Recipe Files

March 12th

Collard Greens and White Beans Quesadilla

Chicken, Collard Greens, and Sweet Potato Stew

Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

Quinoa and Green Bean Salad Recipe

Green Poblano Rice (Arroz Verde al Poblano)

Poblano Chile and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing

Collard Greens and White Beans Quesadilla

Whole Living, March 2011

2 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Collard Greens and Beans (recipe below)

Salsa for Topping

Toast tortillas in a large skillet until crisp, about 2 minutes per side.

Top one tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese, collard greens and beans, and another 1/4 cup cheese. Top with remaining tortilla and toast until cheese is melted, about 6 minutes, flipping once. Serve with salsa.

Stewed Collard Greens and White Beans 

12 ounces dry cannellini beans

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bunch collard greens (about 2 lbs.), stems removed and leaves cut into 3-inch-thick strips

1 3- to 4-inch piece Parmesan rind

7 cups water

Coarse salt

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Cover beans with 3 inches of water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover for 1 hour. Drain.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes until tender, about 4 minutes. Add collard greens in batches, stirring until wilted. Add beans, Parmesan rind, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans and greens are tender, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Season with salt and vinegar.

Chicken, Collard Greens, and Sweet Potato Stew

Whole Living, December 2011

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, diced

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups coarsely chopped collard greens

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Set aside.

Add onion and celery and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Deglaze with vinegar, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add sweet potatoes, collard greens, stock, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Shred chicken, add to pot, and cook until heated through. Stir in rice and season with salt and pepper.

Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad

Body+Soul, September 2006

Coarse salt

3 ears corn, husks and silk removed

1 1/2 pounds green beans, stem ends snapped off

3 cloves garlic, peeled and gently smashed

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1/2 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium yellow tomato, sliced 1/2-inch thick

2 cups of small, mixed red and green heirloom tomatoes, halved

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove corn with tongs and set aside on a cutting board to cool. Using a strainer, remove any corn silk remaining in the pot.

Add the green beans, return to a boil, and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes (timing may vary depending on the size of the beans). Meanwhile, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and put kernels in a large bowl. Drain the beans in a colander, shake to remove excess water, and put in bowl with corn. Add garlic and 3 tablespoons of oil. Toss well and let stand at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend; refrigerate if longer than 30 minutes.

If necessary, bring beans and corn to room temperature by removing them from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, remove the garlic and add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with vinegar, onion, and tomatoes. Add salt to taste and serve at room temperature.

Quinoa and Green Bean Salad Recipe

Body+Soul, July/August 2010

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup for dressing

1 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup quinoa

13/4 cups water

1 pound green beans, trimmed (cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces)

1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook, stirring, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in quinoa and cook for 1 minute. Add water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, until water is absorbed, about 16 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes; fluff with fork. Cool completely, about 25 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and beans, cooking until bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Combine quinoa, green beans, and parsley. Dress with 1/4 cup olive oil, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

Green Poblano Rice (Arroz Verde al Poblano)

Epicurious  | October 1996   by Rick Bayless, Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen

1 2/3 cups chicken broth or water

2 fresh poblano chiles, stems and seeds removed, and roughly chopped

12 sprigs cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon if using salted broth, 1 teaspoon if using unsalted or water

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 cup rice, preferably medium grain

1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

The flavoring: In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the broth and chiles, bring to a boil, then partially cover and simmer gently over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until the chiles are very soft. Pour the chile mixture into a food processor, add the cilantro (stems and all), and process to a smooth puree. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl and stir in the salt.

The rice: Wipe the pan clean, add the oil and heat over medium. Add the rice and onion, and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is chalky looking and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer.

Add the warm (or reheated) chile liquid to the hot rice pan, stir once, scrape down any rice kernels clinging to the side of the pan, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Uncover and check a grain of rice: It should be nearly cooked through. If the rice is just about ready, turn off the heat, re-cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes longer to complete the cooking. If the rice seems far from done, continue cooking for 5 minutes or so, retest, then turn off the heat and let stand a few minutes longer. Fluff with a fork, scoop into a warm serving dish, decorate with cilantro sprigs and it’s ready to serve.

Advance preparation: The rice can be made several days ahead; turn out the fluffed rice onto a baking sheet to cool, transfer to a storage container, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat the rice in a steamer basket set over boiling water.

Variations and improvisations: An obvious variation is to use 3 or 4 long green (Anaheim) chiles, or to mix poblanos and long greens with hotter chiles like jalapeño, manzano or habanero. Grilled corn cut from 1 cob or 1 large grilled zucchini (cubed) are tasty vegetable add-ins. About 1 cup coarsely shredded roast (or barbecued) pork or smoked salmon, mixed in toward the end of cooking, will make green rice a full meal.

Poblano Chile and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing

Gourmet  | November 2000

1 1/2 lb fresh poblano chiles (8 to 10)

3 cups chopped white onion

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican), crumbled

1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) plus 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

2 (8-oz) packages dry corn bread stuffing

3/4 cup (hulled) green pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Lay chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners and turn flames on moderately high. (Or arrange chiles on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat.) Roast chiles, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened, 5 to 8 minutes.

Transfer to a bowl, then cover and let steam 10 minutes. Peel chiles and discard seeds, ribs, and stems, then coarsely chop.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cook chiles, onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and oregano in 1 1/4 sticks butter in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until onion is slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream and simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and toss with corn bread crumbs.

Toast pumpkin seeds in cleaned skillet over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until puffed, 5 to 8 minutes (seeds will pop as they puff). Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and salt to taste. Add to corn bread mixture with cilantro and drizzle with broth, tossing to combine. (Use 1 1/2 cups broth if you like a moist stuffing, 1 cup if you prefer it drier.)

Transfer stuffing to a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in middle of oven 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until top is crisp and stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes more.

 ABOUT POBLANO PEPPERS

The poblano is a mild chili pepper originating in the State of Puebla, Mexico. Dried, it is called a chile ancho (“wide chile”). The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano. While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably, they can have significant heat. Different peppers from the same plant have been reported to vary substantially in heat intensity. Poblanos grow in zones 10-12 and do best with a soil ph between 7.0 - 8.5. Poblanos typically prefer full sunlight and may require additional support for the growing fruits during harvest in late summer.  A poblano takes around 200 days from seed to harvest and requires soil temperatures of at least 64 degrees F to germinate.[citation needed]

Preparation methods include: dried, coated in whipped egg (capeado) and fried, stuffed, or in mole sauces. It is particularly popular during the Mexican independence festivities as part of a dish called chiles en nogada, which incorporates green, white and red ingredients corresponding to the colors of the Mexican flag. This may be considered one of Mexico’s most symbolic dishes by its nationals. It is also usually used in the widely found dish chile relleno.