Fresh or Fermented Kimchi

Fresh or Fermented Kimchi

1 large head of cabbage (Napa, Savoy, or Green)
1 bunch spring/green onions
½ cup carrots, grated
½ cup radishes, cut as matchsticks
1 TBL grated ginger
1 TBL garlic, minced
2-3 tsps sea salt
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Cut cabbage into ½ inch strips and separate into ribbons. Cut spring onions into small disks using all of the white part and half of the green part. Combine cabbage, onions, carrots, and radishes in a stainless steel, glass, or wooden bowl along with salt. Stir and squeeze veggies for about 10 minutes or until the juices from the cabbage are released. Add in the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  Can be eaten immediately or stored in refrigerator for 10 days. To ferment: Sterilize two-quart mason jars and their lids. Pack the kimchi into the jars, pushing the contents down so that liquid covers the top of the vegetables. Loosely place lids on jars and leave at room temperature for three days. Store in refrigerator for up to a month.

Buttered Cabbage

Buttered Cabbage

1 small head cabbage about 2 ½ lbs
4 Tbl butter
Salt and pepper
extra dollop of butter
Optional seasonings 1 tsp caraway seeds and ½ tsp celery seeds

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.  Remove outer leaves from cabbage and cut cabbage into quarters and discard the core, then cut into 2 inch pieces.  Submerge cabbage into boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain.  Return cabbage to pot and stir in butter, salt and pepper, and optional seasonings.  Serve in bowls with extra dollop of butter melting on top.

Beet Greens with Green Beans

Beet Greens with Green Beans

2 Tbls Olive Oil
½ small onion, chopped
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small tomato, chopped or ½ pint canned
¼ tsp thyme
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1-2 Tbl cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and stir until onion is browned about 10 minutes. Stir in green beans and cook until lightly browned. Stir in beet greens, tomato, and garlic and cook until beet greens are wilted. Stir in remaining ingredients adding vinegar a little at a time until desired amount is added. Delicious served over rice.

Green Tomato Salsa

Green Tomato Salsa

3 green tomatoes
1 small onion
1 jalapeno, seeded to desired heat*
1-2 garlic cloves
1 large lime, juiced
2 Tbl fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

For chunky salsa chop tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeno and stir with remaining ingredients. For smooth salsa add all ingredients to food processor and pulse to desired consistency.
*Jalapeno note: the seeds and white membrane in a jalapeno contain most of the heat.  Removing everything creates a mild salsa, leaving some seeds and membrane create a hot salsa.

Baked Eggs with Rainbow Chard

Baked Eggs with Rainbow Chard

1 bunch rainbow chard or any other in-season greens, thinly sliced
Butter to grease ramekins
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsps olive oil
1 small green onion, tomato, or pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Generously butter 4 6oz ramekins. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add garlic, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Stir in chard, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times and adding a little water if skillet gets dry. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid. Stir in ½ cup parmesan and ½ of the green onion, tomato, and/or pepper. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins, break an egg into each ramekin and sprinkle with remaining cheese and veggies. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper, place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake until egg whites are almost completely set, about 15-20 minutes.

Lemon and Dill Dandelion Greens

Lemon and Dill Dandelion Greens

3 lbs Dandelion Greens, cut into thirds
2 lbs Leeks or Spring Onions, ½” slices
3 lbs Romaine Lettuce, cut into thirds
2 cups water
1 lg bunch dill, coarsely chopped or 1 Tbl dried
Salt and Pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

Boil enough water to cover dandelion greens.  Once boiling add dandelion greens and cook for 5 minutes, drain. Add dandelion greens and leeks into large cooking pot along with 2 cups water, cook for 20 minutes on medium heat. Add lettuce and continue cooking for 30 more minutes. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and cook uncovered for 15 additional minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in dill and lemon juice. Great served over rice and can be frozen in individual portions.

Baked Eggs with Rainbow Chard​​​​​​​

Baked Eggs with Rainbow Chard

1 bunch rainbow chard or any other in-season greens, thinly sliced
Butter to grease ramekins
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsps olive oil
1 small green onion, tomato, or pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Salt and Pepper to taste
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Generously butter 4 6oz ramekins. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add garlic, and stir constantly for 1 minute. Stir in chard, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring a few times and adding a little water if skillet gets dry. Remove from heat and drain excess liquid. Stir in ½ cup parmesan and ½ of the green onion, tomato, and/or pepper. Divide mixture evenly between ramekins, break an egg into each ramekin and sprinkle with remaining cheese and veggies. Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper, place ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake until egg whites are almost completely set, about 15-20 minutes.

