Stuffed Collard Greens with Sesame-Chili Squash and Wild Rice
I started out thinking about collard green burritos, but then overindulged in a mega sized veggie burrito from el pelon. That was 3 days ago and I still feel like I might die. Seriously, it was the biggest burrito I've ever seen. I couldn't even touch my fried plantains! Well, maybe I touched them a little.
So it will suffice to say that I have to stay away from this idea for a while. I tweaked it just enough to relieve myself the anxiety. Collard greens are perfect for rolling stuff up! I love stuffed cabbage rolls and this is basically a variation on that. The recipe came out pretty good, I topped the rolls with Daiya when I threw them in the oven. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of sauce would go well with these. Maybe some kind of cheezy sauce with nuts, nooch, mustard, turmeric, etc.? Also a peanut sauce? With peanut butter, tamari, brown rice syrup, ginger, garlic? Maybe if these had a sauce, my live in friend would have eaten all of them, but instead they have remained as my own private snack collection.
I try not to be insulted and remind myself that if all of something I like disappears, I'd be just as angry. I seriously doubt my own ability to live collectively. Remnants of an angsty cupboard of life fully stocked with food issues. THANKS FOR WEIGHT WATCHERS, high school style MAh! How many points have I had today???????.......................?????????? I should really dedicate a whole blog post to this shit. It's priceless, unlike the actual weightwatchers program itself which I spent much of my measly paychecks earned from teaching little jerks how to ice skate. ANYWAYS.
What you need: a roasting pan, an oven safe casserole dish, a big pot, and some patience.
Ingredients:
1 small acorn squash
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp korean chili flakes, or whatever chili powder you have
2 sprinkles of sea salt
2 cracks of black pepper
a dash of cinnamon
2 tsp maple syrup, or agave
1 cup of wild rice
1 Tb earth balance
2 cups of water or broth
1 tsp sesame oil
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb mirin
1/8 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne
salt to taste
8 big clean hole-free collard green leaves
olive oil for brushing
Lots of different steps here!
First you can roast your squash. I baked mine at 350F for 45 minutes! Cut the squash in half lengthwise, poke holes in the outsides, place all ingredients in first bracket inside, fill the roasting pan with an inch of water and there ya go.
At the same time you can cook your rice. I opted for the oven method here, which I originally learned from my dear friend theresa but have since found other variations. Usually, I would boil some water, pour it into a baking dish over the rice and butter/oil, cover quickly and cook for like 35 minutes. But this time I just poured 2 cups of water over 1 cup of rice with 1 Tb of earth balance, double covered with tin foil and baked for an hour. It came out great! I then let the rice sit, covered, for a half an hour.
While the squash and rice are cooking you can prepare your greens. De-stem your collard greens like so.
Rinse and set aside.
Sautee the onions, garlic, and carrots over medium heat with a teaspoon of sesame oil. Once the onions are translucents, add the cumin and a touch of cayenne pepper. At this point, I also added some leftover collard greens that were't fit to roll. It's always a good idea to add the structure of the roll to the filling, as with stuffed mushrooms, stuffed cabbage, etc. When the mixture begins to brown slightly, deglaze the pan with the mirin, cook until the carrots are soft. Set aside and let cool.
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Have a equally big bowl of ice cold water and a colander ready. When the water boils, drop one collard green leaf in at a time and blanch for 30 seconds MAX then immediately transfer to the bowl of cold water. When cooled, transfer to the colander and repeat this with all of the greens.
When this is finished, combine your filling ingredients. Peel and cut the cooled acorn squash into small bite-sized chunks. Combine with 2 cups of rice, the carrot mixture, a splash of chili oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Place 2 Tb of filling on the top-center of each leaf. Fold up the bottom legs of the leaf, tuck in the sides, and roll upwards. Even if there are a few tiny holes, you should be okay with all the layers of leaf that will be rolled up. Place rolls in a baking dish and brush each with some olive oil. Cover in sauce or cheeze and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. While they are baking, take some slivered almonds and toast them in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Garnish the rolls with the almonds.
