Collard Greens/Yams/Salmon Croquettes, with Carrot-Mango Juice

Collard Greens/Yams/Salmon Croquettes, with Carrot-Mango Juice

Collard Greens

I use the greens in the bag found in the produce section. So much easier than cleaning and cutting up whole leaves. I do however still wash them even though it says they are pre-washed on the bag.

Ingredients:

2 bags of Collard Greens

1 medium sized brown onion

First I dice my onion. I then put approximately 2 tablespoons of Canola Oil in the pot that I'm going to cook the greens in. Once the oil is heated I toss in the onions. I saute the onions over medium heat, constantly stirring them until they appear clear. I then add 4 cups of water, and then the greens. I let them cook for about an hour, more if they are still not tender. I found an healthy foods chef online that insist on cooking greens for 5-10 minutes, just until they are a bright green. I tried that and it wasn't bad, but a little tough. Traditional African American cooking of greens take a bit more time than that, so I'm sticking with tradition here.

I am breaking tradition on the seasonings though. You will notice that there are no seasoning meats like ham hoc or neckbone. I stopped using those some 30 years ago and switched to turkey ham. Now days I go au naturale, no meats at all. Also, I no longer use salt in any of my dishes. Instead I season with garlic powder, black and cayenne pepper, and Mrs. Dash's Table Blend and Mrs. Dash's Onion and Herb.  Now, I know I'm supposed to give you exact measurements so that you can duplicate what I've done here, but like most unschooled-watch-what-your-mama's-doing cooks, I measure by feel and suggest you do so as well. You have to eat this, so season it to your taste...but stay away from that evil salt!

Yams

Ingredients:

2 medium sized yams

This ones easy. Take your 2 yams, wash them. Wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a cookie sheet. Heat your oven to 350 degrees and let them cook for approximately an hour. Check them ever so often by lightly pushing on them. The are ready once they are soft. They will let you know when they are ready by giving off a delightful aroma.

Salmon Croquettes

Ingredients:

1 can Red (Sockeye) or Pink Salmon

2 medium eggs

1/2 small onion

1/2 bell pepper

I first diced up my veggies and placed them in a bowl that will be large enough to hold the salmon. I personally don't like the bones in my salmon, so I pick them out as much as I can. I then put the salmon in the bowl with the veggies, using a fork to separate the salmon and mix. I add the 2 eggs and season to taste, again using black and cayenne peppers, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash's Table Blend. Mix well and form into 2-3 inch diameter patties. In a skillet I heat my Canola oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan by about a 1/4 of an inch. Once it is hot, I drop my patties in, let them brown on one side, turn them over and brown on the other side and then take them out. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Notice that tradition has been broken once again. The usual way to cook these are to cover them in flour, or add flour to the mix. Not necessary, trust me.

Carrot-Mango Juice

Ingredients:

10 Carrots

1 Mango

First I wash my carrots and my mango. I then cut off the ends of my carrots, a little something I learned when I first started juicing; it appears that pesticides concentrate at the ends, particularly the stem end. Of course if they are organic, no worries. I then remove the skin from my mango and cut it from the pit. This can be messy, so do it over a bowl so that you don't loose all those good juices. I have an Omega Juicer 1000. Love it! I couldn't live without it or my Vitamix. Anyway, I start off with the first half of my carrots, then add the mango being sure to include the juice that dripped into the bowl, and them the second half of carrots. Because the mango is so soft, it's important to sandwich it between the carrots so that you can squeeze all of the juice out.

Viola! There it is in about an hour and a half to two hours, an exquisite meal.

Enjoy.