According to my esteemed colleague, Dr. Linda Bradley, who had the vision and inspiration to purchase and prepare 10 pounds of collards for a vegan Christmas dish, her entire family ate every morsel!  Here’s the recipe:

1/8 cup vegetable broth OR olive oil (to sauté mushrooms and onions)

1 large yellow onion (equivalent to 1 1/2 cups, chopped)

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

6 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle in adobe (Comes in a small can.  Use 1/2 chipotle plus 1/2 tsp. of sauce. Don’t use the whole can, it’s too spicy.  For more heat, use one whole chili.  Save the rest in the refrigerator or freezer.)  

1/8 cup cider vinegar

8 teaspoons smoked paprika, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 cup vegetable stock (homemade or store-bought)

2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

5 pounds (equivalent to 4-5 bunches) collard greens, washed clean, sliced from the stem, and rough chopped.

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat broth or oil on medium, add onions and mushrooms, and sauté 6-7 minutes until onions are wilting.  Add garlic, and cook 2 more minutes.  Stir in chipotle, 5 teaspoons of paprika, vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable stock and molasses.

Stir in the collard greens, one-third at a time, pushing them down into the pot as they begin to wilt.  Stir occasionally, cover, and cook for 45 min.  Then add the remaining paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook 5-10 more minutes.  

In
the words of Dr. Bradley, “Your grandmother would love it.”

P.S. If you’re only cooking for one or two, don’t hesitate to cut this recipe in half, or even quarters.

A couple of months ago I pulled the last 2 cabbages, sliced them very, very thinly, and mashed them, along with 2 tablespoons of salt, in a large wide bowl with the back of my fist until the cabbage was soft and its water was leaching out into the bowl.  Once it was very soft and watery, I jammed it into a glass jar as firmly as is humanly possible, and made sure that all the cabbage was immersed in the watery broth that came up all the way to the top of the jar.  I picked away any stray cabbage strands, closed the jar firmly, and rinsed away the excess water that had dripped over the sides.  Then I placed the jar in the dark cabinet.  A few weeks later there was sauerkraut; and there was satisfaction.  We ate the jar’s entire contents that evening.

Blend the tofu in a food processor 1-2 minutes until very smooth.  Add the honey and blend again.  Finally, add the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and blend thoroughly until very smooth and light.  Refrigerate 1-2 hours until firm, and enjoy.  If it’s going to find its way to your Thanksgiving table, consider using it to fill a pie shell, especially one made with ground almonds.  

Turmeric is a great spice, beautifully deep gold in color, and with a great dusky, smoky flavor.  Tofu takes on the flavors of anything you mix it with.  Thank you to Andrew Weil MD for this recipe.

1 pound tofu, firm

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon mustard

1 tablespoon pickle relish

3 tablespoons celery, chopped

3 tablespoons onion, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 teaspoon paprika

salt to taste

Instructions:

Drain tofu well and mash.  Add vegetables and spices, mash more, and mix thoroughly. Serve on a bed of lettuce with something brightly colored, like carrot sticks, or red peppers.  You can add hot sauce, too, if you’re so inclined.  Of course, some people put hot sauce on just about everything.  I know someone like that.

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If you’ve never been on “Your Health is on Your Plate” before, and you’re not sure where to start, visit Let’s Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart on preventing diabetes and obesity in yourself and the ones you love!!

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Many thanks to Nancy and Bob Charles from High Meadow B&B in Wallingford, Connecticut, for this wonderful recipe!