Southern Style Collard Greens with Lime-Marinated Jerked Seitan

I had a bunch of collard greens that I wanted to use up, and found an interesting sounding recipe for Southern-style collards. I followed its basic approach, but did this:

In a stock pot with a little bit of olive oil over medium heat, I sauteed three scallions cut into 3/4" lengths, along with one garlic clove, finely chopped

1. About two minutes into the saute as the scallion softened, I added half of an orange bell pepper, cut into large strips maybe 1" x 1/2", as well as two carrots, sliced into 1/2" thickness
2. After another two or three minutes, when the carrot was a bit softened (the heightened colors of the cooked vegetables looked great!), I added 1/2 t cumin seeds and, a few at a time, collard greens (I removed the bottom portion of the stem and cut across the leaf to make cuts about 1 1/2" apart)
3. I added a little salt, maybe 1/2 t, to help the greens to cook down, and let the greens cook for just a minute or so
4. I then added a vegan bouillon cube and three cups of water, brought to a boil, then reduced the heat to keep the pot at a simmer; I cooked, covered for about a half hour, till the collard greens were soft (about halfway through, the leftover lime juice marinade from the seitan - see below - was available, so I poured it in and stirred, then re-covered the stock pot)
5. I sprinkled on a little bit of herbed salt, and served (the recipe I referenced also called for tomato, but I wanted to keep the rich greens, though a little bit of tomato sauce sounded tempting)

While the collards were cooking, I made one of our favorite side dishes, lime-marinated jerked seitan. I took a box of seitan and marinated it in the juice of one lime for about 20m. Reserving the marinade (and using it as above in the collard dish), I put the seitan in a cast iron pan and sauteed till gently browned and some smaller pieces crispy. I added a little bit of herbed salt and served that to my toddler and saved some for her lunch for school for tomorrow. For the remaining portion for my wife and I, I added a little bit of jerk seasoning.

The seitan was, as always, delicious! My wife and I in particular, but even my toddler, really liked the collard greens. The dish was tasty and nutritious. I saved the broth and will use it in the coming days for another dish. Yum!

Super Grain Elbow Pasta w Vegan 'Meatloaf' Crumble Marinara, Broccoli w Pine Nuts

Tricolor Quinoa w Sweet Potato and Bell Pepper, Fingerling Potatoes

Whole Wheat Pasta with Cabernet Marinara Sauce and Green Zebra Tomato served with Tempeh and Baby Arugula

Often when I visit nearby Carrboro, NC, I smell great tomato sauce in the air from one of the restaurants there. Yesterday's visited again reminded me about how much I love a good tomato sauce. I purchased some great whole wheat bread, and was considering making a sauce and pouring it over something like artichoke hearts atop the bread.

Instead, today I made some whole wheat pasta. I purchased some organic tomato sauce with wine, and brought it to a simmer, adding nutritional yeast and fresh herbs (basil and lemon sage) from my garden, as well as a little salt. I've not done much experimenting with adding fresh uncooked vegetables to my sauces, and took advantage of having some delicious green zebra tomatoes to do just that. When the sauce was done, I poured it over the pasta, and added chunks of the green tomato, plus a little diced red jalapeno.

Dinner was rounded out with sauteed tempeh and a baby arugula salad. It was simple but tasty!

By the way, for locals, I have been invited to do an Indian cooking demonstration the day after tomorrow, Wednesday September 12, 2012 in Chapel Hill at the Seymour Center. This is part of a 5-8p event, "An Evening in India". I will be on from 6:30-7p, and will be making bhindi (okra) and curried mushrooms, as can be seen, for example, in my students' dinner plate from 2006, 2008, or 2010. I believe that the program is open to the public and is free; folks will be able to sample the food that I will make. The Seymour Center is at 2551 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, NC, and its phone number is 919-968-2070.