1. 2 lb spinach, chopped (I used frozen – it’s easier because it’s already chopped!)
2. ¼ c minced onion
3. ½ lb feta cheese + ½ lb cottage cheese, mixed together
4. 4 eggs
5. 1 tsp dill
6. pinch parsley & salt
7. 1 stick butter, melted
8. ½ lb phyllo dough, thawed according to directions

Directions:

1. Combine first six ingredients together.
2. Butter 9×13” pan.
3. Place 4 leaves on bottom of pan, buttering each leaf with a basting brush.
4. Place ½ of spinach mixture on leaves.
5. Place 4 buttered leaves on mixture, buttering each leaf with a basting brush.
6. Place remaining mixture and 4 more leaves on top, buttering each leaf with a basting brush.
7. Turn edges of dough toward edge of pan.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.

NOTES:

You need to work really quickly with the phyllo dough. This takes a bit of practice.

The above recipe is for a casserole. To make appetizers, instead of using one pan, use two – this will make a thinner spanikopita, which you can cut into small squares.  These are a huge hit at parties!

• Add 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernals
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2-3 chopped red peppers
• 1 teaspoonful cumin
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 T olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lime
• fresh thyme and basil (optional)

Toss it all together and serve warm or room temp. Great way to get protein and veggies into a meal. Also great for BBQ’s and potlucks. Enjoy!

• 2 1/2 pounds collard greens, leaves halved lengthwise and stems and center ribs discarded
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

• Stack half of collard leaves and roll into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into very thin strips (1/8 inch wide) with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining leaves. Or, if you’re lazy like me, use the food processor.
• Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook half of collards, tossing, until just tender and bright green, about 1 minute, and transfer to a serving dish. Cook remaining collards in remaining 2 teaspoons oil in same manner, then toss all of collards with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Alternate:

Sautee a few cloves of garlic in the oil. Delish! And healthy!

We get a lot of potatoes with our organic produce box and I’ve been frying them! The time investment and the nutritional sacrifice of fried potatoes is big, so I insist that they come out right! With a lot of advice from my friend, Mart, who has been successfully practicing the art of the fried potato over many years, they came out crispy and perfect this time.

Ingredients

• 4-5 medium potatoes
• canola oil
• salt
• black pepper
• optional spices: red pepper, cumin, or rosemary.
• optional veggies: chopped onions, bell peppers, kale
• optional cheese: any type that melts

Directions

1. Cut up the potatoes in small 1/2 inch pieces and shake generous amounts of salt, pepper and other spices over them.
2. Fill a large frying pan with canola oil. Leave at least an inch of room between the oil and the top of the side so the oil doesn’t escape the pan.
3. Heat the oil on high heat. Test if the oil is hot enough by tossing in one piece of potato – it should bubble and fry vigorously. If the oil gets smoky, then you’ve waited too long! Be careful and stand back at an arm’s length from the pan as you add the rest of the potatoes to the hot oil. Arrange the potato pieces so that they are all mostly covered by the oil.
4. Monitor the stove temperature so the oil doesn’t boil over, but don’t touch or stir the potatoes. Let them fry as long as it takes to see them browning. This will take awhile – about 25 – 35 min.
5. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 350 – 375 and chop 2 onions into large pieces. Toss the onion pieces in olive oil on a baking sheet and put them in the oven.
6. After the potatoes are browned in the skillet, drain the oil and add them to the onions. Bake for 15 min.
7. Sautee the other optional vegetables while the potatoes finish in the oven.
8. Combine the potatoes with other vegetables and/or shredded cheese and serve while hot!

This will serve a crowd:

2 cups red lentils, washed and picked over
olive oil
1 onion chopped
1/2 apple thinly sliced and cut in quarters
3 cloves garlic, minced
just over half of one box of lo sodium veggie/chicken stock/water (stock makes them more flavorful.)
3 whole peeled canned tomatoes and a splash of their juice
hefty pinch dark brown sugar
big pinch: cumin
lesser pinches: curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, sage
splash of apple juice
2 handfuls raisins

basmati rice

1. Heat a stock pot on high. Heat olive oil. Saute onions until translucent.
2. Turn down the heat. Add Lentils to pan and dry and toast them a bit.
3. Add apple to the pan stirring and cooking until some of the juices are released.
4. Add minced garlic. Saute until just fragrant.
5. With your fingers break up the tomatoes and add them and the juice to the pan.
6. Add stock and remaining ingredients.
7. Bring mixture to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and cover the pot.

MAKE RICE.

Check after around 25 minutes to be sure their is still some liquid. The beans will take between 30-45 min to cook. If you need to, add more stock.

INGREDIENTS:

freshly made sub buns (from your grocer’s bakery section)

fake butter (what we call soft spread in a tub)

garlic powder

dried oregano

sprinkle cheese (Kraft parmesan cheese)

DIRECTIONS:

Place upper oven rack in the second position from the top. Preheat to BROIL temperature. Cut two sub buns and place open faced upon a baking sheet (Four halves). Spread the fake butter on each. Sprinkle garlic powder on each. Pour oregano in your left palm, take a pinch, and crush it as you sprinkle onto bread. This help open up the flavor of the oregano (credit: mom). Shake the sprinkle cheese. Don’t use too much cheese.

Place in broiler for 3-ish minutes. Keep a close eye, they’re done when golden brown. A little black around the edges is OK. You’ll smell it if you’re’ve left it in too long

Remove from oven and cut horizontally into roughly two-inch strips. Throw ‘em on a serving plate and place on dinner table. Watch them disappear!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 a pound of broad flat beans, such as Romano, or Dragon’s Tongue (purple and white marbled)

Olive oil

Garlic

1-2 T summer savory, finely chopped

Salt & pepper

Toss a mixture of the romano and dragon’s tongue in the olive oil, and add salt, pepper, and summer savory to taste.  Grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, 5-8 minutes.

teff flour

white flour

water

salt

Add a small amount of teff to a small amount of water. Stir, and leave it on the counter for a few days. When you see it starting to develop bubbles, stir in a little white flour and a little more water. Let it sit again for another day or two. Add a little more teff and a little more water, and keep waiting. Your goal is to build toward a batter that’s about 50%/50% teff/white and that’s lively and quite thin–closer to the consistency of paint than to the consistency of dough. By the day you cook it you need to have at least a cup of batter for every two people you’re feeding–more if they’re hungry. When you’re ready to cook the injeras, add some salt (say half a teaspoon per cup of batter) and mix thoroughly. Take the largest non-stick frypan you have, grease lightly, and heat to the point where a drop of water tossed onto the surface skitters around. Reduce heat to medium, and pour a thin layer of batter into the pan. Cover with a lid, but check frequently–they cook really quickly. As soon as the entire top surface is dry, the injera is done. Remove it from the pan, set it aside, and pour another. The goal is to have a thin spongy pancake as large in diameter as possible, with lots of tiny holes in its upper surface. When serving, place one injera on each plate, pile wat or stewed greens or other foods on top, then use torn-off pieces of a second injera to scoop up mouthfuls of the toppings, finishing off by eating the base layer.

Teff can be found at health-food stores and (I’m told) at Whole Foods. You can even order it through Amazon. I’ve read that you can substitute buckwheat, but I imagine it probably has a different flavor.