Beet Risotto with Greens

This exquisite dish is from Deborah Madison's cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  Her description of the "jewel-toned" dish intrigued me, and I'm kind of a sucker for beets anyway, so I had to try it.  Scott, on the other hand, is a hard sell on beets, but even he liked this unusual and lovely dish.  The color is brilliant!

Ingredients:

5.5 - 6.5 c. vegetable stock or bouillon

3 T. butter or a mixture of butter and olive oil (I always use vegan margarine in place of butter.)

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1.5 c. Arborio rice (It's important to use this type of rice, which gives risotto its creamy texture.)

1/2 c. dry white wine

2 T. chopped parsley

2 T. chopped basil or 1 T. dried basil

2 - 3 medium beets, peeled and grated, about 2 cups

2 - 3 c. greens (beet greens, chard, kale, spinach, or collards - stems removed, finely chopped)

salt and freshly ground pepper

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Have the stock simmering on the stove.  Heat the butter in a wide, deep pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the rice, stir to coat it well, and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and simmer until it's absorbed, then stir in half of the parsley and all of the basil, the grated beets, and the chard, kale, or collard greens (if using...if using beet greens or spinach, wait).  Add 2 c. stock, cover, and cook at a lively simmer until the stock is absorbed.  Begin adding the remaining stock in 1/2-cup increments, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.  When there is 1 c. of stock left, add the beet greens or spinach, if using.  Taste for salt (I'm generous with this maligned seasoning.), season with pepper, then stir in the lemon zest and juice to taste.  Serve with the remaining parsley.

Grits with Smoky Black-eyed Peas and Collards

Yet another fantastic dish from Food Network magazine.  If you want to make this vegan, just omit the cheese from the grits (and probably increase the salt in the grits, but that is your call).  I know you're going to love this!

Ingredients:

1 T. canola oil

2 bell peppers, chopped (any color works, but orange is colorific)

1 small onion, chopped

1 bunch fresh collard greens, stemmed and chopped

¼ t. cayenne

Salt

1 t. smoked paprika

2 15-oz. cans chopped tomatoes (not drained)

2 15-oz. can black-eyed peas (not drained)

1 c. grits (not the quick-cooking kind)

4 c. water 

Method:

Heat the canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the bell peppers, onion, collard greens, cayenne, and ½ t. salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly soft (about 8 minutes).  Add the paprika, tomatoes (with liquid), and black-eyed peas (with liquid) and bring to a simmer.  Simmer 15 minutes, then season with salt, if desired.

Meanwhile, combine the grits, water, and ¼ t. salt (or salt to taste) in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Cover, turn heat down to low, and simmer 5 minutes or until desired consistency.  Remove from heat.

Divide the grits between 4 pasta-style bowls, and top with tomato mixture.

Serves 4.

Southern Collard Greens

I hope each of you enjoyed a happy, relaxing Thanksgiving with some great vegetarian food!

 

I'm so excited that I finally have a good vegetarian recipe for Southern collard greens, and would you believe it came from Food Network Magazine and not from family or friends?  See, the deal is that most people in the South make their greens with ham or other meat seasonings.  In fact, the magazine's recipe called for bacon (What recipe does not call for bacon these days?) and chicken broth, but I just decided I'd go for it without any meat seasonings and see if it turned out.  There were plenty of other seasonings in the recipe, so I felt it would probably be ok.  And it is!  Here's how I did it, adapted from their recipe:

 

 

Ingredients:
2 bunches collard greens, washed
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 t. Cajun seasoning
4 c. vegetable broth
4 c. water (and more, if needed or desired)
apple cider vinegar, to taste
hot sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

First, tear out the large stems from the greens and discard.  (My dogs like to eat them.)  Chop the greens into, oh, about 1 - 1 1/2-inch pieces. It doesn't have to be perfect.

In a large pot, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chopped collard greens in batches, allowing each batch to get coated in oil and wilt down enough to accommodate the next batch.  Add vegetable broth and water and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the greens are tender, about 1 - 1.5 hours.

Add vinegar (I only used a couple of splashes.), hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste.  Serves 4 - 6 as a side dish.

Greens are delicious and outrageously healthy.  I served them with crowder peas, cornbread, and a Cajun rice pilaf (which I'll give the recipe for soon).  Hope you enjoy the greens!

Sauteed Baby Collard Greens for Luck in the New Year

Happy New Year!  In the Southeastern US, we have a lot of food traditions.  One of them is that on New Year's Day, you are supposed to eat black-eyed peas for luck and greens for money.  And when people say "greens" in the South, they usually mean collard greens that are cooked with meat.   Here's a vegetarian "greens" recipe you can use for luck and money (and important nutrients!) in the new year.  It's not traditional, but it's good.  I got it from Jennifer Biggs's column in The Commercial Appeal.  She credited http://www.sweetandsavoryfoods.blogspot.com/.  I served the sautéed baby collard greens with black-eyed peas and sweet potato casserole (recipe here, topping here) for a delicious, balanced, and pretty seasonal meal.  The greens serve 2 - 4 people as a side dish.

Ingredients:

baby collard greens (The recipe calls for "one bunch" of collard greens, which is pretty ambiguous.  I got a bag of baby collards from a vendor at our local farmers' market, and I'd say it was about a 1.5-gallon bag that was full.  Remember that greens reduce in bulk significantly when cooked.)

2 T. olive oil

1 T. crushed red pepper flakes (The amount here scared me a little, but it was totally fine with the quantity of greens I used.)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

salt, to taste

vinegar (optional), to taste (I didn't use it, but it's pretty common in the South to put vinegar on greens, so feel free to give it a whirl.)

Method:

Wash the collards well in a sink full of water.  You may need to wash them twice to get all the grit and dirt off.  Remove the thick stems by folding the leaves in half at the stem and ripping the stem out.  Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces, and whirl them in a salad spinner to get most of the water off.

In a large pan with a well-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the red pepper flakes and the minced garlic, then add the collard greens and salt to taste (I salted pretty generously from a shaker...maybe 3 generous passes or so to start.), stirring everything to coat the leaves thoroughly.  Cover the pan, and allow the greens to steam for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently until they have wilted.  Reduce heat to low and allow greens to continue to steam until a taste test reveals they are tender and flavorful.  Serve, splashed with vinegar if desired.