COLLARD GREENS AND RICE (a 2-3 banana difficulty level)

An interesting thing happens in your garden after the hottest summer ever in Texas.  After Winter passes and temperatures start to warm back up, things start growing in your garden that haven't been recently planted.  Hopefully notes were kept or the plants are recognized.  I started getting some Cauliflower & Broccoli, but I had 1 plant that had similar leaves to Cauliflower, but NO Cauliflower.  I was a bit perplexed until I looked back at my planting notes (yes, I make planting notes...) and discovered it was Collard Greens!  I've never cooked Collard Greens.  Heck, I don't think I've ever eaten Collard Greens.

So, 'this monkey' needed some guidance and "The Joy of Cooking" is a great place to start.

Today, 'this monkey' will show you how to make "Collard Greens & Rice!"

WHAT YOU NEED:
1 Bunch (about 12-16 oz) of Collard Greens (see recipe for prep work)
1 Bunch of Scallions - Chopped
4 Garlic Cloves - Minced
3-4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 1/4 c Medium Grain Brown Rice
4 c Chicken Stock
4 T Fresh Fennel - Minced

Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Hot Sauce (Sriracha) to taste

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
6 Quart Pot
2 Quart Pot
Large Spoon

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Prepare the Collard Greens by washing & patting dry the Greens as well as stemming them & chopping them (see photos)

To remove the coarse stem make 1 slice along a side

and then make another slice along the other side.  Discard the stem and keep the leaf portions

2.  Take 4-5 Leaves and roll them up like a cigar, then chop the leaves

Set aside for now

3.  Heat the Olive Oil over Medium High heat in the Large Pot
4.  Add the Chopped Scallion & Saute for 5 min, then reduce heat to Medium & add the Garlic.  Saute for 3 min.

5.  In the smaller pot, bring the Chicken Broth to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low to keep very hot. 
6.  Add the Collard Greens to the Onions & Garlic; cover, cook, & occasionally stir for 10 minutes

Collard Green just added

Cooked down for 5 min

Cooked down for the 10 minutes

7.  Add the Brown Rice & stir until well coated.  Cook for 3-5 min until the Rice starts to become opaque.

8.  Now add the Very Hot Chicken Broth, Chopped Fennel, Salt & Pepper.  Bring this to a Boil, then Reduce to Low heat & Simmer covered for 15 min.

9.  Remove from heat, Place a towel under the lid to absorb moisture, & let rest for 10 min

 10.  Stir to fluff up the Rice

11.  Serve as is or maybe mix in some Hot sauce and/or sauteed Red Peppers and Walnuts!

And there you have it, Collard Greens & Rice.  Honestly, I think the prep work to stem and cut the Collard Greens is the hardest part.

Enjoy and until next time,
Your favorite neighbor web Monkey!

SAUTEED PURPLE CABBAGE WITH GARLIC & WALNUTS (a 2 banana difficulty level)

I "discovered" the deliciousness of sauteing Purple Cabbage by accident.  I was making a soup that called for sauteing Purple Cabbage in butter.  As I was stirring, a small piece landed on the stove top.  I gave it a taste & it was pretty darned good.  So, 'this monkey' saw the opportunity as well as the simplicity of this side dish and made it again.

The purple color of this vegetable really stands out as a topping or as a side.  There is really quite a bit of flexibility with this.  I decided to top a Baked Sweet Potato with it.

Today, 'this monkey' will show you how to make "Sauteed Purple Cabbage with Garlic & Walnuts."

Let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
3-4 Garlic Cloves - minced
1 T Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 c Walnuts - Chopped
1 T Butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Head of Purple Cabbage - Cored & Coarsely Chopped

Kosher Salt to taste

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Skillet - around 10"
Chef's Knife
Cutting Board
Spatula/Spoon

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Heat 1 T Butter over Medium Heat.
2.  Saute the Minced Garlic for 3-5 min (sprinkle lightly with Salt if desired)

3.  After the Garlic is Sauteed, increase heat to Medium High & add 1 T Butter.
4.  After the Butter is melted, add the Chopped Walnuts (& a sprinkle of Salt if desired) & saute another 1-2 minutes.

5.  Add the Chopped Cabbage & saute 10-12 minutes (or until tender).  Stirring occasionally.  Another small sprinkle of salt can be included here.

Put that Monkey to work!

6.  Serve as a side...

7.  Or as a topping...

Baked Sweet Potato with Sauteed Purple Cabbage, Walnut & Avocado

Be sure to be creative with this Sauteed Purple Cabbage.  Try Pecans instead of the Walnuts.  How about sauteing it with some pancetta or a piece of chopped bacon or thinly sliced sausage, or maybe tofu...

I dare you to try this dish, you just might like it!

Until next time, your favorite neighbor-web monkey!

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP (a 3 banana difficulty level)

Recently, I saw a recipe for a Roasted Vegetable Soup and I thought, 'Hey, I like soup.  I like roasted vegetables.  What a great combo!  Let's see what I can do with this!' 

