Here are some simple recipes! Enjoy!
Click here for plant information!Basic sautéed greens: Mince ginger or garlic. Sautee briefly in olive oil, medium high heat. Add greens and salt. Stir fry until done to taste. Sprinkle with a little water if needed to keep from drying out while cooking. Greens are delicious on their own or mixed with any other greens.
Sautéed lambs quarters greens : Sautee onions (and a little paprika) till soft. Add rinsed growing tips (they may still feel ‘dusty’).
Stir and cook till tender, sprinkling w/ water to keep tender.
Molokhia Soup: Gently sauté onions in olive oil. Add homemade chicken broth and water. Bring to a simmer, add molokhia tips. Simmer until soft (a few minutes).
Lau and Shrimp curry: Peel and cube ~5-6 cups of young gourd. Sautee ~ 1cup copped onion in olive oil and one or two small hot green chilies. When onion starts to soften add 1-2 tsp of curry powder and a pinch of turmeric . stir and cook a few minutes. Add ~1lb of peeled shrimp, cook and stir a few minutes. Add gourd and a little water. Cover and cook until gourd is cooked (~20 min). When done there shold be some liquid for sauce. Adjust salt and curry powder to taste. Turn off heat and add chopped cilantro. Stir and let sit covered a few minutes. Serve with brown rice.
Sateed Bitter Melon: Slice young bitter melons very thin (~1/8 in) crosswise. The slices will look like green gears. Slice an approximately equal volume of onion. Begin sautéing sliced gourds in olive oil and with some salt, stirring frequently. When they turn mostly translucent add onion and continue to stir and cook. The onion releases moisture to help prevent the sliced gourds from drying out. At the end of cooking the onions and gourd should be soft, browned, and caramelized. The sweetness of the onions , the bitter of the gourd, and the saltiness should balance each other.
Sauteed Hyacinth Bean: Pick immature (flat) and mature (swollen but not dried) pods. Shell the mature pods saving the bean seeds. Simmer bean seeds and immature pods in a flat pan with olive oil, salt, ginger, and enough water to just cover. Cook for ~ 10 min until beans are cooked and water has evaporated. You can throw in some greens (i.e. sweet potato vine or Egyptian spinach) at the end and stir fry for a few minutes until they are also cooked. Serve with brown jasmine rice.
Chaya Soup: Pick Chaya leaves and roughly cut. Cook in simmering water, that covers the leaves, for 10 to 20 min until soft. Gently sauté some onion in generous olive oil and add to cooked Chaya and the cooking water. Add some or all : salt, pepper, chicken broth or more water, bay leaves, tomatoes, epazote , cilantro, fresh chiltepin etc. Garnish each bowl with a small amount of crushed garlic in olive oil. Serve with yellow corn tortillas.