REMEDY: Too many veggies, not enough eaters (Veggie broth)

I accomplished two things today. A great flavorful veggie broth and a picture I can live with. I had not done veggie broth before and I was inspired by Cafe Fernando and his wonderful photos and use of veggies to make a broth. I followed his tips and preferences for making a fat free broth by not browning the vegetables in oil first. I just cut them up in a rustic manner meaning since I wasn't presenting these on a plate or dish, they don't need to be pretty but they do need to be cut. Sorry for the lack of exact quantities but frankly, it doesn't really need to be exact.

3/4 lb baby carrots, chopped (I had two partial bags that I combined. One was a little dried but nevertheless, once they were submerged in the water they came alive again).
4 stalks of celery with ends sliced off and chopped
half of an onion chopped in to large peices
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 TBSP chopped garlic
1 TBSP kosher salt
generous amount of black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 container of organic mushroom broth


Throw it all in a stock pot with about 8-10 cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer for at least an hour. If you like a richer broth, let it reduce more. I would add salt and pepper minimally until you strain and give it a taste first. I wanted mine to be a little more rich so I went to Sprouts and bought a container of organic mushroom broth and added to it AFTER I strained it. I have a good strainer for broths that catches all the large peieces of pepper and garlic leaving me with a nice clear broth. Discard the veggies or find something to do with them. I guess you could puree them and use them for a veggie gravey. Since I'm not a vegetarian (yet), I got lazy and *gasp* threw them out. I know. I suck. Extremely disappointed in myself.

Bring broth to room temperature. Divide in to 1 or 2 cup storage containers or place in ice cube trays. Read Cafe Fernandos pointers. They are really awesome. (The link is at the top).

Quick Collard Greens? Wha?

Did it, love it, try it. I don't think I've ever had collards but if I did, I'm sure I had ones where the life and nutrients were cooked the hell right out it because someone's grandmother buried it in ham hocks and hours and hours of cooking. Not necessary. I feel about 15 times healthier having just had this one time.

http://nourishnetwork.com/2010/12/31/quick-collards/

QUICK COLLARDS

1 pound fresh collard greens
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken OR vegetable broth

Trim the center ribs from the collard leaves. Stack the leaves and roll them up like a cigar; slice very thinly.

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add oil. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add a large handful of collards to pan; cook until collards wilt. Repeat with remaining collards until all of them are in the pan. Stir in salt and peppers; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates and collards are tender.

Serves 4-6

Pickled Daikon and Carrots (Vietnamese)

love love love the marinated carrots and daikon that are served in Vietnamese Vermicelli bowls and on Banh Mi sandwiches so being that I'm bored I'm making some of my own to munch on.

1/2 lb. carrots (I used baby carrots sliced as matchsticks in 4's.
1/2 lb. daikon radish – cut same as carrots.
3 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons distilled or rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you want your pickles
2 tablespoons salt

Dissolve all together and place in containers to marinate for a few hours. Good for a week.

Black Bean and Chickpea "refried beans"

I made some a bag of dried chick peans (garbanzo beans) the other day and I had no idea what to do with them honestly.  Last night I was making mahi mahi and thought they would be good so here's basically what I did.

2 cans of black beans - 1 drained, 1 not.
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely.
2 Tbs olive oil
1 cup of chickpeas
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp of chopped garlic
sprinkle of salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan saute onion, olive oil and spices until onions are translucent. In your food processer or you can just mash in the pan, mash 1 can of the black beans (with their juice) and the chick peas.  I used the food processer because chick peas are hard to mash.  Combine this mixture with the oil, onion and spices and mix well. Add last can of black beans, drained (you don't need to rinse). Cook until hot.