rice with greens

(a super quick recipe for busy students who just got a huge volume of collard greens in their CSA)

this is what you call a studying friendly recipe: you do minimal work and let it sit.



Ingredients:
1.5 cups uncooked rice

• my favorite is a wild rice mixture, such as the kind sold at Trader Joes or the bulk goods section of fairway
• if you dont have wild rice, try a short grain brown rice. After that, any brown rice will do.
  
• Feel free to make it 1 cup rice, 1/2 cup lentils (red or brown. brown are more filling. red give it a more porridge-like homey texture).
  

4-7 cups chopped greens. Bok Choy is great, but any green will do. You can add more to taste.
soy sauce
dash of olive oil
optional- chopped onions and/or garlic. feel free to use the jarred chopped garlic.



about the proportions:

the recipe is very flexible in regards to the rice to greens ratio. The ratio you select depends on if you want an even rice to greens mixture or if you want rice with a touch of greens ( a 3:1 rice to greens ratio once cooked). Keep in mind that the greens will shrink to approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of their original size once cook.

Instructions:

• place rice and/or lentils in a large soup pot. add appropriate amount of water or vegetable stock, but be on the generous side.
  
• add the dash of olive oil.
• turn the rice on high. when it starts to boil, turn it down to a simmer
• wash and chop the greens. coarsely chopped is best
• when the water is almost entirely absorbed into the rice, place the greens on top of the rice. DO NOT STIR. cover with the lid (basically, you are allowing the greens to steam while the rice still cooks)
• when both the rice and the greens are cooked (yes, you will have to open the pot and poke the rice for a sec to figure this out), add 2-4 dashes of soy sauce to taste, and stir.

enjoy! tastes great alone, with yogurt, with almost any cheese.

Fennel with Lentils, Thyme & Chard

recipe inspired by a french dish in Moosewood Simple Suppers (a fantastic cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 1-2 bulbs fennel, finely sliced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• 1 cup chopped chard- optional. Any other green, including bok choy, could work too (can use more or less, but the raw leaves should not be more than 3/4 the volume of the fennel)
  

Directions

• boil the lentils
• in a separate frying pan, saute the garlic in the olive oil
• when the garlic is slightly golden, add in the fennel and stir
• when the fennel is slightly golden (it gets a slight shade of off white darker) add in the thyme and stir.
• mix in the chopped chard
  
• leave on stove top while stirring for 3-4 more minutes or until chard is fully wilted
  
• mix the lentils
• serve with a generous drizzle of white wine vinegar

AMAZING

Sami's Stir Fry Baby Bok Choy

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pounds baby bok choy
* 2 tablespoons peanut oil
* 1 (1/4-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
* 2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
* 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Prep:

Trim 1/4 inch from bottom of each head of bok choy. Slice bok choy crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Wash bok choy in several changes of cold water and dry in colander or salad spinner until dry to touch.

In wok or large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add ginger, scallions, and garlic and stir-fry until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Add bok choy, salt, sugar, and pepper and stir-fry 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon water, cover, and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Uncover, stir-fry 5 seconds, then cover again, turn off flame, and let steam in residual heat until just tender, about 30 seconds more. Serve immediately.

Bok Choy

... also known as chinese cabbage.

You might see it in its adult variety:

or as baby bok choy:

adult bok choy should be cooked, but baby bok choy is tender and can be eaten raw or cooked.

for adult bok choy:
* wash well, though it is rarely as sandy as other greens
* It can be lightly sauteed, or sauteed until well done like other greens
* saute with soy sauce (extra good additions include onions, garlic, and/or mushrooms)
* sauteed bok choy is excellent with sesame peanut noodles or with tofu.

for baby bok choy:
*great in salads. tasty dressings include:
** peanut sauce dressing
** a touch of teriyaki sauce
** vinaigrettes, especially fruity vinaigrettes
* here is an excellent tahini bok choy salad recipe
*can be roasted (and then served with any of the above toppings)

other suggestions?