Miso Braised Greens with Zucchini, Onions and Peppers

Here in the South, family reunions, church suppers and backyard get-together’s are time honored traditions. During every season, there is always some function or another to attend.  These times of fellowship usually feature piles of great food (if you are lucky) and a wonderful time of fellowship with friends and family.   All types of food are represented at these functions and it’s my mission to make sure my contribution to these events are as healthy as they are delicious.  These Miso Braised Greens with Zucchini, Onions and Peppers fit the bill. I predict that they will soon become a favorite addition at our gatherings.  They are delicious, full of flavor and just happen to be vegan and gluten-free!

Southern food is some of the best food in the world…no brag, just fact!  Let’s face it, we start out ahead of the game with fresh produce, some of which is available locally most of the year because of our milder climate. Then, as my kids like to say, we “put our big toe in it” by spicing it up with just the right seasonings.  A great cook always cooks with a little flair and a whole lot of love.

Cooking with love starts with selecting the best and freshest ingredients you can find.  Unless you grow your own produce, one of the best places to find fresh, local fruits and vegetables is at your local Farmer’s Market.  There, you can find almost anything you want.  The Farmer’s Market is one of my favorite places to spend a pleasant morning or afternoon. On my last trip to the Farmer’s Market, the vendors had some beautiful greens…collards, swiss chard, cabbage, turnip greens, mustard greens, kale…just to name a few.  I loaded my bag with some collards, cabbage, red swiss chard, kale and headed home with my bounty.  This combinations was perfect for creating Miso Braised Greens with Zucchini, Onions and Peppers.

Greens, Glorious Greens!: Freshly picked greens from your local farmers market are delicious, nutritious and budget friendly!

In the case of Miso Braised Greens with Zucchini, Onions and Peppers, it’s got all the right stuff in all the right places.  Inspired by  a recipe by Chef Bryant Terry’s Collards and Cabbage with Lots of Garlic, this dish is so full of flavor that you’ll neither miss nor want the pork so often present in Southern greens.

Best of all, it doesn’t require any fancy footwork to get this dish to the table.  You can use whatever greens are in season.  Or, use a combination of greens.  The trick to this dish is to cut your greens into small slices ( or chiffonade as the fancy folks say).  A good chef’s knife comes in handy for this task.  I use one like this

  http://amzn.to/2mlSRwj Its both beautiful and functional.   If you are using collards, kale or another hardier green, a quick blanching tames the flavor and speeds up the cooking time.  In no time at all, you can have this delicious dish on the table.

Miso Braised Greens and Zucchini…Healthier, Plant-Based Eating is as Close as Your Local Farmer’s Market!

Drizzle these babies with a little hot pepper vinegar and serve them up with a slice of warm cornbread (vegan of course), some beans (that have been thumping on the stove…NOT FROM A CAN) and fresh, sliced tomatoes and you’ve got yourself a meal fit for a king!  YOU KNOW HOW WE DO!!

Miso Braised Greens with Zucchini, Onions and Peppers

Add mixed greens and zucchini to a base of golden sauteed onions and peppers, then braise in a flavorful miso and mustard sauce until succulent.  These delicious greens will have them coming back for more!

• Author: Benita Gibbs

Ingredients

• 1 TB Olive Oil (or coconut oil if you prefer)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large green or red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 12 cups boiling, salted water
• 1 1/2 -2 lbs thinly sliced mixed greens (I used collards, cabbage, swiss chard, kale and mustard greens)
• 2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
• 1/4 cup miso (I like Organic White Miso from Miso Masters)
• 1 TB dijon mustard
• 1 TB Tamari (or soy sauce if that’s what you have on hand)
• 2 cups vegetable stock, either fresh or homemade (or you can just use 2 cups of the water you used to blanch the greens)
• Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Wash, de-stem and thinly slice greens
• Blanch greens in boiling, salted water for about 1 minute;  remove and quickly cool in an ice bath;  set aside
• Heat a large frying pan over medium heat;  add oil and, once hot, add onions and peppers;
• Saute onions and peppers until softened and onion are golden;
• Add garlic, red pepper flakes and zucchini;  Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes;
• Add drained greens and stir;
• Mix miso, mustard and tamari with stock or reserved water from blanched greens.
• Pour miso mix over greens and let cook about 15 – 20 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.