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Braised Greens and Radishes

By Amee Meghani on May 20, 2013 in DFW Local Box, Recipes, Side Dishes, Spring, Vegan

I’m no biology expert or anything, but I hear they don’t all make it to the egg.

Local Box Radishes!

Radishes are unruly little creatures! Maybe they they could use a little grooming assistance with a flat iron and some frizz-ease, but that’s no reason to turn down a radish. Radishes have always been the bench warmers of the root vegetable team, but now it’s time to play them. No better court than a skillet full of mustard or collard greens.

Braising is a fancy technical term which infers both Sauteeing and Steaming. So basically you brown something at a very high heat and then you add liquid and cover and allow the resulting steam to further cook. So I guess it’s like laying out in the sun with tanning oil, and then going into a sauna. :)

How to remove tough stems from Collard or Mustard Greens (or any greens!)

Stems removed

Nice Stems

Stir Quickly to Coat all of the greens in olive oil and then Cover immediately

Braised Collard Greens with Radishes

Put some lemon or orange zest on it!

Braised Greens with Radishes

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small sweet onion, sliced in rings

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 bunch collard greens or mustard greens

1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage (loosely packed) (optional)

1 scant cup radishes

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Trim the tough stems from the collard greens by folding each leaf lengthwise and then removing the stem in one simple angled cut. Stack all of the cut leaves together and cut into approximately one inch squares.

2. Remove the tops and the tails from the radishes.

3. Heat olive oil in a deep and wide skillet or saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic slices and cook for 3 minutes. Stir frequently to keep them from burning. Add radishes and cook for 3 more minutes. Then add chopped greens, chopped cabbage, sherry, and 1/4 cup water. Stir quickly until greens are coated well and then cover immediately.

4. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until greens are wilted and very dark, stirring once or twice if needed. Uncover and season with salt, pepper, and lemon zest.

*Alternate option: You can serve a poached egg on top of the braised greens which make a nice presentation…

(Maybe the radishes make it to the egg after all!)

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10 Things To Do With Garlic Scapes

By Margo on April 29, 2013 in 10 Cool Things to Do With..., Greenling DFW, Recipes, Spring

garlic scapes

“Garlic WHAT?” Get excited for one of spring’s most anticipated farm-fresh delights– garlic scapes! Scapes are the wild shoots that spring from the tops of garlic plants. Their color is springtime green, and the shoots can be thick or thin, curved or corkscrewed, and vary in height. They also come with leaves, which are more similar to leeks or green onion, and are also edible! Garlic scapes have a mild garlic fragrance and a mellow garlic flavor. The scapes are meant to be cut from growing garlic in order to help the garlic grow. So it’s a win-win for the farmer and us, the cooks!

Here at Greenling DFW, our garlic scapes come to us from Paul of Mexas Farm. Paul helps Greenling stay green and sustainable by taking some of our compost! We’re happy to keep the circle going by serving up Paul’s delicious garlic scapes this season. Stumped for how to cook these beauties?

10 Things To Do With Garlic Scapes

pickled

1. Pickle ‘em
Because who doesn’t love pickles? These pretty pickled Garlic Scapes are so simple, even pickling/canning novices can enjoy.

2. Make Pesto
Pesto is a delicious spread to keep handy- wonderful for any number of pastas, as a spread on sandwiches, a base for salad dressings and sauces, or simply eaten with a nice chunk of bread. You can throw in other herbs or green leafy things too.

baconwrapped

3. Wrap ‘em in Bacon
For meat eaters, there’s really nothing better than something wrapped in bacon. Show off the flavor of spring while keeping your carnivorous friends happy.

4. Roast
Like with garlic itself, roasting the scapes brings out their sweetness, making for a lovely side dish. Simply toss the washed scapes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 450 for 5-7 minutes, until browned nicely. If you’d like to use the leaves too, roast them for 5 minutes first.

5. Use Raw
Like the spring onion greens we’ve also seen this season, they’re terrific raw! Thinly chop the shoots and add to a tuna or chicken salad, stir into hot rice or scatter over a salad, the way you might scatter sliced scallions or an herb.

