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.

sesame purple cabbage

cross posted to two heads of lettuce
a great quick and easy dish that serves many people

1/3 cup raw sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 head purple cabbage chopped
3 tbsp teriyaki or soy sauce
2 pinches brown or white sugar- only if using soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh or ground ginger- optional
1 pkg defrosted frozen spinach- optional

the key is toasting the sesame seeds properly. Have your cabbage washed and chopped and on hand.

In a chicken fryer or in a large pot place the oil and the sesame seeds. Turn the flame on medium to low. stir the sesame seedsconstantly till they SLIGHTLY turn beige. the difference between burnt sesame and toasted sesame is very slight- so better err on the side of underdone. Basically, as soon as you hear about 2 seeds pop IMMEDIATELY add the cabbage and stir. add the rest of the ingredients. stir till cabbage is soft but not mushy/limp.

enjoy hot, room temperature or cold.

tastes great on top of quinoa