Collards or Kale with Tahini

I've never been a big fan of kale unless it was hidden in a soup, but this is a simple recipe that I tried recently for book club, and everyone seemed to love it! A great way to eat a vegetable that is really good for you, and which we have tons of locally grown in Alaska. I got this from the cookbook "How to Cook Everything", by Mark Bittman (which, incidentally, is a GREAT resource for everyday cooking).

2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 lb collards or kale, well washed and roughly chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
3 tbs tahini
salt or freeshly ground black pepper
2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice (I think I may have forgotten this when I made it)

Put the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot with a lid over medium heat. When hot, add the garlic and cook until golden but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the collards or kale, stock, tahini, and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the greens are wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook at a low bubble, stirring frequently, until the collards/kale are very tender, at least 5 minutes more. Add more stock if the pot looks dry; you want some sauce, but not soup. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, garnished with tomato if you like.

Variation 1: Substitute peanut butter for the tahini. Add 1 tbs minced fresh ginger with the greens if you like and substitute lime juice for the lemon.

Variation 2: Add or substitute 1/2 cup yogurt for the tahini, but add it with the lemon juice. Garnish with fresh dill or mint.

I'm interested to try the peanut butter variation!

A Little Nudge Never Hurt

I've been making my own yogurt for a couple of months now. Margaret was right. It gets easier and tastes better with every try. A little nudge was what I needed and now I make it about once a week. I've been having it for breakfast with fresh blueberries and a little sugar mixed in. Or with the granola I posted, or with some jam mixed in. You get the picture.

I've also been using it to make these blueberry muffins (thank you Allen) and this banana bread. (If you're not a huge fan of ginger substitute with 1 tsp cinnamon and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts for more traditional banana bread.)

Blueberry Press

Over the years I've come to accept that I can’t do hard alcohol. I think I put forth a valiant effort but whether it’s shots, or fruity mixed drinks that taste like sweet tarts, I just can’t do it. The only hard alcohol I can handle is whatever is in Stacy’s family Recipe Bucket and, unless you are a Schmitz, you are not getting your hands on that recipe. Period. Anyway, no hard alcohol for me.

Enter the Blueberry Press Stacy made after blueberry picking this weekend. As with most yummy mixed drinks, my taste buds said, “Yes!” and then my stomach immediately screamed, “No Way! No Freek’n Way!”

So this post is for those of you who enjoy a yummy mixed drink. Perfect to be savored while you pick through then freeze, can, or bake with the blueberries you picked that day. Me, I think I’ll stick with a cool beer while I do the above.

Enjoy.

Blueberry Press
1.5 oz Blueberry Vodka
1 part club soda
1 part sprite (optional)
Fill a glass with ice. Add vodka, soda, and sprite (if using). Garnish with fresh blueberries.