Stir-Fry with Cellophane Noodles

Back in the '70s, when woks were taking North America by storm, my parents bought a hand-beaten tempered steel one in Chinatown (possibly in Toronto, but maybe in Montreal - memories are unclear). It came in a burlap bag with a split bamboo scrubber and a metal spatula.

Last time I visited my mother, I found it hanging in her basement, still in the original burlap bag. She had used it a regularly for a while, but when it didn't fit on her new stove it got relegated to the basement. I put it in my suitcase and brought it back to LA.

It works great on my gas stove, and has made my leftover-rice dinners exceptionally easy to cook.

Recently I found organic cellophane noodles at my local Chinese pharmacy. They are grown by a company in Taiwan called Long Kow Bio Garden, and are certified organic by the USDA and CERES - the European organic certification body - so I feel pretty confident they are not grown in toxic soil.

Cellophane noodles are made from beans, not grains, so they make a nice change from pasta or rice. Plus they cook very easily - just a soak in hot water will do.

I made stir-fried greens and noodles for dinner on Oscar night. The greens were broccoli, collards and the greens from a daikon radish. Bok choy, chinese cabbage, snow peas, mung bean sprouts or other greens would be fine substitutes. Also, if you have spring onions, substitute a bunch for the chopped onion.

Stir-Fry with Cellophane Noodles
2 cups broccoli florets
6 oz package cellophane noodles
2 tsp organic canola oil
2 tbsp chopped onion
6 leaves collard greens, sliced thin
6 leaves daikon greens, sliced thin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp grated ginger root
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup peas
2 tbsp tamari
1/4 cup peanuts, lightly toasted

Heat an inch of water in the wok (or skillet) and cook the broccoli, covered, until tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Separately, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Set aside.

Heat the wok (or skillet) and add the oil. Add onion, collards, daikon greens and salt. Stir over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until the greens are limp.

Add broccoli, tamari and peas. Stir until warmed through. Then add the cellophane noodles and the peanuts. Toss to mix well, and serve.

Serves 3-4

Spicy Collard Greens

Larry gave me a fun cookbook for Christmas - Leon: Fast Vegetarian by Jane Baxter and Henry Dimbleby.

The focus is on simple but delicious vegetarian cooking. We have varying definitions on fast, but it's definitely approachable food, not fussy cooking.

I delved in and found a recipe for collard greens that I served with the black-eyed peas on New Year's Day.

Collards are one of Larry's favorite greens, and he particularly enjoyed them cooked with chili and turmeric. They were a great addition to a meal of black-eyed peas and cornbread.

Spicy Collard Greens
1 bunch (about 1 lb) collard greens
1 heaping tbsp dried (unsweetened) coconut
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 dried chile, crushed
3/4 inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 clove of garlic, crushed
squeeze of lime juice

Wash the collards and cut off the thick stem at the bottom. Roll them tightly like cigars and shred them finely across.

Combine the coconut with 1 tbsp of boiling water, the turmeric and chili powder. Stir well.

Warm the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the cumin and mustard seeds, chile, ginger and garlic. Cook another 2 minutes.

Add the collards and sprinkle with a little salt. Stir well, then turn up the heat and stir vigorously. Let cook, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes, until the greens are wilted. If they stick to the pan, add a little water.

Stir in the coconut mixture and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Serves 4

Any leftovers can be stirred into cooked rice or reheated alone as a side dish.

Spicy Greens

The other day I picked collard greens and the first jalapeño of the year from our garden, and combined them with the leaves of young beets and turnips from the Hollywood Farmers Market for a nutritious and yummy side dish.

Cooking greens breaks down some of the fiber in their cell walls so we can more easily absorb the bone-boosting nutrients. I suppose chewing would do the same thing, but who wants to chew as much as a cow or a rabbit? Twenty times seems to be my max, even though the theory is we should chew each mouthful 30 times minimum.

So I eat cooked greens a few times a week to give my bones the nutrients they need in a form that is easy for my body to absorb.

