Having just returned from a mini-vacay where I enjoyed especially the privilege of other folks cooking for me for two days, I was reluctant to make dinner tonight. (Not to mention the fact that when N came home, his right shoulder smelled strangely of cheap Chinese food which I immediately started craving. But as that is basically too weird to have written, let’s move on.) Admitting that 1) our fridge is stuffed with raw materials purchased at the Ann Arbor farmer’s market and 2) the visit left me penniless, I decided to whip up an old, quick favorite–sweet hot n sour kale n tofu.
The recipe is based on one I read in Dr. Andrew Weil (say “while”)’s book Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, and the idea is to use your ingredients’ sweet, spicy, and astringent tastes to balance & illumine one another. Here’s what I do:
- Clean and chop some kale (I’ve used regular curly; heirloom Red Russian & Dinosaur)
- Put a little oil in your [cast-iron] skillet; generously add minced garlic (prepared or freshly minced) and some red pepper flakes to taste
- Saute, add greens with a little powdered mustard (a few pinches; it helps the flavor of the greens); toss around well; add some tamari or soy sauce, a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (I like Bragg’s organic), and a couple tbsps of brown sugar
- Mix well and cover for a few minutes so that it can steam and cook down a bit (greens cook down a LOT)
To up the protein and make a full meal, use your skillet to stir-fry some (extra-)firm tofu in a little oil with garlic; toss with the cooked greens and serve over organic brown rice.
Heey, here’s a picture!
(That’s Zingerman’s vegan farm bread in the back.)
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