Cooking Light Collards Recipe Recipe For Zucchini

KILLER COLLARDS

Steps:

• Melt the Spiced Butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chiles and saute until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the collards and stir in the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt to taste and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until the greens are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve hot or warm.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic, shallots, ginger, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, ajwain, black pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric. Simmer very gently for 30 minutes to infuse the flavors. Keep an eye on this; you don't want the milk solids to brown.
• Skim off all the foam and any floating seeds and let the butter sit for about 10 minutes for the milk solids to settle on the bottom.
• Carefully pour the spiced butter through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth into a container, leaving the solids behind. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. It will keep for months. Yield: 3 cups

COLLARDS

Steps:

• Prepare the collards for cooking by cutting the large stems from the center of the leaves. Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1-inch strips
• Put 2 inches of water in a saucepan large enough to hold the raw collards (the leaves can be pushed down tightly and will wilt to about one-quarter volume as they cook). Add the ham hock or pork and bring the water to a boil. Add the collards and toss with tongs until the water returns to a boil and the leaves wilt down into the pan. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until tender. Stir occasionally, checking to be sure there is enough liquid to prevent scorching. Taste the liquid and add salt if needed. Serve with buttermilk cornbread and hot sauce.

LIGHT SPICY ZUCCHINI AND TOMATO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven broiler. Slice the zucchini on a sharp angle about 1/2-inch thick and place on a baking sheet lined with foil and nonstick cooking spray. Coat the zucchini with nonstick cooking spray and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Broil, flipping once, until just golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and jalapeno and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin and tomatoes. Continue to cook until the tomatoes are soft and the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, lightly mash with a fork and season with salt and pepper.
• Coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Place about 1/2 of the zucchini in the bottom of the dish and top with 1/2 of the tomato sauce. Repeat the layers and cover with foil. Bake until bubbly and hot, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cheese and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, sprinkle with the cilantro.