06 Aug Wed 2014
Nancy's Vegan Greens Soup
This one is sooo easy ... and you can use any of your dark leafy greens.
Steam about 1/2 lb. of Collards and 1/2 lb. of Kale. Also steam 2 medium potatoes. Sautee chopped garlic and onions. Place all in a blender, add some of the water from the veggies, and salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like, reheat it and let the flavors blend. Simple, quick, and basic goodness!
Sommer's Zucchini Brownies
Zucchini Brownies
submitted by Sommer. Brownies are upper right in photo.
From Simply in Season, by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert
(Simply in Season is my all-time favorite, go-to cookbook.)
-1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup powdered cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine in a large bowl.
- 2 to 3 Cups shredded zucchini
Stir into above mixture.
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup oil (I like coconut)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Combine in separate bowl and beat with a fork. Stir into zucchini mixture. Spread evenly into a greased 9”x13” pan.
-1/2-1 cup semisweet or mint chocolate chips (OPTIONAL)
- 1/2 cup nuts (OPTIONAL)
Sprinkle on top of batter.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
Sommer's Secret (Chard) Blueberry Bars
Secret Blueberry Bars
Adapted from Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld. See Sommer's Chard Puree recipe below this one to learn her Secret. Blueberry bars lower left, Zucchini brownies upper right.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Mix all dry ingredients, then cut in the butter and vanilla until crumbly.
Press 3/4 of this mix into an ungreased 9”x13” pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the pan with the bottom crust layer into the oven for five minutes while the oven preheats.
Filling:
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- 1/2 cup swiss chard or spinach puree. (see recipe below) (collards or kale would taste too strong.)
Heat blueberries and sugar to bubbly, add cornstarch and stir till thick.
Remove from heat and add Swiss chard puree.
Spread this mixture over the crust in the pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the crust mixture on top.
Bake for 35-40 mins.
ONLY eat these when they’ve cooled! You will taste the greens if you eat them warm.
Swiss Chard Puree
Use a large bunch of Swiss Chard.
Clean chard and remove large stems. Save the stems for another recipe. (Stems are great chopped up and thrown into tuna or chicken salad to give it a nice juicy crunch.)
Steam the Chard for about 5 minutes in a very small amount of water, until it’s bright green. (Save the steaming water for other cooking or to fertilize your plants.)
Puree the steamed chard in a food processor or blender until very smooth.
That’s it!
I like to do large batches of this puree at a time and then freeze it in ice cube trays. I can then toss chard into things like spaghetti sauce and chili and blueberry bars and my kids and hubby never know it’s there. ;)
Elyse's Bread 'n Butter Zucchini Pickles
(Submitted by ee, original recipe by Tara Derr Webb)
Active Time: 30 minutes.
Total 1 hr 30 min.plus overnight pickling
Makes about 1 quart (or increase all accordingly)
Ingredients
- 1 lb very firm medium zucchini, sliced crosswise 1/8 inch thick
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
- 3 TBSP kosher salt
- ice water
- 1.5 cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. crushed mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- In a large bowl, toss the zucchini and onion with 2 tablespoons of the kosher salt. Cover and let stand until just softened, about 45 minutes. Drain the zucchini and onion well and pat dry.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt with the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, mustard powder, turmeric and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Let cool completely.
- Transfer the zucchini and onion to a 1-quart glass jar and ppour in enough brine to cover. Seal with the lid and refrigerate overnight before serving.
The pickles can be refrigerated in the brine for up to 1 week.
24 Jul Thu 2014
Jay's Country-Style Green Beans
Jay's Country-Style Green Beans
This recipe is actually one Jay took from a book entitled "Chickens in the Road" by Suzanne McMinn. He cooked it up and it was great. But then ... bacon and greens ... the winning combination!
Ingredients
- 1 quart green beans, fresh
- 1/4 lb sliced peppered bacon, chopped
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- water
Process
Wash the green beans; drain. Chop the bacon in pieces. Start the bacon frying on medium in a large pot. Slice the onion and add to the pot to cook with the bacon. (Ya gotta love the carmelized taste of the onions that comes from frying them along the bacon.) You can add more or less onion, sliced any way you like. If you don't use peppered bacon, you'll want to add some pepper.
When the bacon is starting to brown a little, add the green beans. (Don't drain all the bacon grease) Add the sugar, salt, seasoned salt, and just enought water to cover. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, cover the pot, and simmer for at least 45 minutes. When the beans are cooked to your liking, adjust seasonings to taste. This is a fantastic down-home side dish, or a meal all by itself.
Dyann's Stuffed Zucchini
This is a great dish for overgrown summer squash. It is easy to prepare, delicious, and looks soooo impressive! And ALL the ingredients (except cheese) are from our garden. Thanks Dyann!
Ingredients:
- One very large zucchini or 4 of personal sizes
- 4 Italian sausage links
- chopped basil, oregano, garlic
- chopped onion
- chopped arugula
- Italian cheese mix
Process:
- Microwave zucchini for 10 minutes and let them rest
- Take the casing off 4 Italian Sausage links and cook the meat
- Add in some chopped basil, chopped oregano,chopped garlic,chopped up onion,chopped arugula
- Cook till it's done
- Add in 4 oz package of cream cheese,stir it up. add in hot sauce if you like it spicy
- Get the Zucchini and cut out the top ,like a semi flat circle. Scoop out the innards. Save the top.
- Chop the top in to small pieces. mix it into the sausage mixture.