Here's what I did the other night:

Spicy Greens
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
8 cups greens, washed and torn in bite-sized pieces

In a large pot, combine 1 1/2 cups water, the jalapeño, garlic and olive oil. Bring to a boil, add the greens, stir well. Cover the pot and cook the greens until they are tender, usually about 7-8 minutes, depending on your greens. Lift the greens out with a slotted spoon if necessary. Any liquid left in the pan can be added to soup or the chef can drink it as an extra yummy boost of nutrition.

Serves 2-3

Simple Casserole of Greens

With some fresh greens in the fridge, an easy and delicious meal is not far away.

Yesterday I picked some collard greens from our garden and combined them with the greens from a bunch of beets and some cooked brown rice to make a simple nutritious dinner.

I sautéed some onion and garlic in a little olive oil, then added the washed and chopped greens. I covered the pan and let the greens steam/sauté until they were wilted, stirring a few times so they didn't stick to the pan (although a little browning is no bad thing).

Brown rice bubbled away in the rice cooker, and when it was cooked I stirred in the greens and an egg. I put it all in a casserole dish, grated a little cheese on top, and baked it in the toaster oven at 350° for about 20 minutes. The egg helps the rice and greens hold together so it's more of a casserole. The cheese adds a little flavor and makes it all smell great while cooking.

It was a simple supper on a cool spring evening.

Greens and Beans

The other night I harvested some collard greens from the garden and combined them with other greens and some white beans for a simple, nutritious dinner.

I used a combination of collards, spinach, and some radish leaves. Arugula would have been nice to add, or a little dandelion for some bite. Whatever greens are around can go in the pot.

I started by sautéing a slivered red onion (for color) and a chopped clove of garlic in a little olive oil. I washed and chopped the greens, adding them to the pot as I went, sprinkling with salt and pepper after each addition and stirring well, then covering the pot to keep the steam and nutrients in. I also added about a cup of white lima beans I had previously cooked. (You could use a can of white cannellini beans instead.) Any bean would do, but I like the contrast of white and green.

When everything was warmed through and the greens were soft and tender, I tasted it and added a little balsamic vinegar.

This meal combines protein, antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, minerals - and best of all it tastes good.

Collard Greens

I forgot to take a photo until after we had
started eating.

I harvested the first collard greens from our garden the other day, and cooked them up with a little garlic for a tasty side dish with roasted root vegetables and an unusual amaranth casserole.

I'm growing collard greens because they're Larry's favorite greens, however their health benefits make them a great addition to anyone's diet. They both lower cholesterol and prevent against cancer. Rush out and buy some today.

Traditionally collards are cooked for hours with bacon, but a short cook in garlicky olive oil makes tender greens that are healthy and flavorful. Give them a try.

Collard Greens with Garlic
1 bunch collard greens
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

Wash the greens. Cut off the thick tough stems. Stack the leaves and roll them like a cigar, then slice across in 1/2 to 3/4 inch ribbons.

Warm the olive oil over medium heat. Peel and chop the garlic and toss it in. Cook until golden, then add the greens. Toss to coat with the oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes until the greens are tender but still hold their shape.

Serve immediately, or turn off the heat and let them sit, covered, for up to 15 minutes until you're ready for them.

Serves 2-3

Steamed Collard Greens

Collards are our favorite greens.

And steaming them might be our new favorite way of cooking them. It brings out their sweetness, yet keeps their texture.

Just wash the leaves and remove the toughest stems.

Put a steamer in a pot with some water, bring to a boil, add the leaves, cover and steam for about 5 minutes, until they are the consistency you like.

Chop the leaves before serving if you like.

Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

Healthy vegetarian cooking can be simple and delicious. This stew, which we ate last night, has very little fat, lots of protein and fiber, and a yummy taste that had us going back for more.

It's a stew to serve over brown rice, or a very chunky soup, which is how we ate it. The sweet potatoes keep their shape, but become very soft so are easily broken up with a spoon. The chiles make it warming to the mouth, and the beans add essential protein and fiber.

I used one orange sweet potato and two purple-skinned sweet potatoes with white flesh because that's what I had in the cupboard. The white-fleshed ones are less sweet, which let the chiles shine through. However, using all orange ones would add a little extra sweetness which might be nice.