6. Stir-Fry
Garlic scapes are excellent for stir-fry dishes as they don’t compete with stronger flavored ingredients, but rather complement them with a sweet succulent character. Try this recipe for vegetarian Stir-Fry with Garlic Scapes, Carrots, and Shiitake Mushrooms. You can also use those leaves, just stir-fry longer.

garlicscapevinegar

7. Gift Infused Vinegar
For fresh vegetable salads, only the best dressing will do- and what’s better than a salad dressing you made yourself? Make your own Garlic Scape Vinegar and gift to friends and family throughout the summer. Simply add olive oil + a squeeze of lemon for a beautiful salad dressing!

8. Make Spring Soup
Take advantage of everything green to make a beautiful spring soup: Garlic Scape, Spinach, and Pea Soup. ! Serve it hot if you wish, or cold as a starter on a hot summer day.

9. Make Mayonnaise
After you make your own mayonnaise, you’ll never want to buy store-bought again. Fresh garlic scapes give this mayo a delicious boost for potato salads, sandwiches, and more!

flowers

10. Wait for the bulbs to bloom!
Paul of Mexas Farm says if you aren’t a huge fan of garlic, simply use as a springtime bouquet! The little bulbs will bloom in about a week, turning into pretty purple fuzzballs. Perfect for outdoor barbeques or garden parties

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Amee’s Broccoli Cheddar Beer Soup

By Amee Meghani on April 20, 2013 in Greenling DFW, Recipes, Soups, Spring

You weren’t going to throw these away, were you?

Grated Broccoli stalks are great for soup OR an Asian slaw salad

“Whatcha gonna do with all those stalks, all those stalks inside that box?”

You’re lucky you can’t hear me sing Black Eyed Peas. You’re welcome. Hi, I’m Amee (of rabbit food rocks), and I’m a new Greenling blogger! I’ll be helping you find ways to make delicious vegetarian dishes with all that Local Box fruit and veg.

So if you don’t know what to do with these lovely lady…stumps, I’ve got you covered with two beautiful words: beer and cheese.

You have to be in the right mood for any kind of broccoli-cheese soup, but what I don’t like is when I order a cup of soup and they bring me what resembles queso. Here’s a recipe for a lighter version, but you’ll see that I open the door to be indulgent too. Enjoy!

This is the only way to sneak beer into work.

Broccoli, Cheddar, and Beer Soup

Ingredients:

1-1/2 Tablespoons oil (canola)

1/2 an onion, diced

1-1/2 cups finely chopped broccoli stalks* (this is a rough estimate – do not go OCD on me)

3/4 cup beer, preferable a pale ale (I used a black lager, but follow Simon Says, ok?)

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons butter (insert mmm here)

1-1/2 cups lowfat milk (1% or 2%)

1/2 cups whole milk (whole milk would be good; half-n-half would be cray cray.)

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese, packed (I used rich and creamy local cheddar from Veldhuizen that I added to my Greenling order this week)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions and chopped broccoli stalks and saute until onions appear translucent. Add beer and allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes or until there is minimal liquid. It should look swampy, not soupy. Cook the beer WAY down, where you shouldn’t have much liquid, but it shouldn’t be dry either. Then empty contents into a small bowl.

2. Melt butter in the same pot and then whisk in flour until it looks homogeneous (yeah – big word for me too).

3. Lower heat to medium. Whisk in 1/2 cup whole milk plus 1 cup only of the lowfat milk. Cook for 5 minutes, until it has thickened into a sauce. It should remind you of a very naughty Alfredo sauce almost. Lower heat to low and whisk in grated cheese. Now it should look queso-y.

4. Allow cheese to melt completely, add broccoli-onion mixture, and season with ~ 1 teaspoon salt and some ground pepper.

5. Remove from heat. Cool slightly, and then using a blender or immersion blender, blend. Add the remaining 1/2 cup milk. Blend. Return mixture to pot. Heat on medium-low and add pepper. Taste. Spike it with a tiny dash of a peppery tabasco maybe?

6. Serve** or pack for lunch. Make obnoxious mmmm sounds in your cubicle.

*Don’t even think about taking 3 minutes out of your day to peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. It’s all going to be cooked and blended into a soup. You’ll live. Use that time for something more valuable – like updating your Facebook profile picture.