Serve with sweet potato fries and cauliflower puree for a delicious meal! My carbon monoxide palate can't always be trusted, but after I finally got Aa to eat some of this, he approved the blog-worthiness of my collard green rolls.
Bye!!
jp
So it will suffice to say that I have to stay away from this idea for a while. I tweaked it just enough to relieve myself the anxiety. Collard greens are perfect for rolling stuff up! I love stuffed cabbage rolls and this is basically a variation on that. The recipe came out pretty good, I topped the rolls with Daiya when I threw them in the oven. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of sauce would go well with these. Maybe some kind of cheezy sauce with nuts, nooch, mustard, turmeric, etc.? Also a peanut sauce? With peanut butter, tamari, brown rice syrup, ginger, garlic? Maybe if these had a sauce, my live in friend would have eaten all of them, but instead they have remained as my own private snack collection.
I try not to be insulted and remind myself that if all of something I like disappears, I'd be just as angry. I seriously doubt my own ability to live collectively. Remnants of an angsty cupboard of life fully stocked with food issues. THANKS FOR WEIGHT WATCHERS, high school style MAh! How many points have I had today???????.......................?????????? I should really dedicate a whole blog post to this shit. It's priceless, unlike the actual weightwatchers program itself which I spent much of my measly paychecks earned from teaching little jerks how to ice skate. ANYWAYS.
What you need: a roasting pan, an oven safe casserole dish, a big pot, and some patience.
Ingredients:
1 small acorn squash
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp korean chili flakes, or whatever chili powder you have
2 sprinkles of sea salt
2 cracks of black pepper
a dash of cinnamon
2 tsp maple syrup, or agave
1 cup of wild rice
1 Tb earth balance
2 cups of water or broth
1 tsp sesame oil
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 small onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tb mirin
1/8 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne
salt to taste
8 big clean hole-free collard green leaves
olive oil for brushing
Lots of different steps here!
First you can roast your squash. I baked mine at 350F for 45 minutes! Cut the squash in half lengthwise, poke holes in the outsides, place all ingredients in first bracket inside, fill the roasting pan with an inch of water and there ya go.
At the same time you can cook your rice. I opted for the oven method here, which I originally learned from my dear friend theresa but have since found other variations. Usually, I would boil some water, pour it into a baking dish over the rice and butter/oil, cover quickly and cook for like 35 minutes. But this time I just poured 2 cups of water over 1 cup of rice with 1 Tb of earth balance, double covered with tin foil and baked for an hour. It came out great! I then let the rice sit, covered, for a half an hour.
While the squash and rice are cooking you can prepare your greens. De-stem your collard greens like so.
Rinse and set aside.
Sautee the onions, garlic, and carrots over medium heat with a teaspoon of sesame oil. Once the onions are translucents, add the cumin and a touch of cayenne pepper. At this point, I also added some leftover collard greens that were't fit to roll. It's always a good idea to add the structure of the roll to the filling, as with stuffed mushrooms, stuffed cabbage, etc. When the mixture begins to brown slightly, deglaze the pan with the mirin, cook until the carrots are soft. Set aside and let cool.
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Have a equally big bowl of ice cold water and a colander ready. When the water boils, drop one collard green leaf in at a time and blanch for 30 seconds MAX then immediately transfer to the bowl of cold water. When cooled, transfer to the colander and repeat this with all of the greens.
When this is finished, combine your filling ingredients. Peel and cut the cooled acorn squash into small bite-sized chunks. Combine with 2 cups of rice, the carrot mixture, a splash of chili oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Place 2 Tb of filling on the top-center of each leaf. Fold up the bottom legs of the leaf, tuck in the sides, and roll upwards. Even if there are a few tiny holes, you should be okay with all the layers of leaf that will be rolled up. Place rolls in a baking dish and brush each with some olive oil. Cover in sauce or cheeze and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. While they are baking, take some slivered almonds and toast them in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Garnish the rolls with the almonds.
Serve with sweet potato fries and cauliflower puree for a delicious meal! My carbon monoxide palate can't always be trusted, but after I finally got Aa to eat some of this, he approved the blog-worthiness of my collard green rolls.
Bye!!
jp
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