With time being short lately, let's see if I can be a bit more succinct in my write up for this one today! It has been a while since I've posted twice in one week on here, but this combination of beautiful farmers market produce and healthy pantry staples was good enough to get a feature on the blog. The meal was quick to put together, and you can easily substitute some of the main ingredients for whatever you might have on hand or growing in your own part of the world.
One of the stars of the bowl was this gorgeous bunch of sprouted collard greens. This is what happens when your collards start to bolt. They produce stalks that very much resemble other brassicas with lovely little golden flowers if they get to the point of blooming. You can eat them just as you would the leaves of the collard plant, and it's a great way to make sure nothing goes to waste even if you forget about your harvest before it sprouts!
Doesn't that look incredibly inviting to poke a fork in and try? So fresh and delicious, plus packed full of nutrients like the other brassicas and hearty leafy greens. I opted for a simple preparation. A small pat of vegan butter went into the warmed pan along with one sliced spring onion (greens and base). After the onion softened slightly, I added in the roughly chopped bunch of sprouted collards to cook for about 7-8 minutes. Make sure not to overcook or you'll lose that gorgeous vibrant color. For extra flavor, two minced cloves of garlic went in just at the end, followed by a few turns of fresh cracked pepper and a squeeze of lemon to serve. Perfection!
My farmer, Lynn, was kind enough to gift me the collards as a birthday present, so I couldn't help but do them justice. The spring onion was also from her farm, while the golden beets, kohlrabi and salad microgreens were also straight from the farmers market to the bowl. I also got to try fresh chervil for the first time--a lovely green herb with a subtle anise-like flavor. Which leads me to the other portion of the dish...the golden salad!
Golden Salad
- 1 cup of dried golden lentils or sub red if those are easier to find
- 1 cup quinoa or other whole grain
- 1 bunch golden beets, trimmed & peeled
- 1 large bulb kohlrabi, trimmed & peeled
- 1 small bunch of fresh chervil or other fresh herb, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- raw chopped walnuts to serve
Cook the lentils and quinoa according to package directions. Both should only take about 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
Using a grater or food processor, shred the raw beets and kohlrabi. Add to a large bowl with the cooled lentils and quinoa, gently stirring together with the chopped chervil.
Whisk together the remaining ingredients through the nutritional yeast. Taste and adjust the dressing to your liking before stirring into the salad. Top with walnuts and serve!
Some extra microgreens never hurt, especially to add some extra nutrients and pop of fresh, slightly bitter flavor. This bowl was one of those that truly epitomizes the beauty of spring produce. The subtle flavor of the golden lentils was perfect to let the vegetables sing without overpowering them like brown lentils might. I'm still on the mustard dressing kick, but it really works so well with bitter greens. And there are so many subtle ways to adjust it for a slightly different accompaniment ever time!
If you come across some sprouted brassicas, I encourage you to give them a try. Greens are worth their weight in gold to keep the body health!
I might be taking a bit of liberty with greens being the total star, but this post was partially inspired by the new weekly Plant Power Cooking Challenge initiated by @justinparke for @naturalmedicine on the @lotusshares account. Plus I know how much he likes plant based takes on collard greens... ;)
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