Bok Choy and Radishes

Bok Choy and Radishes

1 head bok choy
2 Tbl Butter
1 Tbl Olive oil
12 radishes, thinly sliced
½ onion, sliced
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 tsp salt

Cut off and discard root end of bok choy and separate the green leaves from the stalks. Cut leaves into slices and set aside. Cut stems into 1 inch pieces, heat a sauté pan over medium heat for a minute then add butter, olive oil, and bok choy stems, cook for 5 minues. Add rest of ingredients and cook for 3 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Using a Whole Chicken

Chicken Finger Salad and Chicken with Rice

1 whole chicken, fresh or thawed most of the way

Chicken and Rice Ingredients:
1 split onion or 2 if small or 1 bunch green onions
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
2 cups rice
3 Tbl butter
Salt and pepper

Chicken Finger Salad Ingredients:
¾ cup buttermilk
¼ tsp each cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp each garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper
¼ cup buttermilk
Lettuce, spinach, carrots, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, other veggies
Cheese in small chunks
green onions, toasted pecans or croutons
Favorite salad dressing or these suggestions: honey with yellow mustard, extra-virgin olive oil and a splash of water or Pepper vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

For whole chicken: Remove breasts from chickens so you have 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Slice breasts into thin strips for chicken fingers. Stir sliced breasts into ¾ cup buttermilk, 1½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp each cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Cover and place in fridge until next day. Place remaining chicken in large stockpot for chicken and rice.

 For Chicken and Rice: Cover 1/3 of chicken in stockpot with water, add onion, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and 2 tsps salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 1½ hours. Turn off heat and let chicken sit covered for another hour. Remove everything from broth leaving the broth in stockpot. Let chicken cool enough to handle. Bring broth to a simmer, add rice and cook until rice is tender 10-25 minutes depending on rice. Meanwhile remove bite size pieces of the meat from the cooled chicken setting aside the bones, onion, and bay leaf. Add bite size pieces of chicken to rice and broth during last 8 minutes of cooking. Serve in bowls and freeze in meal sized portions. Then make a delicious bone broth to freeze. Cook bones, onion, and bay leaf in water to cover for 18 hours. Discard everything but the liquid and use broth for future meals.

For Chicken Finger Salad: Remove breasts from fridge and buttermilk onto a plate – let them stay drippy wet. Combine flour, 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp each garlic powder, paprika, pepper. Stir in ¼ cup of buttermilk either from marinade or new. Dredge chicken fingers in flour sticking coating to chicken. Heat 2-3 inches oil in cast iron skillet or wok and heat to 365 degrees. Fry chicken fingers in heated oil for 2-3 minutes a side. Combine salad ingredients in salad bowl and top with chicken fingers and favorite dressing.

Asian Noodle Soup with Bok Choy and Poached Egg

Asian Noodle Soup with Bok Choy and Poached Egg

5 cups chicken broth
2 whole star anise
1 stick whole cinnamon
2 eggs
14 oz package Asian noodles such as soba, udon, or raman
6 large bok choy leaves, sliced into ribbons
2 green onions, thin sliced
3-4 Tbl soy sauce

Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan, add anise and cinnamon, simmer for 10 minutes, and discard spices. Crack eggs into separate small bowls and then slip the eggs into the simmering broth one at a time. Let eggs simmer for 2 minutes, add noodles and bok choy to broth by gently submerging into broth careful to not break eggs. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until noodles are desired doneness. Turn off heat and gently stir in green onions and soy sauce. Divide between two bowls and serve immediately.

Jerky

Jerky

2 lbs thinly sliced meat (pork, chicken, or beef)
¼ cup soy sauce
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp black pepper and garlic powder
½-1 tsp smoked salt

Combine all ingredients into a large plastic zipper bag to marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Determine amount of salt needed by how long you will marinate. Use less salt for longer marinating times. Remove meat from marinade and drain strips on towels to remove excess marinade. Place cooling racks inside cookie sheets and place strips of marinated meats on cooling racks close together but not touching. Dehydrate in a 140 degree oven until dried completely. Begin checking at 3 hours and cooking time will be based on thinness of meat strips. Alternatively, use a dehydrator by following the manufacturer directions for drying jerky. Jerky is best stored in jars or plastic zipper bags in the freezer but can be stored for about two weeks on the counter.