I used small heirloom pinquito beans which cook quickly and are great on a soup spoon. I've also made this stew with lima beans or black-eyed peas. Use whatever bean you feel like eating.

I used 1 1/2 cups light vegetable stock and 1 1/2 cups water. All water would be fine, just add extra salt at the end for seasoning. I picked a red serrano pepper from the garden and plucked a red anaheim pepper from the freezer to season the dish. A jalapeño and red pepper would work well too. Use what you have.

I went out to the garden to pick the couple of handfuls of collard greens I added at the end. My plants are still young so the leaves were small. If you have regular-sized greens, use about 6 leaves.

Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
1 cup pinquito beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups water or stock
1 1/4 lbs sweet potatoes
14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
1 tsp grated ginger root
2 handfuls of collard greens

Cook the beans in plenty of boiling water until tender, 1-2 hours.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic and anaheim pepper and sauté, covered, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks.

Combine all the ingredients except the collard greens in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

Steam the collard greens 5 minutes until tender. Chop them in bite-sized pieces and add to the slow cooker. Stir and serve.

Serves 4

Gentle Collards

The other night I tried a new recipe for spicy tofu. It was marinaded in sambal oelek, a very spicy chili sauce. I was concerned it might be too hot to be pleasant, so I put some brown rice on to cook, and turned to collard greens to add the sweetness to balance the spicy tofu.

The tofu recipe needs a little tweaking - very spicy! - but the collard greens were the perfect gentle dish to calm the mouth between bites of tofu.

Collard Greens
1 bunch collard greens
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large red onion

Cut the large stems from the collards (they are edible but take a little longer to cook and take away from the gentleness of this dish).

Wash the leaves, then stack them and cut lengthwise 3 times and then across every couple of inches. Don't dry the leaves.

Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Dice the red onion, and sauté until tender. Stir in the chopped collards, making sure they get coated in oil. Cover the pot and let the collards cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes until they are soft. They won't sog down into a mass like spinach, but will retain their shape during cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 2 as a side dish.

Preparing for the holidays

Most people prepare for Thanksgiving by brining turkey or making pies.

This year, I prepared by making Green Soup.

Holiday food is higher in fat and sugar than our regular daily fare, but it wouldn't be a holiday without butter and whipped cream and dessert. So Green Soup is our preventative medicine. We ate it last night, we'll eat it again next weekend, and I froze some to eat over the Christmas holiday too - in between the feasting.

Green Soup is a nutrition powerhouse - loads of liver support, blood support, bone support - you name it. Just what a body needs to feel strong enough to withstand the food assault of the holiday season.

After we ate the Green Soup last night, Larry thanked me for making it. It's not his favorite food - one bowl is enough - but he can feel the goodness while he's eating it.

The first time you serve Green Soup to your family, serve it in small bowls before the main course. And use greens you know your family likes, like chard or spinach or collard greens. A combination is nice. And of course, dandelion greens and nettles add to the mineral load, so add them if you think your family will handle it.

This is the recipe I made yesterday. It's unlikely you'll be lucky enough to have the diversity of greens I did, so use what you have. Use mild greens like collards and spinach to tone down the spicier mustard and turnip greens. (See my recipe for Radish Green Soup for another version.)

This recipe makes a large pot - make a half recipe the first time.

Looks like green goop. Tastes delicious. And your body will thank you for it.

Green Soup
3/4 lb potatoes

1 bunch turnip greens

1 bunch mustard greens

1 bunch collard greens

1 bunch nettles

1/2 large onion (1 cup diced)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bulb fennel
1 clove garlic
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup water


Peel and dice the potatoes. Boil in salted water until tender. Drain.

Gently rinse the nettles in cold water. Be careful touching them because they can sting. Remove the toughest stems, then cook them in a little water until they are very soft. Purée them with extra water if necessary - they make a wonderfully vibrant green liquid - and set aside.

Wash the other greens well. Chop them (including the stems), and set to one side.