It did pretty well, but I had one thing off a bit.  I thought Brussels Sprouts would go quite nicely in this soup, but they just didn't quite fit right.  They weren't bad in the soup, just not as good as I had hoped.  For as good as Roasted Brussels Sprouts are (http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/04/balsamic-roasted-brussels-sprouts-with.html ) in other recipes, it's just a shame to use them when they don't reach their full potential of goodness.  Soooo....please ignore the Brussels Sprouts in some of the photos and let's get started!

But first, keep in mind that if you like to use Dried Beans, then you'll want to brine them overnight (at least 8 hours.)  Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you.  That's what happens when you make vegetable soup!

WHAT YOU NEED:

(The Soup Vegetables, etc)
1 c Dried Cannellini Beans - Rinsed & Picked Over
2 T Kosher Salt
2 T Unsalted Butter

1/2 of a Red Onion - Finely Chopped

4 Celery Stalks - Chopped in 1/4 inch pieces

2-3 Carrots - Finely Slices (with a Vegetable Peeler)

5 Garlic Cloves - Minced

1 Sprig Fennel

4 c Vegetable/Chicken Broth

1.5 c Water

1-2 Pieces of Parmesan Cheese Rind

6-8 Scallions - Chopped

1 c Mushrooms - Sliced

2 T Kosher Salt

1.5 c V8 Juice (Spicy)

Lime Wedges (optional)

Avocado - Sliced (optional)

Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional)

Shredded Cheese - Stella Fontinella (optional)

(The Roasting Vegetables, etc)

1/2 Head Red Cabbage - cut in 1/2 inch pieces

2 Zucchini Squash - in 1/2 inch Slices
2 Yellow Squash - in 1/2 inch Slices
Garlic Cloves from 1 head of Garlic (about 10-15) - Peeled
1/2 of a Red Onion - cut in 1/2 inch pieces
3-4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt to taste
2-3 Sprigs of Rosemary

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:

6 Quart Pot

Roasting Pan (or Rimmed Cookie Sheet)

Chef's Knife

Cutting Board

Large Bowl

WHAT YOU DO:
(for the soup)
1.  Dissolve 2 T of Salt in 2 Quarts of cold Water in the Large Pot.  Add the Beans & Soak overnight.  Drain & Rinse well. 
2.  Melt the Butter over Medium High & Saute the Celery, Chopped Onion, & Carrots for 10-15 min (or until softened)



Pre Saute



Post Saute



3.  Add the Minced Garlic & Saute for about 2 minutes more

4.  Remove from Pot, Cover & set aside

**Pre Heat the Oven to 350 deg**

5.  Add Beans into the now empty Pot along with the Vegetable Broth & 1.5 c Water, Parmesan Cheese Rinds, & Fennel Sprig.  Bring to a Simmer over Medium High Heat, Then reduce Heat to Low, keep covered & Simmer 45 min or until the Beans are soft.

(after the soup is started, now it is time to commence roasting of the vegetables)
6.  In the Large Bowl, add Zucchini Squash then Drizzle with the Olive Oil & Sprinkle with Kosher Salt;  next add the Yellow Squash to the Zucchini, Drizzle with Olive Oil & Sprinkle with Salt; Repeat this sequence for the remaining of Vegetables to be Roasted (Garlic, Onion, Cabbage)

7.  Add the Salted & Oiled Vegetables along with the Rosemary Sprigs to the Roasting Pan & roast in the Oven for 20-30 minutes.  (A quick drizzle of Oil & Sprinkle of Salt can be added here)

Pre Roasted Vegetables

Post Roasted Vegetables

(Now it's time to introduce the Roasted Vegetables & the Soup)

8.  After the Beans (step 5) are soft, Remove & Discard the Rinds & Fennel Sprig.  Add the Mushrooms, V8 juice, the Sauteed Celery, Onions, Carrots, Garlic (step 2-3), & the Scallions. 

9.  Remove the Rosemary Sprigs from the Roasted Vegetables & add the Roasted Vegetables to the Soup. 

10. Over Medium High, bring Soup to a Simmer, then Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the Mushrooms are soft.

11.  Serve & enjoy with Salt & Pepper to taste as well as a Lime Wedge, Avocado Slices, & maybe topped with some Shredded Cheese! 

This is basically a 2 for 1 recipe.  You are making 2 recipes (soup & roasted vegetables) then combining them at the end for 1 delicious soup recipe.  There is a fair amount of prep work with cutting all the veggies, but since you are Roasting the Vegetables after you have started the soup you maximize your time.

Please remember that Soup is a matter of taste, that is why it says Kosher Salt & Pepper to Taste.  Some monkeys (like this one) like a little spice in their soup.  That's why I like to add a little bit of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce aka "Rooster Sauce."  I also like the squeeze of lime juice just as I'm serving the soup.  If Lime ain't your thing, then omit it!  Same goes for the Cheese!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this Soup adventure as much as I did.  Please remember that 'anymonkeycan' cook a wonderful Roasted Vegetable Soup because 'this one' just did!

Until next time, your friendly neighborweb monkey!