15-Minute All-Greens Soup

Serves: 4

¼ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ bunch loosely-packed kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley or basil
About 2 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water (NOTE: Add more or less liquid to reach your desired consistency.)
Salt and pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Prepare a large bowl with ice water. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the zucchini, celery and snow peas until fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Dunk into the prepared ice water bowl; drain and pat dry. Blanch the kale, spinach and parsley until bright green, about 45 seconds; drain and pat dry, then squeeze out any extra liquid. Place the onion mixture and half of the blanched vegetables and parsley in a blender; process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Return to the pot, stir in the broth, remaining vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Author's comments:
When I make this soup, I use whatever green vegetables and herbs I have in my fridge’s vegetable drawer. I’ve used kale, asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach, zucchini, celery, basil, parsley, cilantro. The list goes on and on, really. Please improvise with this recipe. The only ingredient you’ll need to adjust is the broth. Just add enough liquid until you reach your desired consistency. If I have any leftovers and I’m feeling decadent, I’ll melt in some shredded cheddar in the last few minutes of cooking.

But the beauty of blanching goes beyond the superficial. Blanching only takes a few minutes at most and will actually save you time in the long run. After blanching, all you need to do is blend the vegetables with a few more ingredients  and cook the soup on the stovetop just until heated through.
So what is blanching exactly? All it means is that you’re going to bring a large pot of water to a boil, add vegetables and cook until bright green and fork-tender, then you’ll dunk them into a big bowl of ice water and drain.
from Silvana's Kitchen 
http://www.silvanaskitchen.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-greens-soup/ 

About...Sorrel!

from: Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book

About Sorrel Jane Grigson writes:
"I learnt the advantages of sorrel in France, where every garden however small -- or at least every garden in Touraine and Anjou -- has a patch of [sorrel] as close to the kitchen door as possible. We visit a friend in the early evening... Suddenly ... she remembers food and rushes to the nearest corner of the vegetable patch to grab a couple of handfuls of sorrel. In a quarter of an hour we are eating a lively soup, fresh and agreeably sharp, that she has made with the minimum of trouble.

In France everyone, it seems, knows about sorrel, and the homely standby of quick sorrel soup... Sorrel soup, sorrel omelette, sorrel sauce with fish or eggs mollet, turn a frugal meal into something special. People wonder if it's spinach with lemon juice? No...

Sorrel comes half-way between vegetables and flavouring. A few chopped leaves can be added to a green salad for zest. A larger quantity can be cooked down to fill omelettes, like spinach, or to make soups and sauces. The best-known of French sorrel soups is made purely of sorrel and water, with an enriching finale of egg yolks and cream."

About cooking garden "things":
"Most people spoil garden things by over boiling them. All things that are green should have a little crispness, for if they are overboil'd they neither have any sweetness or beauty."
~ Hannah Glasse

submitted by Patti Andrews

Spinach & Scape Frittata

3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Adapted from www.dakotagarlic.com

Sugar Snap Stir Fry

Serves 4 to 6
 
12 ounces dried pasta of choice, such as fettuccine or rice noodles

Sauce:
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons good-quality soy sauce
2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 clove minced garlic

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas or snow peas, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook noodles according to package directions. While pasta cooks, whisk together the broth, soy sauce. brown sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cornstarch, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl, then set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and add tofu, cooking and turning to lightly brown all sides. Remove browned tofu and reserve.

3. Add onions to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and soy sauce mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes.

4. Add spinach and cook briefly, until just wilted. Add cooked pasta and green onions to pan and stir to combine. Top with browned tofu and serve immediately.

- inspired by Simply in Season

Fried Beets ‘n’ Carrots

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 medium beets, quartered, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
Tamari sauce
Beet tops, fresh spinach, or Swiss chard

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add cumin; cook about 1 minute. Add beets and carrots; fry until tender. Remove from heat, sprinkle on a little tamari, and serve.

Variation: If using young beets, save the tops. When the beets and carrots are tender, add chopped greens, cover, and cook until soft. Toss mixture, sprinkle with tamari, and serve.

From Asparagus to Zucchini

Italian Stuffed Tomatoes

6 med tomatoes
3 pkgs frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 med. onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup Romano or Parmesan cheese
¼ cup dry bread crumbs
½ cup or so shredded mozzarella
1 tbs Italian seasonings (basil, thyme, oregano)
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
topping:
seasoned bread crumbs
shredded mozzarella
diced butter

Cut tops off tomatoes and scoop out seeds. Season insides of tomatoes with salt and pepper. Mix all remaining ingredients and pack tomatoes tightly. Place in a greased casserole. Sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs, shredded mozzarella and diced butter on top. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes. Broil 2 min to allow tops to slightly brown. These are actually good cold or at room temperature as well as hot.

From www.cooks.com

Fresh Herb Salad with Edible Flower and Mustard-Dill Dressing

Serves 6

Organic edible flowers are perfect for this, and can include:
nasturtiums, daylilies, pansies, pinks, borage, roses, or flowers from any culinary herb (such as chives).

