Friday, May 2, 2008

What's cooking: Another
way to use all those greens

It seems that, except for at the height of summer when fruits, tomatoes, squashes, and green beans are in season, I struggle to use the massive amount of greens I get in my weekly produce box. Don't get me wrong—I love greens. Greens are good. I saute them, I add them to soups, stir them into curries, but it can get to be a bit much, and I start to stress if the box is coming the next day and I haven't used all the greens in my fridge.

This recipe is a variation of one from the newsletter that comes in my produce box. I can't even remember what the recipe was called, but I make it all the time. I'll call it . . .

PRODUCE BOX TZATZIKI

Here's how it goes. I take a 32 oz. carton of nonfat yogurt. This is pretty watery stuff and doesn't make a particularly creamy dip in it's original state. So in the morning as I run out the door, I dump it into a sieve lined with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl or pot and place it in the refrigerator.


By the time I get home, almost a cup of water has drained off. Toss this, and you've got nice, creamy yogurt without the fat.

Moving right along. De-rib each leaf of the greens and chop coarsely. I use whatever I've got: kale, chard, mustard greens. Cook for a few minutes until tender in salted boiling water. Transfer into a colander and run under cold water. Drain and chop further.


Squeeeeeeeeze chopped greens to get out as much water as you can. Mix into yogurt. Add enough olive oil to thin to desired consistency. Add some minced garlic. This time of year I have green garlic in my box, which is very nice, but regular garlic will do. Add a few pinches of dill. Some chopped fresh mint is nice too if you've got it. Salt and pepper to taste.


I made this the other night to go with Jen's chicken kabobs (not really: she's in CO and I'm in CA, but I used her recipe). I blop it on the chicken, stir it into rice, dip crackers or pita in it the next day, and eat it plain with a spoon.

Easy, tasty, and another bunch of greens down the hatch. Bring on the next box.

10 comments:

Beth said...

Thanks for that recipe! I LOVE Tzatziki but never knew how to make it....I'm sure the cheese cloth step is a must. I need to start filing away your recipes...sooo good!

Yeah, see you in the fridge:)

Maria said...

I am so with Beth - need a recipe box to organize the great recipes that I get from everyone, they are really inspiring. Reminds me of when I made tzatziki in Japan - I used cucumbers, olive oil, garlic and lemon. Yum!

KatieGirlBlue said...

I love the purple (from the chard?) in the tzatziki! What an unexpected treat. This looks amazing, and seems easy enough that I might be able to do it.....I'm gonna try.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Midge said...

You always have the yummiest recipes! It inspires me to cook more!

Greens and Pinks said...

What a great idea! When I get stressed about using all the greens in our produce box, I throw them into smoothies. Such a quick and easy way to get your greens and when mixed with naturally sweet fruit and a touch of agave nectar, SO yummy!

sabi said...

yum, what a great idea. use it for lamb burgers, and i like the spoonful idea.

BUT WAIT! don't toss that liquid, that's whey, and very good for a lot of things...soak some whole grains in it while at work and a variety of other things that'll email to you right after i finish entering in all the moolah in Quickbooks.

tulipmom said...

This sounds delicious! As soon as I start getting some sleep, I'm going to give it a try ...

Tracey said...

Thanks for the recipe. I too feel a liitle overwhelmed by the amount of greens I recieve in my CSA basket, so I will definitely try this one. Got any original ideas for salads? Right now I am recieving four different types of lettuce to go with all my greens:)

Lisa said...

Yes, don't throw out the whey.

This reminds me of a funny thing that happened last month. My husband had to have an emergency appendectomy (his first surgery), it turns out that the anesthesiologist was the father of one of our CSA farmers. So, I guess to ease the nerves right before he put him under in the OR, he tells my husband, "So, I'm getting pretty tired of greens, how about you?"

Anonymous said...

I love this recipe! Just made it! Yum!