As I mentioned in my last blog we are doing a kitchen remodel. Who knew an ultra-running pharmacist was also so fantastically handy? Rob has been busy taking down walls, removing tile and cabinets, drywalling, and is getting ready to lay some new tile. I love that he continues to surprise and inspire me and I am incredibly grateful for the hard work he is throwing at my favorite room in the house. That being said I am about to be without my range for a few weeks! In honor of that I have been making meals in the oven all week – pot pie, enchiladas, baked cauliflower & cheese with a nutritional yeast sauce, and an insanely delicious garlic tart from Yotam Ottolenghi. Seriously this man is a flavor god! Check out the cookbook Plenty, it changed my life. I will work on posting these recipes at some point but with a busy week there were no photos to share.
Are collards the new kale? That is my prediction, they may not be as sexy but they are delicious! Greens of all kinds play a big role in our house so collard wraps were my Friday night special. They fueled an early hike and ski the next morning. This winter has been so slim the 5 inches the Peaks have received is cause for celebration! I filled these wraps with a delicious hash mixed with black beans and raisins, and baked them in the oven. These rolls are not complicated, but it is not a quick meal to get on the table – about an hour including baking time. You could make the filling up to a few days beforehand and this would speed things up. The extra filling made a wonderful second meal with a fried egg on top. I served these delicious little rolls the first time with my favorite pilaf- get this its baked in the oven!
Collard Wraps
- 4-5 small waxy potatoes – cut into a small dice
- 1 medium sweet potato – cut into a small dice
- 1 medium shallot minced (or about 1/4 cup chopped onion)
- 2 roasted green chilis minced – Here in AZ in the fall stands appear with Hatch green chilis that they roast in a huge drum right in front of you and hand over warm. I freeze these to use all winter long
- 1 heaping teaspoon each of smoked paprika, cinnamon, ginger, & cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke
- 1 can black beans
- 1/2 cup raisins
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 bunches of collard greens with the largest leaves you can find ( one bunch of very large)
- Hot sauce and lime wedges to serve if desired
- Preheat oven to 350
- Steam or boil potatoes and sweet potato until just tender
Remove stems from collard greens- Heat oil in a large skillet and cook shallot shallot and chilis until soft and fragrant
- Add spices along with salt and pepper to taste and cook for 1-2 minutes until very fragrant
- Add potatoes and fry until brown – halfway through cooking add liquid smoke
- Using a bowl (or the frypan if you chose a more appropriate sized pan than I did) gently mix in black beans, raisins and lime and adjust seasoning
- Lightly oil the bottom of a casserole dish
- Stack two leaves on a work surface – overlapping to cover up gap from the stems
- Spoon filling in the center of the bottom third of the leaves
- Roll up like a burrito – fold up the bottom to cover filling, then fold in sides and roll tightly
- Place in casserole dish with the seam side down
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes
Multigrain Pilaf – adapted from a recipe in Peter Berley’s The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cups minced shallots
- 1/2 cup millet
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 3 cups broth
- coarse salt to taste – I use about a teaspoon
- Preheat oven to 350
- Heat oil in an ovenproof saucepan
- Saute shallots a few minutes until soft
Add grains and cook until toasted and fragrant about 5 minutes stirring frequently- Add broth and salt and bring to a boil
- Add lid and put in oven
- Cook covered for about 30 minutes, fluff before serving
feeding the frenzy 