- Spoon it into the Zucchini or Zucchinis.
- Top it with the 3-blend italian cheese mix
- Wrap them in foil leaving the top exposed
- Place on cookie sheet and put in the oven at 375 for 50 minutes.
- You can put them under the broiler for 1 min to brown the cheese.
23 Jul Wed 2014
Dyann's Kale Chips
Snack Recipe 
Cheesy Yet Vegan Kale Chips
Cheesy Kale Chips
3/4 cup cashews
1 bunch kale, washed and dried
1/2 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, chopped into large pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup nutritional yeast (not to be confused with Brewer's yeast)
1 lemon, peeled, cut into wedges, and de-seeded as much as possible (a few stragglers are ok)
Cover the cashews with water in a small bowl and let the soak for at least one hour before proceeding.
Preheat oven to the lowest heat setting (mine is 180 degrees). Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Drain cashews and set aside. Trim stems the from each kale leaf and cut each leaf into chip-size pieces.
Add the cashews, red pepper, garlic, soy sauce, oil, and nutritional yeast to a food processor. Scoop the flesh from the lemon and add this to the food processor as well. Blend until smooth. (Alternatively, you can use just the lemon juice for a slightly less bright lemon flavor.)
In a large bowl, combine kale and cashew paste, making sure kale is evenly coated. Place kale pieces on baking sheets allowing space between each piece so they do not touch or overlap. This will take more than one batch, so reserve any remaining kale and refrigerate, covered, until first batch has finished baking.
Bake kale until crisp and completely dry, between 2 and 4 hours. Check after the first hour and turn leaves over. Check kale periodically. Chips will be ready when crunchy and stiff and topping doesn't feel chewy or moist.
Kale chips will keep in an air tight container for one week.
09 Jul Wed 2014
Regina's Massaged Kale Salad
Regina’s Famous Massaged-Kale Salad* (by... Regina!)
The idea of “massaging” kale is not at all my own. I learned it because I love to look up great recipes on the net to find exciting ways to cook. Kale is very popular, extremely chic in fact, right now. One of the very chic things to do with your kale is to massage it. It breaks the fibers so that the kale is much easier to eat in large amounts, raw. Such a great green for the body.
Here’s what to do to make this famous salad:
2 small-medium sized bunches of kale, washed, spun or dried; remove stems and heavy veins, break into large bite-sized pieces. Put in a large bowl, so that your hands can work on it.
Pour 2 TBS of olive oil on the kale, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt.(You can put the oil in the palm of your hand, as you wish.) Add a bit more oil if your kale is particularly tough or your bunch is huge.
Now, with your super-clean hands, start massaging it. That means take handfuls and scrunch them, rub them together (briskly), squeeze, (the action is as if you are trying to crumble up potato chips into crumbs).
I continue the massaging (3-4 minutes usually) until the kale is a softer and somewhat smooth texture in my hands. If you are unsure, taste it, chew it. Massaged kale should be appreciably easier to chew and swallow than a bunch of raw kale leaves.
Add the following, or anything else that strikes your fancy:
1 medium handful of raisins (or dried cranberries)
1 small handful of pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds) – note that roasting these first with garlic powder or even sliced fresh garlic will make them more wondrous still
1 medium-large chopped fresh tomato
1 avocado, cut in small chunks
Grated carrot (not sliced or chunky, as the kale chewing is enough work for one meal.)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 TBS lemon juice or light vinegar like rice vinegar (we don’t want to overpower the other amazing flavors)
Several heaping TBS. of blue cheese crumbles (optional of course, but awesome if you have it!) Any good cheese (NOT CHEDDAR, not cream cheese) will be ok, like freshly grated parmesan or feta. Even crumbled goat cheese would be excellent.
MIX WELL but tenderly to not “smoosh” everything together.
Eat immediately ,or chill and serve later, even the next day it will still be wonderful, but I wouldn’t let it linger.
*This recipe is endorsed by the “I Don’t Like Raw Green Vegetables Society of America.” Recipient of its 2014, “Pleasesir, may I have more?” Award.
—Regina Sara Ryan, June 2014
Helen's Dixie Relish Recipe
Dixie Relish
from Bell Complete Book of Home Preserving, edited by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine. Helen is a master at creating canned wonders.
Makes about six 8-oz jars.
|
4 cups finely chopped cabbage |
2 tbsp celery seeds |
| 11/2 cups chopped onions |
1 tbsp whole cloves |
| 1 1/2 cups chopped seeded red, green, yellow bell peppers | 1 cinnamon stick (about 4 inches, broken into pieces) |
| 1/4 cup pickling or canning salt | 3 cups white vinegar |
| 7 cups lukewarm water | 2 cups granulated sugar |
| 3 tbsp mustard seeds |
- in a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine cabbage, onions, and red/yellow/green peppers. Dissolved pickling salt in lukewarm water and pour over vegetables. Cover and let stand in a cool place for one hour. Transfer to a colander placed over a sink and drain thoroughly. Rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly again. Using your hands, squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.
- Tie mustard seeds, celery seeds, allspice, cloves and cinnamon stick in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.
- in a large stainless steel saucepan, combine drained cabbage mixture, vinegar, sugar and spice bag. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover, reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial relish, about 15 minutes. Discard spice bag.
- Ladle hot relish into hot hjars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary7, by adding hot relish. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw Band down until resistance3 is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
- place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Remover canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remover jars, cool and store.