Apron Strings

About 5 cups of collards, torn up
31/2 tomatoes, cut into chunks (save the other half for tomato sammiches!)
1/2 head garlic
1 onion, diced
1/3 cup lentils
2T curry powder
2t garam masala
2t cumin
2t coriander
1t ginger
3/4 cans cream of coconut (you could use more, if you want it creamier)
water

Dump everything into your crock pot and fill it up with enough water to cover everything. Cook on low until the lentils are soft….about 6 hours, though you could be lazy like me and set it to cook over night.

I can’t wait to have this tomorrow for lunch! Theres some leftover brown rice in the fridge that I’m going to mix right in!

1/2 brick tofu, cubed
1/4c black bean sauce (mine was leftover from a Green Sprout delivery, but I’m sure the jarred sort would work just fine.)

2T sesame oil
1/2 head garlic, minced fine
1/2 small onion, minced
2T soy sauce
2t chili garlic sauce (optional)

4 cups collards, chopped coarsely

1/2c mushrooms, sliced

2T tosted sesame seeds (optional)

Mix up the tofu with the black bean sauce and set aside. You want to let it sit while you prepare everything else, so it will soak up the beany goodness!

Heat the sesame oil on medium heat and toss in the garlic and onion. Stir for a minute or two, then add the soy and chili garlic sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes more, until the garlic starts to brown.

Now it’s time to toss in the greens! You may have to add it in batches, throwing in more as it cooks down. Once all your greens are reduced and bright and lovely, it’s time to add the shrooms and the tofu. Increase the heat to medium-high, and stir everything up for a few minutes, until the tofu is heated through.

Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if you’re using them, and serve! This is nice with rice or noodles.

I told you it was a lot of collards! Tomorrow, I am going to try to reproduce the collards that my fiance, Dave, used to eat as a kid. If it goes well, I’ll post it! It’s going to be a pretty greens-centric month, since it sounds like that is what’s growing locally right now.

6 large red potatoes, with skins on
1/4c salt

3T veganaise
2T deli mustard
2t fennel seeds
1/2 a vidalia onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and toss in the potatoes and salt. Boil for 25 minutes, then drain, rinse and cool until you can handle them.

Dice the potatoes and stir in the rest of the ingredients. You won’t need quite so much salt, since the water is so salty. This is best if you let it sit for a few hours or even overnight before serving.