**When you are done, you won’t see nomadic bits of broccoli florets in your bowl because we only used stalks, but if that bothers you either (a) add the florets in step 1 or (b) close your eyes.

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Make Your Own Cheddar Bunny “Carrots”!

By Asia on March 30, 2013 in Spring

A beloved rabbit is coming to town this month but he doesn’t have to come bearing unhealthy foods! We love this festive idea from Citrus and think it would look adorable in any Easter basket. Simply fill a pastry bag with Cheddar Bunnies and tie the top with green ribbon. Easy!

To make these you will need:

Annie’s Organic Cheddar Bunnies
Disposable Frosting Bags -you can buy these at most craft stores
Green Ribbon – for your carrot “foliage”

Just pour the crackers into the frosting bags and tie them off with the ribbon. You may need to crush a few of the bunny crackers near the carrot tip to make them fit all of the way down to the point of the carrot. If you have any other Easter ideas/traditions you would like to share, ‘lettuce’ know on Facebook or Twitter!

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Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Skillet

By Margo on March 11, 2013 in Main Dishes, Recipes, Staff Picks, Winter

Craving Mexican food but determined to eat healthy and use in-season veggies? This Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean skillet does just the trick. Fairly simple and deliciously aromatic (and vegetarian!), this recipe makes a meal for 4-6, or sides for a crowd. Sumac and cumin give this dish its wonderfully deep flavor. Sumac isn’t a super common spice, but I found it at Central Market. (If you can’t find it, you can get a similar flavor from mixing chili powder and paprika in a 1:1 ratio.)

I like this recipe because it isn’t fussy. I wanted kale and sweet potatoes to be center stage, but if you would rather taste more black bean, just use a little less of the veggies. If you’re sensitive to onions or garlic (like my Mom is), you can easily leave them out and it will be just as good. Similarly, to kick it up a notch, I’d consider adding another clove or two of garlic, some chili powder, and thinly sliced red onions (added with the kale.) Serve it alongside rotisserie chicken, or eat it wrapped up in a tortilla. And if you’re not interested in healthy, I think this would be an excellent enchilada filling! Because lets be honest, who doesn’t love things smothered in cheese? Any way you slice it, this recipe can easily be made your own.

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean skillet
serves 4-6
prep time: 15 minutes | cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 or 3 sweet potatoes
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
1 can organic black beans, low-sodium, drained
3 hearty handfuls (3 cups ish) kale (I used Russian kale, because it’s what I had, but green kale is just as good!)
1-1/2 to 2 tbsp. organic olive oil
1/4 tsp. sumac
1/8 tsp. cumin
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 lime, for serving
tortillas, for serving
sour cream or greek yogurt, for serving
1 avocado, for serving

Prep
1. Peel sweet potatoes, shallot, and garlic. Wash and dry kale.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Lay cut surface flat on a cutting board and slice in half again lengthwise. Then, slice into ¼-1/2 inch thick pieces. (Sweet potatoes are tough to cut. I don’t have an amazing knife, but this method works great! See photo.)
3. Dice shallot and garlic.
4. Tear kale into large pieces.

Cook
1. Place large sauté pan over medium high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add sweet potatoes, shallot, garlic, sumac and cumin to pan and cook for 2 minutes until you can smell the spices, stirring throughout to coat.

2. Bring the heat down to medium and cover. Let cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure the sweet potatoes don’t burn (oops, a few of mine did!) Cook until the sweet potatoes are soft enough to easily cut in half and are nice and brown.

3. Add black beans. Stir to mix. Add kale. At this point it will be a little hard to stir, but don’t worry, kale cooks down! Season generously with salt and pepper, mix and cover.

4. After 3-4 minutes, uncover and stir. If it’s feeling a bit too dry at this point, drizzle a little more olive oil. Taste for seasoning- if you want more spice, add a pinch of sumac! Cook for another minute or so until kale is cooked to your liking.

5. If you’re serving with tortillas, start warming them up. For just a few people, heat them with a bit of oil in a small skillet. For a larger group, wrap a tortillas in foil and stick in a warm oven for 2-3 minutes. Cut your lime and slice the avocado.

6. Serve on top of warm tortillas, drizzled with lime and served with avocado slices and greek yogurt. I made a taco out of mine. Enjoy!