

Collard Greens with Cannelloni beans

When cooked through well, collard greens lose their bitterness and somehow still manage to feel crunchy - one of the reasons it is a favorite with me to make dals/koottus or bite-sized wraps like dolmas. That, and of course, the nutritional value it has when cooked.

This is a very simple recipe with collard greens and cannelloni beans, sautéed with some ginger, garlic, onion, tomatoes and flavored mildly with ground cumin and coriander.

Ingredients
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 medium tomato diced -or- ½ cup canned tomatoes
4-6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger root
1 Tbsp ground coriander
½ Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric powder (optional)
½ Tbsp brown sugar
salt to taste
1 Tbsp canola oil
water or vegetable stock as needed

4-6 cups chopped collard greens
1 cup cooked (or canned) Cannelloni beans

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a pot, sauté the onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin and coriander; then add the tomatoes and sauté a bit more
2. Add the chopped collard greens, 4 cups of water or stock, cover and simmer, checking often to make sure there is adequate water (I like this dish fairly dry to eat as a side, but, if having it with rice as a meal, it can have more liquid)
3. When collard green is almost done, add the cannelloni beans, cover and simmer till done; adjust salt to taste
4. I like to add a bit brown sugar to bring out the flavors in the end

collard greens "sushi" bites

When I was little I remember my mom used to make several types of greens (keerai, in local language) - some pungent, some pretty bland, and some leaving me craving for more...

Greens, whether in salad, or cooked up as soup, or served as bite-size snacks, seem to be a favorite at home. So, for the JFI-WBB Going Green with Green Leafy Vegetables event, I thought it would be fun to cook up some Collard Greens in two simple ways, combining the ideas from two of my favorite bite-sized treats - viz., Dolma and Sushi .

Collard greens belong to the cabbage family and apparently have higher nutritional value when cooked than when raw due to the tough cell structure.

Good to know, because I am not sure I can eat collard greens raw :)

Dolmas are with grape leaves, stuffed and steamed; and sushi is with toasted nori, rolled up with cooked rice, among other things. Drawing inspiration from these, and knowing I like collard greens, I made one set of bite-sized treats with just rolled up cooked collards and the other set stuffed with flavored rice.




Ingredients
6-8 collard greens leaves
for the flavor sauce:
2-3 Tbsp Ponzu or soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp Tabasco® sauce
1 Tbsp chipotle sauce
for the flavored rice stuffing:
1 cup raw jasmine rice
¼ cup raisins and dry cranberries
2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
salt to taste
water as needed

Preparation

Bring water to a boil in a large pot; remove the thick stalk^** from collard greens, cut the leaves roughly in half and drop them in boiling water; cover and cook till collard greens are just cooked - they change color and get quite soft; remove from water and drain
^**I usually save the stalk for using in sambar or curries; similarly with broccoli, when i meed to use only the florets, I save the stalk for other dishes :)

combine the Tabasco sauce, ponzu or soy sauce and chipotle sauce in a bowl, stir well and keep this sauce handy

In a plate, add some of the blended sauce from above, layer the drained collard greens on the plate, add splashes of the sauce, and another layer of collard greens and so on; leave it to marinate while getting the rest of the things ready

In a pot, combine 1 cup raw jasmine rice with 2½ cups water, some salt, curry powder, the dry fruits and walnut, cover and cook till rice is done; taste and adjust flavors, keep handy for stuffing

For the Collard Greens Bites: Layer about 3 or 4 of the marinated collard greens, roll into a tight cylinder/log while squeezing out any of the marinade; cut into bite sized pieces and arrange in a serving plate

For the Collard Greens Sushi/Wrap: Place a marinated collard green leaf on a plate, add some rice stuffing, wrap it tight as you would a dolma, or a burrito; cut on a bias if desired before serving

Serve at room temperature or cold.

zen meal three

Eggplant and tofu seem to go well together, especially with asian flavors. Zen meal two was very satisfying a while back. And I wanted to make another simple wholesome meal.

Collard greens is a favorite, usually cooked up as y'abesha gomen, served with injera. This time, i wanted to keep it light and simple.

This recipe is open for variations with flavors. My flavor sauce is only one suggestion.



Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh collard greens or mustard greens, chopped
salt to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (optional)

1 Chinese long eggplant, cubed
½ pkt firm tofu, cubed
1 small bundle soba noodles
1 Tbsp canola oil

Flavoring sauce:
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (or sushi vinegar)
1 tsp kecap manis (or ketchup, or just brown sugar)
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
½ Tbsp whole black pepper, crushed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. combine the flavoring sauce ingredients, stir well, set aside
2. cook the soba noodles per package directions, rinse in cold water, drain well; add a little of the flavoring sauce and let the noodles steep in it for a while
3. steam the mustard or collard greens with some salt; off heat, stir in some lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco sauce; adjust to taste
   
4. heat oil in a pan, add the tofu and some flavoring sauce, pan fry it turning the tofu cubes often to cook all sides; remove from pan and set aside
5. add the eggplant and some flavoring sauce, some water, cover and cook till eggplant is tender and done
6. assemble the tofu, eggplant and soba in a serving plate, serve the greens on the side
   

y'abesha gomen

I got introduced to Ethiopian food at Queen Of Sheba in downtown Indianapolis back in 1996. The proprietress was a very nice lady, very friendly, and the food was incredibly tasty. The last I heard, unfortunately, this charming restaurant had to close due to rising property taxes.

I *had* to learn how to cook Ethiopian food!

I've tried several recipes from several sources over the past 10 years and I think I've adapted the recipes to available ingredients fairly well.

This is a very simple collard greens dish that usually accompanies Injera.


Ingredients
1 bunch collard green leaves, (usually sold about 8-10 large leaves per bunch)
1 medium red onion, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 green chilies slit lengthwise (omit if you don't like the heat)
1" piece ginger
3 cloves of garlic
2 dry red chilies (less, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
spices:
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp allspice (or 1/4 tsp nutmeg)
1 tsp black pepper powder (optional)
salt to taste

water as needed


Preparation

1. pound the ginger, garlic, dry red chilies into a coarse paste and set aside
2. coarsely chop the collard greens, rinse well
3. heat the oil in a pan; add the onion, slit green chilies, tomatoes and the pounded paste from step 1 and sautee till onions turn translucent; add the paprika and stir it in
4. add the washed, chopped collard greens; add a cup of water and 1 tsp salt to start the greens cooking; stir and check frequently to make sure there is enough water till the greens cook enough to be soft but not mushy; drain any excess water, if necessary; this dish is fairly dry, not too soggy
5. off heat, stir in the black pepper powder and lemon juice; adjust salt to taste
6. serve warm with fresh injera, mesir wat, selatta, alicha and shero wat