Greens (Kale and/or bok choi leaves) with Scallions, Couscous and Nested Eggs
Kale and Carrot Slaw with Garlic Lime Dressing
Roasted Broccoli with Tahini Lemon Sauce
Fried Rice “Pancakes”
Warm Bok Choi with Ginger Dressing
Scallion Flatbread
Lettuce Management
Greens (Kale/Bok Choi leaves) with Scallions, Couscous and Nested Eggs
Sometimes, often actually, limitations are the foundation of creativity. I created this a couple of weeks ago when I had three partial bunches of greens needing to be used (beet greens, spinach, kale) before the next CSA share arrived and it was a keeper.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 scallions, trimmed and white and green parts thinly sliced (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1 generous teaspoon ground cumin
1 large bunch kale (or more), well washed and no need to dry, tough stems removed and roughly chopped
Bok Choi leaves (use the stems elsewhere), roughly chopped (optional)
Salt
1 cup water
2/3 cup couscous
4 eggs
Freshly ground pepper
More olive oil
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Heat olive oil in the largest skillet you have over medium heat. Add scallions, if using, and garlic and cook, gently for about 3-5 minutes until softening. Add cumin seeds and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the greens and a few pinches of salt. Cover and turn up to medium-high heat. Stir as the greens begin to wilt and be sure not to burn the garlic. Cook covered for a few minutes until wilted, then add the couscous, water and another few pinches of salt. Stir well, cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes–longer if the greens are tougher.
When the couscous and greens are just about tender, make four indentations in the greens and crack the eggs into them. Season eggs with salt and pepper, cover pan and cook, gently for 4-5 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your liking. Serve with a good drizzle of olive oil and your hot sauce of choice.
Kale and Carrot Slaw with Garlic Lime Dressing
Bright and delicious.
Serves 4-6
1 small to medium bunch kale, tough stems removed (I leave the ribs in), washed, dried and very thinly sliced
2 cups sorrel (optional), washed, dried and thinly sliced
3 small to medium carrots, scrubbed well and grated on large holes of box grater
3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or 1 small shallot or small piece of onion of any kind, thinly sliced
1 sweet pepper, washed and seeded and thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped (parsley and/or mint would be good too)
Dressing:
1 large clove garlic, minced and then mashed with a bit of coarse salt on the cutting board with the side of a chefs knife to create a coarse paste (skip this step if you’re in a hurry)
Juice of 1 lime or 1 1/2 tablespoons white, cider or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 a small jalapeño, minced (deseeded if you want less heat)
1/3 cup or more good olive oil
1/3 – 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds (about 10 minutes at 350 degrees)
Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Toss dressing with salad and mix well to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning.
This salad holds up well and you can dress it an hour or more before serving. I tend to add the toasted seeds right before serving to preserve their crunch but adding them earlier is fine too.
Roasted Broccoli with Tahini Lemon Sauce
This is so good and so easy. Feel free to double the amount of broccoli—I’m sure it will get eaten.
Serves 4
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 lbs broccoli, washed, stems peeled if tough and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Sauce:
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
1 large clove garlic, crushed and minced or mashed to a paste with some salt
Salt
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
About 3 tablespoons water
Toss the broccoli with the olive oil and salt and spread on a sheet pan and roast until browning around the edges and tender—about 30 minutes. Toss them occasionally.
Meanwhile mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Tahini has a tendency to thicken when mixed with lemon juice and depending on what brand you’re using and how old it is it might be either quite thin or dry and crumbly. You want to end up with a smooth, pourable sauce that’s not too thin. Whisk in water until you have the right consistency.
Arrange the roasted broccoli on a platter and drizzle with the tahini sauce. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Fried Rice “Pancakes” with Bok Choi
Everything I might put into fried rice gets mixed in a bowl and panfried into neat little pancakes. A delicious alternative! And one of the reasons I always make twice as much rice as I need in the moment. . . so you have it ready for this sort of quick dinner.
You can add broccoli this week and maybe some scallions. And be sure to chop everything finely which helps the pancakes hold together when frying.
