Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Collards and Mac

Mixing a vegetable in with your mac and cheez isn't exactly a novel idea anymore.  I've done broccoli, cauliflower, and peas, but perhaps my favorite mix-ins are collards.  I like to cut them into long ribbons so I can swirl them up with my fork, each bite having a plentiful amount of both the veg and the mac.



Kristen from the Noochy Noodle spoke really highly of the Cheezy Mac recipe from Julie Hasson's Vegan Diner.  I just got a copy of the book from the library, so I thought it would be a perfect recipe to try for this dish.  And it was!  This recipe is creamy with a great smokey flavor.  It's only been recently that I've started liking smokey flavors, so it was my first time using smoked paprika, but certainly not the last!

So how did I prepare the collard ribbons?
I started out with enormous collard leaves, cutting out the stalks (and giving them to patiently waiting doggles), and lining them up on the cutting board.


 Then, I rolled them up, lengthwise and started slicing.








































I plopped the collard ribbons into a pan and steamed them for about five minutes.

For dessert I made the couscous cake that won me over at A Bug and a Fish.  However, I flavored mine with rosewater instead of vanilla and used pistachios and home-grown strawberry slices for the top.  It was quite good.  Apparently couscous cakes have been around forever, but I've never heard of them before!  I think I'm going to try making it with quinoa for a nutty, gluten-free dessert.

Oy.  It wasn't ready in time for natural light.  And I wasn't going to wait until the next day to eat it!





















Lastly, I leave you with photographic evidence of Andy's method of opening a soy milk container.


Oh, Andy.

15 comments:

  1. I need to try that Vegan Diner recipe!

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  2. Haha, sometimes the only way to open a milk container is that way! I don't know how many times those stupid plastic spouts have been glued shut - drives me crazy! And I like the idea of mac'n'cheese with collard greens - I'm always trying to add vegetables to my pasta dishes.

    PS - I love the petite cake! It looks great.

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  3. OK, I was going to comment on the cake--which is beautiful--but the last picture is perfect. HA! How did he get to the soy milk?

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  4. Hehe. I unwisely left the container in a shopping bag, thinking he wouldn't get into it, as I ran out to pick up lunch.

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  5. That looks great! also I think we have the same knife, only yours is the bad ass black version.

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  6. The knife was a gift and I keep forgetting about it because I've been keeping it in a drawer until I get a block for it. My other knives live on a magnetic strip on the wall and are impossible to miss in my kitchen!

    I do really like ceramic knives though!

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  7. Couscous cake? How have I never heard of this?

    Did you grow your collards? If so, I am jealous; they are gorgeous. I really need to plant more than tomatoes next year.

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  8. I love collards in my mac & cheese too. Vegan Diner's been high up on my must buy list for a while now too & I think your mac & cheese has pushed me over the edge!

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  9. Hahaha Andy!! How cheeky and cute. Never heard of coucous cake either, not sure how I feel about it!

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  10. you pooch looks like our pooch, julie. i had to do a double-take! i love mix'n peas into my mac 'n cheeze and never did i ever think to mix in collards. this surprises me because i love collards. so. much.

    i'm also love'n that couscous cake; excellent choice on the rosewater, too. delicious!!!

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  11. Thanks for showing the pictures of how to make collard ribbons! As a visual person, it's easier for me to know how to make stuff if I can see it being done.

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  12. What a good dog Andy is! My guinea pigs won't even eat the stems of lettuce, let alone that of collards. :-)

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  13. I love your dogs!!!! You can never post too many photos of them in my opinion. :) Also, collards are rad.

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