I received these two recipes in the last few weeks and thought you might enjoy them. I’m definitely going to be getting some collards this weekend and will try out this quick and easy way to prepare them!
I really like that the salsa recipe has some of the zest in it, since we know that there are phytochemicals in the zest that can help fight cancer!
Black Bean and Orange Salsa
(from www.aicr.org)
Ingredients:
1 navel orange
1 can 15oz black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 c finely chopped cilantro leaves (stems removed)
1/2 c finely chopped scallions or green onion, white and green parts
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Grate 1 tsp zest from orange and set aside. Peel and section orange, holding it over a medium bowl to reserve juice. Chop sections and place them, with all juice collected, into bowl. Add beans, yellow pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and scallions.
2. Whisk together lime juice and oil in a small bowl. Mix it into salsa, tossing with fork to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Mix with orange zest. Let salsa stand for 30min before serving to allow flavors to develop and meld.
4. Salsa can be the basis of a great and quick meal. Simply eat it with crackers or baked chips, put it on salad lettuce or serve it over fish.
Collards
The second recipe is for collards. Collards are a cruciferous vegetable, the group of vegetables known to interact with cancer fighting systems in our bodies. I encourage everyone to eat a cruciferous vegetable at least 5 times a week.
Many people cook collards for a long time and throw out the juice. However, if you can cook your veggies faster and keep the juice, you will get more nutritional benefit.
Brazilian-Style Collard Greens
Check out the video on how to make these!
Serves 4 to 6
Garlic and shallots add just the right amount of tang and flavor to this traditional, yet simple side dish.
Ingredients
2 bunches collard greens
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large shallot or onion, minced (about 1/3 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
Method
Cut tough end stems off collard greens. Rinse leaves and gather them together into 2 piles. Take each pile and roll it tightly. Cut them into thin strips crosswise. You should have about 8 cups.
Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallot with garlic, stirring often, until they are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add greens and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until greens are tender but bright green. If necessary, cover with a lid and cook an additional couple of minutes to tenderize greens.
Julie’s Notes:
I don’t always cut out the stems, but you definitely want to slice it thin so that it cooks in the short amount of time that you have. You can probably add some spice with crushed red pepper flakes or other spice.
Enjoy!!
– Julie