Sauté the onion in olive oil until tender. Cut the stems off the fennel. Quarter the bulb and remove the core. Dice the remaining bulb and add it to the pot along with the chopped garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is soft.

Add the stock and water. Add handfuls of greens, stirring them and sprinkling with a little salt. When all the greens are in, cover the pot and let them simmer until they are very soft.

Let cool a little. Stir in the potatoes, then purée in batches in a blender or food processor. Make sure it's really smooth. Add extra water if necessary to make it soupy.

Return to a clean pot, reheat gently, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

A little lime juice or lemon juice or apple cider vinegar added at the end will brighten the flavor. Or serve lemon wedges on the side.

Makes 8-10 cups of soup.

Brazilian collards

Collard greens are a great way to get the health benefits of brassicas without eating cabbage. Not that there's anything wrong with cabbage, or broccoli for that matter, but it's nice to have a simple green that cooks quickly and is full of good nutrition.

Collards are exceptional anti-cancer greens. They are full of anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatories, and sulfur-containing nutrients that help the body ward off cancerous changes in the breast, prostate, bladder, colon and more.

I read in Maria Baez Kijac's fascinating book, The South American Table, that collard greens are the traditional side dish to serve with feijoada, the Brazilian black bean and meat dish. I used the same simple technique on New Year's Day, and served the collards with hoppin' john — black-eyed peas and brown rice. An excellent combination.

If you find collards at the market, pick them up and try this simple recipe. If you don't like soft mushy greens, it will be a revelation.

Collard Greens
1 bunch collard greens
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Wash the greens and cut out the heavy stems. I do this by placing the leaf flat on a board and cutting down each side of the stem with a long knife. I then cut the leaf through at the top to make two half-leaves. I threw the stems in the compost. Although they can be cooked and eaten, this dish is best with just the leaves. Roll a few half-leaves into a cigar shape, and cut them across in fine slices. You will get thin ribbons of greens.

When you are ready to eat, warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Using the flat side of your  knife, mash the garlic on your cutting board with the salt and pepper. Stir it into the warm oil, then add the collards and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes until the greens are done to your liking. They will retain their shape, and are best with a slight crispness. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Serves 2-4

Welcoming the New Year

Even though I've never lived in the south, I've adopted the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. I use a recipe from Diana Shaw's book, Vegetarian Entertaining, which combines the peas with brown rice and smoked cheese for a protein-rich comfort food dish that helped ease us into 2013.

(I'm sure true Southerners would blanch at calling this decidedly untraditional dish hoppin' john.)

I used dried black eyed peas that I buy at the Hollywood Farmers Market. I find they cook in about the same time as the brown rice so I don't pre-soak them. If your beans are older, soak them overnight or for a few hours in cold water, then drain them before adding them to the pot. I suppose you could use canned beans, stirring them in at the end to cook through, but I'm not sure the flavor would be as good.

The color comes from a roasted red pepper. Since pepper season is finished here in southern California, I pulled a roasted pepper from my freezer. Each fall when organic peppers are overflowing at the Tutti Frutti stand, I buy dozens to roast and freeze. (Click here for my post on roasting peppers.) They defrost well for any cooked dish, and have that great roasted flavor.

For the liquid I used one cup of my roasted vegetable stock and 3 cups water.

The final touch is the smokiness of the cheese stirred in at the end. Diana calls for smoked mozzarella, but I prefer smoked firehouse Mike cheddar from the jersey cows at Spring Hill Organic Farm (sold at the Hollywood Farmers' Market). It adds a little kick along with the smoke.

With this gooey, soft dish (which Larry says is very hard to photograph attractively), I served Brazilian-style collard greens and an Indian flatbread. Later we sat by the fire with port and stilton, and felt very well-fed by vegetarian dishes from around the world.

Hoppin' John
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 large red pepper, roasted, seeded and chopped
1 cup black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
1 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed
4 cups water or vegetable stock
1/3 cup minced parsley
3/4 cup diced smoked cheese

In a large pan, sauté the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in the red pepper, black-eyed peas, rice and water or stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat until the beans and rice and cooked through, 45-60 minutes. Add liquid if needed. If the beans and rice are cooked and too much liquid remains, remove the lid and cook until it evaporates.