1 small butterhead lettuce
1 cup baby arugula leaves
1 cup fresh purslane or baby spinach or tat soi
1 cup watercress leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup snipped fresh Italian parsley (flat leaves)
1/2 cup sorrel leaves
1/2 cup baby mustard greens or collard greens
1/3 cup snipped fresh chives
1/4 cup snipped fresh chervil
2 Tbs. snipped fresh dill
1/2-1 cup edible flowers

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dill seed
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash and gently dry butterhead lettuce, all herbal greens and edible flowers. Tear apart lettuce and any large-leafed herbs. Toss together all greens except flowers in a large salad bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour
over herb salad and gently toss until well coated. Garnish with
edible flowers and serve immediately.

From Delicious Living Magazine

Pasta with Caramelized Onion Sauce

4-5 servings

½ cup olive oil
4-6 large onions thinly sliced (about 6-8 cups)
½ tsp. salt
½ to 1 cup dry white wine

1 medium bunch arugula or spinach, stemmed and minced
1 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese

¾ lb. pasta (like penne or fusilli)

1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
Parmesan

Heat oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat for ~ 15 minutes. Add salt, lower heat and continue to cook for at least another 10 minutes (and up to an hour for really deliciously well-done onions).

Add white wine, turn heat back up to medium, and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. At this point the sauce can be set aside until you are ready to cook the pasta.

Turn the heat back on under the sauce when you are ready to cook the pasta. When the onions are hot, add the chopped greens, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the crumbled cheese, and turn heat to low while cooking the pasta.

After the cooked pasta is drained, add it to the sauce, and stir briefly in the pan before serving. Sprinkle with walnuts and parmesan, and serve.

From The New Moosewood Cookbook

Sweet & Sour Salad Dressing

1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 cup salad or olive oil
Few dashes Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons chili sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix dressing ingredients together. Toss with salad ingredients. I use either of the following:

2 heads Boston lettuce Or 3 bags baby spinach
1 bunch watercress
12 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 oranges, peeled and cut into segments
(optional) Bacon, cooked and chopped
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

submitted by Margery Prazar; from Marlene Sorosky’s Year- Round Holiday CookbookNotes from Margery: This salad dressing is one of our favorites!

Greens & Tofu

1-1/4 c firm silken tofu, cut into 1" cubes
oil (as needed)
dark leafy greens, such as chard, kale or beet greens, or spinach torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tsp sesame salt (gomasio) or toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbl tamari
3 c cooked brown rice

Oil a large frying pan or wok. Sauté tofu cubes about 5 min. Push the cubes to the center of pan and spread torn greens around edges. Sprinkle the tofu with sesame salt of seeds and 1 Tbl of the tamari. Cover pan to steam the greens until it is just wilted. Be careful not to overcook
it. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid. Sprinkle the remaining Tbl of tamari over greens and serve with rice.

Patti’s Notes:
This is a very fast recipe, and can be done and ready to serve in the time it takes to cook the rice, plain sesame seeds work fine, varying quantities work fine. If the greens are large or a bit tough, it helps to be sure they are chopped into small pieces and that they are sautéed until tender. We just put the sesame seeds in without bothering to roast -- and we've always used kale (I am only noticing now that we could use just about any green or even broccoli and it will still be yummy.)

submitted by Patti Andrews From: Ecological Cooking by Joanne Stepaniak & Kathy Hecker

10 Minute Light Vegetable Soup for Two

Just double this recipe for 4

Place 1 Tbl ghee (clarified butter), or olive or sunflower oil in good-sized stir fry pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 or more sliced garlic cloves for a couple of minutes to soften and release
the flavor. Add progressively to the stir fry pan, stirring each to coat with oil and soften:

2 good-sized scallions (or 4-5 tiny ones), chopped fine, including the green parts;
1 smaller broccoli stalk, with all the stem parts sliced into dime-sized pieces and the remaining flower tops cut small as well.
1 smaller zucchini or yellow squash and cut into quarter-sized pieces.
1 handful of beet greens (or other greens such as chard or kale) also cut into small pieces.

Once everything has softened and the aroma of the food is filling the air, add:
1 quart of boiling water
1 vegetable bouillon cube (Marigold Organic Swiss is excellent, or a homemade one to control ingredients)

Stir to mix thoroughly, turn off heat and serve with a hearty bread and summer salad.

Notes: This cooks up in 5 - 10 minutes max, as long as one is set up to wash and chop vegetables quickly into finer-sized bites. We really like these flavors together, though other vegetables might appeal. We sometimes use a homemade broth by saving the cooking waters of other vegetables, popping each in the freezer in small quantities, and then heating these "vegetable broth pucks" up while preparing the rest of the stir fry. We also sometimes begin with some Indian spices in the olive oil and grated ginger instead of garlic or vegetable bouillon.

submitted by Patti Andrews