One of the things I love about summer is the many varieties of fresh greens: Swiss Chard, turnip, pea vines, escarole, lettuce, mustard. There is a vendor at my farmer's market that offers ethnic Hmong greens. I don't know the names of them but I try them and like them.
When it's hot and humid, the last thing I want to do is cook but I still need to make sure I have healthy substantial food ready for me. In the morning, I'll cook a large pot of greens, enough for 3-4 days, add a marinade and chill in the fridge. Then the greens are ready for me when I'm hungry.
Pea Vines
These are pea vines and mushrooms. Very tasty and fun. I'll wash and drain whatever greens I have, chop them into bite size pieces and saute them over low to medium heat in olive oil, coconut oil or animal fat. Sometimes I add Walking Onion greens or a few cloves of garlic or chopped mushroom. I'll add the garlic on top of the greens so they don't burn. If I have some fresh herbs like dill, basil, parsley or thyme, I'll snip some of them into the pot.
I try to cook them slowly to avoid scorching but if I do scorch, I'll add a bit of kombucha vinegar as a remedy.
After all the greens are tender but not mushy, I'll take them off the heat and let them sit in the pot and cool for about 20 minutes. Then I put them in a bowl with a cover and squeeze fresh lemon and/or lime juice on top. I'll add a little kombucha vinegar or rice vinegar and a bit of salt. The resulting tastes are sweet, sour and a trifle salty. When they're completely cool, I cover and refrigerate. They last 4-5 days and complement any meal or snack in hot, steamy weather.
A finished batch of Marinated Swiss Chard
Enjoy the bounty that is summer and share beautiful food with a friend!!