(It can sit off the heat now until you're ready to eat. Reheat gently before stirring in the cheese.)

Stir in the parsley and cheese. Serves 6.

Reheats well and makes great leftovers.

Collard Greens

There are many excellent greens, so this is a hard statement to make, but collard greens might be my favorites.

They combine the nutritional qualities of cabbage (anti-cancer, good estrogen pathways, excellent for colons) with the ease of preparation of all leafy greens.

And they have a wonderful texture when cooked. They hold their shape yet become soft, unlike spinach and chard and mustard greens which dissolve into green mush.

Larry likes collards because they are sweeter than other greens. (It's subtle, but give it a try and see what you think.)

We grew collard greens in our winter garden, but I let them flower because white-crowned sparrows enjoy nibbling their yellow flowers, and I wanted the sparrows occupied so they would not nibble my alyssum and other flowers. It was a partially successful experiment.

So I buy our collard greens at the Hollywood Farmers Market. This is the simple way I cooked collard greens the other night. I served them with leftover rice and zucchini. It was a filling and healthy meal.

Collard Greens
1 bunch collards (3/4 lb)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp water
salt and pepper

Wash the collard greens and tear out and discard any woody stems.

Cut the leaves in this way: stack a few leaves, roll them into long cylinders, then cut crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Sauté the garlic 30 seconds until lightly browned. Add the collard greens, stirring constantly. If there are too many for your pan, cover the lid and let them cook down a little before adding more. Pour the water over top, cover, and cook 2 more minutes. They will be tender but will still hold their shape.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

Collard Greens

Larry says collards are his favorite greens.

I think it's because they are soft and not as bitter as some other greens. Sautéed with a little garlic, they are a satisfying side dish.

We bought especially young and tender collard greens at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday. I served them with leftover chili and cheese-y toast.

Cooked this way, the greens keep some of their shape and texture. You could use this same technique with any other tender green.

Collard Greens
1 bunch collard greens (about 3/4 lb)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic

Wash the greens and cut off the very thick or woody stems. Roll a few leaves at a time like a cigar and slice them across in 1/4 inch strips (chiffonade).

Warm the olive oil over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the garlic, add it to the oil, and cook 30 seconds until lightly golden. Stir in the sliced collard greens, sprinkle with a little salt and a couple of tablespoons of water. Stir and cover. Let it cook for about 2 minutes.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 2-3

Happy New Year!

I read somewhere that it's good luck to eat black-eyed peas on January 1st.

A New Year's tradition requiring beans - count me in.

Black-eyed peas cook quickly. I put them in water to soak in the morning, and then cooked them for 45 minutes at dinner time. I served them with brown rice for a vegetarian version of Hoppin' John (Mike's Firehouse Smoked Cheddar from Spring Hill Dairy provided the bacon-y flavor).

Side dishes were corn bread and collard greens. And what collard greens they were. Usually I serve them with peanut sauce, but last night I decided to riff off their cabbage-y connection and serve them with mustard sauce. Lip-smacking good.

The greens are cooked to break down the cell walls and make the nutrients more available to the body. Then they're turned in fat which helps the body absorb more of the antioxidants. So while butter and cream might not sound like health food, they actually help the body get maximum nutrition from the greens. And boy, do they make the greens go down easy. (As always, make sure you use organic dairy products.)

Collards in Mustard Sauce
1 bunch collards
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tbsp mustard

Wash the leaves and strip the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems in 3/4" lengths. Tear the leaves in halves or quarters.

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Throw in the stems and 1 tsp salt. Cook 3 minutes. Add the leaves and cook another 3-5 minutes until they're tender. Drain well and squeeze out the excess water.

Put the cooked greens on a chopping board and roughly chop them with a big knife.

Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped greens and toss to coat with the butter, separating the clumps of leaves as best as possible. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk together the cream and mustard. Pour over the greens, stir it in, and cook 3-4 minutes until the collards absorb most of the sauce.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2.