Stuffed Collard Greens

Stuffed Collard Greens

Ingredients:

• 20-26 whole collard green leaves cleaned and thick part of stalk removed
  
• 1 can of your favorite beans
• 1 8oz package of goat cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella or jack cheese
• 1 large or 2 small diced shallots
• 2 cups chopped peppers
• 2 cups mashed cauliflower
• 2-4 Tbs fresh chopped parsley or cilantro or basil
  
• 1 tsp chili powder
• salt
• pepper
• 1 28oz can seasoned crushed tomatoes
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350deg
2. Boil water in a large stock pot and add collard greens. Turn heat off and let sit for 7-10 minutes.
3. Carefully remove collards from water and lay out grouping them small medium large.
4. In hot skillet cook the peppers, shallots, and cauliflower (if not already cooked) until they start to go limp
5. Combine peppers, shallots, cauliflower, fresh herb, cheese, and chili powder in a bowl and mix until goat cheese has dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste remembering that it can be added later.
6. Lay out a large/Medium collard green and scoop a golf ball sized amount of the mixture into the center. Wrap the outside of the collard green over the mixture. Wrap that stuffed collard with a small/medium leaf making sure that the major seam from your first wrap is covered by the new leaf.
7. Place in a medium sized baking dish.
8. Repeat until you are out of stuffing or greens.
9. Salt and pepper the top of the greens and cover with crushed tomatoes
   
10. Cover with foil and baked for 15 minutes
11. Remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes
12. Remove from over and let sit for a bit
13. Enjoy!

Commentary:
I came up with this recipe/idea on my own. I was in the market thinking about how I really wanted a stuffed shell but didn't want the pasta part and bam....it hit me! Why don't I stuff it in a collard green? The first go round was a bit of a mess! Not enough collards, too much mix, salty, but non the less tasty! I have tried making them a bunch now and this recipe is pretty much the base for a great tasting stuffed collard green. I find that keeping it simple on the inside makes it easier to pair with side dishes. It also helps those people cooking for vegetarians b/c you can always make a wonderful meat dish to serve along with the greens. I hope y'all enjoy!

Stuffed peppers with a Hungarian* twist

. *This recipe was created by a good Hungarian friend of mine. She followed a rough recipe from the internet but added a lot of her own style.

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 peppers, any colour.
• rice (enough to serve 2)
• half a pound mince meat
• mushrooms
• courgettes
• onion
• garlic
• chilli powder
• salt/pepper/basil/oregano
• olive oil
• tomato puree
• tin chopped tomatoes
• sour cream
• cheese. Very strong cheeses are best, when cooked they compliment the flavours in the dish very well. Use a mixture of any types that you want.
• Vegetable stock

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Chop the peppers in half, wash and clean out all the seed. Place in a dish side by side and drizzle a little olive oil into each one. Whenever the oven is fully heated, place into the oven for 10 minutes, to soften the peppers. Leave for 10 minutes only, then remove and leave aside for when you are ready with the filling.

2. Cook the rice in a saucepan of boiling water.

2. In separate a saucepan, heat some oil, then add in the chopped garlic, onion, and mince meat. Stir constantly until the meat is browned.

3. Add in the tomato puree, salt, pepper, and chilli powder.

4. When the rice is cooked, drain it well, and add it into the meat. Then mix in the tinned tomatoes, and chop and add all the vegetables you will use.

5. Stir the entire mixture together, tasting and adding in any more herbs as necessary.

6. When this is finished, take the dish of peppers and spoon the mixture into all the peppers. You will have far too much so once the peppers are filled, spoon it around the peppers throughout the dish, until all of the mixture is in the dish.

7. Mix some vegetable stock into a little water, not much, maybe 50 mls. Pour this into the bottom of the dish. (To stop the dish drying out while in the oven).

7. Spoon all of the sour cream on top of the rice/meat filling, covering the whole dish.

8. Slice all the cheese into nice thick slices and place it on top of the sour cream.

9. Put into the over and cook for 30 - 40 minutes. Leave uncovered for the first 10 minutes, and after this cover with tin foil and leave to cook for the remaining time.

10. To serve, spoon out each pepper onto a plate with all of the surrounding filling. Best accompanied by salad and coleslaw methinks, but of course anything that tickles your fancy will do!