Yields about 12-15 4-inch pancakes
2 1/2 – 3 cups cooked, cooled rice
2 small to medium carrots, grated on large holes of box grater
About 5 cups bok choi, stems and leaves finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 small serrano or jalapeño chili, seeded (if you don’t want it very spicy) and finely chopped or 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce
2 teaspoons fish sauce
3-4 tablespoons coconut, sunflower or olive oil for panfrying
Spicy mayonnaise (mayo doctored with your favorite hot sauce) if you’d like
In an large bowl mix together the rice, herbs and vegetables. In a smaller bowl beat the eggs with the ginger, garlic, onion, hot pepper, soy and fish sauces. Add the egg mixture to the rice and vegetables and mix well. Taste and add a little salt if needed, though the soy and fish sauce will probably be sufficient.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add about 1/4 cup spoon fuls of the rice mixture and fry until golden brown on each side. Don’t flip them too soon or they’ll fall apart. Keep warm while you fry the remainder. Serve with spicy mayo if you’d like.
Scallion Flatbread
If you want a little bit of a project make these delicious breads. I’ve always wanted to try these and one of my favorite food bloggers, David Lebovitz, happened to write about them last week. I followed his recipe. And they were delicious and very simple to make.
Warm Bok Choi with Ginger Dressing
The stems retain their bite, the leaves soften and the tangy vinaigrette livens up the whole thing. Good on rice or as is. And it takes about 7 minutes start to finish.
Serves 4 as a side
1 large head bok choi, well washed and both stems and leaves thinly sliced crosswise
2 teaspoons coconut, peanut or other oil
Dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, minced and mashed up a bit with the side of a chef’s knife with some salt, or pressed (the salt makes it easier to mash)
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
A little more salt if needed
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Heat the coconut oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Toss in the bok choy stems and a few pinches of salt. Cook over high heat, stirring regularly, for about 2-3 minutes until the stems are softened but still have some bite. Add the leaves and cook for 30 seconds more. Put the vegetables in a bowl and mix in the dressing. A fair amount of liquid (combination of dressing and liquid from vegetables) will accumulate in the bottom of the bowl and it’s delicious and rice soaks it up well!
*NOTE: The day I created this recipe I needed to somehow make this dish into dinner. I ended up panfrying some broccoli and pork sausage just until cooked through and tender, adding a little fish sauce and soy sauce at the end. I mixed this into the bok choy and served the whole thing over rice for a satisfying one-dish meal.
Lettuce Management
Staying on top of lettuce takes a little work. It’s completely worth it but here are a few tricks/methods I employ to keep things interesting on the salad front . . and keep those beautiful heads from going slimy and brown.
Washing and storing:
If you’re having a hard time staying on top of the lettuce, wash enough for two big salads soon after you pick up your share. My preferred way to store the washed lettuce is rolled up in clean, dishtowels. This is actually my preferred drying technique and it stores well that way, for a couple of days. You can put the rolled up lettuce-filled towels in a plastic bag and store in the fridge.
Crunchy additions:
Keep sunflower and/or pumpkin seeds, and/or walnuts or hazelnuts on hand. Pumpkin seeds take just a few minutes to toast in a dry skillet and sunflower seeds toast best in a 300 degree oven with some salt and olive oil. Walnuts and hazelnuts toast well in an oven—no salt or oil needed—as well. And they all add so much to salads.
If you have a slice or two of nice crusty bread that needs using you can toast it and then tear it into little pieces and add it your salad for a little chew and heft.
Pickled additions:
I keep a jar of thinly sliced (red) onions covered in red wine vinegar in the fridge at all times. A few slices of these pickled onions brightens up salads and many other dish too.
I sometimes chop up some kimchi and add it to salads, especially ones that include cooked beans.
Fruity additions:
Add chopped sweet cherries, strawberries or blueberries to your green salads. If you have a little goat cheese or feta, that would be a good combo as well.
Dressing variations:
The classic vinaigrette I make is about 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar (red wine, cider, sherry), 3 tablespoons good olive oil; sea salt, freshly ground pepper and if I’m feeling fancy 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard and a little minced shallot or garlic and some minced thyme or tarragon. You’ll want to scale this up for larger salads and change the ratio to suit your taste. I don’t ever measure as you can easily adjust as you go and no two salads are every the same size. Make about triple this amount and keep it in a jar in the fridge.
Add a couple of teaspoons of heavy cream, mayonnaise (homemade or store bought) or Greek yogurt to a classic vinaigrette (above) for a slightly creamier dressing. Dress your lettuce with this, add ½ cup of toasted sunflower seeds and some thinly sliced onions for a robust salad.
Add ground cumin, lime or lemon zest and some red pepper flakes to a typical vinaigrette or the creamy version above. This is particularly good for slaws and black bean salads.
Add a couple of tablespoons of smashed avocado to your dressing. Lime or lemon juice and some minced garlic is a good combination for this variation.