Gingery Greens

If Satchel had his way, we would eat this every day. He LOVES these greens. The recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Directions

1 pound kale, collards, or other greens

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons peeled and minced or grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Wash the greens in several changes of water, if needed. Remove any stem thicker than ¼ inch diameter.

Steam or boil in medium saucepan over one inch of water for 10 minutes or more, till soft. Drain and rinse, and chop if you like.

Heat oil in large non-stick sauté pan, add garlic and cook for one minute—do not brown.

Add greens and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes.

Add ginger and cook another minute.

Add soy sauce and sesame oil and remove from heat.

Neua Nam Tok (Vietnamese Grilled Beef Salad)

This recipe comes from Mark Bittman’s The Best Recipes in the World. It is so delicious. It will be an excellent recipe for summer. I think I'll grow a pot of mint just for this salad!

Ingredients

1 to 1 ½ pounds strip steak, about 1 inch thick

salt to taste

1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste

¼ cup nam pla (fish sauce)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

2 shallots, sliced

2 small fresh chiles, preferably Thai, stemmed, seeded and minced, or 2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

roughly 4 cups red or green leaf lettuce, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled if necessary, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and sliced

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Preheat a grill or broiler. Sprinkle the steak with salt and pepper, then grill for about 4 minutes per side (or until it’s as cooked as you want it). Remove from the heat and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, shallots, chiles and sugar. Cut the steak into ¼-inch slices and immediately toss the steak with the dressing.

Place the lettuce, cucumber, mint and cilantro on a plate and top with the steak and dressing. Serve immediately.

Chicken Tacos

This is a good recipe for chicken tacos that are a little different than what we usually make. It comes from Cook's Country.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

salt and pepper

Directions

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and chipotle and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in orange juice, Worcestershire, and ½ cup cilantro. Bring mixture to a boil and then add chicken. Cover the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue to simmer until the chicken is done (160 degrees), about 5 to 10 minutes more.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover it with foil to keep it warm and let it rest.

Increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in mustard.

Using two forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to skillet. Add remaining cilantro and stir everything until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with tortillas and all your favorite taco toppings.