Curried Mustard Greens with Kidney Beans

Thank you to Jeff, our warehouse manager, and his family for sharing another one of their favorites with us!

Curried Mustard Greens with Kidney Beans
Ingredients
1 bunch mustard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons curry powder
½ cup coconut milk

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place greens in the pot, cover, and cook 7 minutes, or just until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the shallots until lightly brown. Stir in ginger, and season red pepper. Mix in greens, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and curry powder. Stir in the coconut milk, and continue cooking until heated through. Serve over rice.

Ndiwo Za Mpiru Wotendera (Mustard Greens with Peanut Sauce)

This recipe is courtesy of Lena Nozizwe and can be found on her blog, http://lenanozizwe.wordpress.com. It has been reprinted by numerous sources, including The New York Post, The Seattle Times, and Cooks Source.

Ndiwo Za Mpiru Wotendera (Mustard Greens with Peanut Sauce)
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 bunches fresh mustard greens
½ teaspoon salt, divided
3 green onions, sliced thinly
½ pound cherry tomatoes, halved and seeded
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup water
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
1. Wash greens carefully and trim off any tough stems. Hold 3 to 4 leaves together and tear into small, even pieces.
2. Bring a small amount of water to a boil. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and greens. Cook until greens are tender, about 3 minutes.
3. Drain greens and press out excess liquid. Put back into the pan with the green onions and tomatoes. Cook until slightly limp, about 2 minutes.
4. Combine the peanut butter, water, ¼ teaspoon salt and cayenne to a paste. Add to the greens and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add a few more tablespoons water if necessary. Serve with rice.

Saarson da saag

This is a popular dish prepared with mustard greens from India and Pakistan. The following version is courtesy of LuckyDelicious Blog (http://usgorikakhana.blogspot.com/). The author writes, "This dish doesn't have a lot of spices and seasonings, as it isn't meant to be nose-run inducing hot! The greens are the star of the show here." I can't wait to try out this recipe with the red mustard greens from my CSA share, and plan to substitute garlic and ginger paste with fresh garlic and ginger.

Saarson da saag
Ingredients
2 pounds mustard greens, washed and chopped
1 pound spinach, washed and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
2 fresh tomatoes, puréed
1 teaspoon red chile powder
2 tablespoons finely ground cornmeal
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil for frying
salt, to taste

Directions

1. Boil the mustard and spinach greens together until softened, then purée with some of the cooking liquid. Reserve extra cooking liquid for later use.
2. Heat the oil and sauté ginger and garlic pastes. When these turn golden, quickly add and stir in red chile powder tomato purée. Cook the tomato purée on high heat for a few moments until the oil rises to the top. Now add the mustard greens and spinach purée. Mix well.
3. Stir in desired amount of salt to cornmeal and mix well. You will need to add 1 to 1½ cups of the cooking liquid. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When it is done, stir in 3 tablespoons of butter. To serve, add shards of butter on top.

Mustard Greens

Red Mustard Greens image courtesy of VeggieGardeningTips.com (http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/mustard-greens/).

Mustard greens (Brassica juncea) originated in the Himalayan region of India and have been cultivated around the world for over 5,000 years. It's no wonder, as they offer unique flavor and are extremely nutrient-dense! An excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, and vitamin C, as well as folic acid, calcium, carotenes, manganese, copper, and fiber, they are thought to protect against breast cancer and heart disease, as well as promoting bone health. They are especially beneficial to women going through menopause, as they also offer a good source of phosphorus, vitamins B1 and B2, magnesium, protein, potassium, and iron, among others.

Due to their peppery flavor, mustard greens are also known as gai choy, Indian or Japanese mustard, or California pepper grass. For maximum shelf life, store in a plastic bag with as much of the air removed as possible. Be sure to check out all of the mustard greens recipe suggestions on the blog by clicking on the label "mustard greens" in the right hand sidebar of the blog (http://lffccsarecipegroup.blogspot.com/search/label/mustard%20greens). As always, if you have a recipe suggestion that you'd like to share, please email us at csa@lancasterfarmfresh.com!

Sources:
http://www.everynutrient.com/
http://www.localharvest.org/
http://whfoods.org/

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens

The following mustard greens recipe is courtesy of FatFree Vegan Kitchen, posted in July of 2009 (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/). The author writes that mustard greens are "More peppery than other greens–they get that from their mustard lineage–they lack the somewhat cabbage-like taste of collards. They cook more quickly than collards, too, which made them perfect for a quick-fix lunch for two. With some sweet red onion, cooked chickpeas, and a reduced balsamic dressing, they quickly became a complete, light meal."

Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens
Serves 2

Ingredients
10 ounces mustard greens
½ large red onion, thinly sliced
4-6 tablespoons vegetable broth, divided
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon agave nectar or sugar
1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Directions
1. Remove any large stems from the greens and discard. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a deep pot or wok, sauté the onion in a tablespoon or two of vegetable broth until mostly faded to pink, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper and another tablespoon of broth and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the mustard greens, 2 tablespoons of broth, and cook, stirring, until greens are wilted but still bright green, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the salt, if using. Remove greens and onions from pan with a slotted spoon and place in a serving dish, leaving any liquid in pan.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and agave or sugar to the liquid in the pan (if there is no liquid, add 2 tablespoons of broth). Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by about half. Spoon the chickpeas over the greens and drizzle the sauce over all.
4. Serve warm, with additional balsamic vinegar at the table.