By now there ought to be oodles of fresh greens coming out of your garden.  We’re enjoying fresh, tender kale and collards.  Unfortunately, the gophers ate most of the beets, so we’re on the war path.  But, here is my favorite way to cook greens.  I cook them all the same, except when I just stir fry with a little olive oil and garlic.

Tasty Cooked Greens
from Vegan Homestyle: Simple Recipes For Healthy Living by Kay Hansen

Carefully wash and coarsely chop greens of your choice such as: kale, collards, chard, beet greens, mustard greens, etc.  The stems may be removed during washing by pulling the leaf away from the stem.  Greens will cook down to about 1/4 in volume. Plan to cook 1 bunch per 2 people served.

Place approximately 1/4 - 1/2 inch of water in a large pan.
Layer the following:

          Chopped greens
Olive oil - spray lightly with Misto^® Sprayer
Garlic - 1-2 pressed or chopped cloves
          Onion - 1-2 T. chopped onions per layer
         Vegetarian Chicken-style Seasoning - 1-2 t. per layer (see below)

Cover the pot with a lid. Bring water to a boil, turn to medium heat and steam for 20-30 minutes until tender. Stir occasionally.

Live-for-Health Vegetarian Chicken-style Seasoning

1-1/3   c.         yeast flakes

1/4       c.         onion powder1          t.          garlic powder

1          T.         barley malt powder

1          T.         parsley

1          T.         salt

1          t.          basil

1/2       t.          marjoram

1/2       t.          paprika

1/2       t.          ground celery seed

1/2       t.          turmeric

1/2       t.          savory
Place all ingredients in a dry blender and blend until well mixed.  Store in an airtight container. Use for seasoning tofu, soup, veggies, gravy or sauces.

This is my new favorite breakfast treat.  It’s high protein and makes my tummy really happy with I have fried tofu on toast for breakfast.

Slice you 1 lb. of firm tofu into 8 even slices.  I cook 1/2 one day and the other 1/2 the next.  Heat a cast iron fry pan on medium, spray with non-stick spray or olive oil and add your tofu.  Sprinkle the top of your tofu with a little Bragg liquid aminos.  Fry until brown on the bottom.  Turn.  Sprinkle with a little vegetarian chicken-style seasoning.  When brown on the bottom, turn and cook for just a few seconds (too long and the CS seasoning will burn).  Serve on fresh toast.   Better than bacon!

Whole wheat pita bread is so tasty with your homemade hommus. I’ve found that my homemande pita doesn’t fall apart like the ones I buy frozen. You just have to give it a little attention. The recipe for Whole Wheat Pita Bread is in my book, Vegan Homestyle. Here are some tips: Divide the dough and weigh them out into 4oz. balls. This will make just the right size pita. When rolling into a ball, keep folding toward the center and pinch to make a nice tight ball. Then your margins will be smooth when you roll it out. Also, roll it thin, 1/8″ or less. It won’t rise much but it will puff nicely in the oven. Make sure you preheat the oven and the pan or baking stone you are going to use so everything is hot. They’re simple. I mixed up a batch in my food processor the other day and it was easy.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

1 T. active dry yeast, scant
1 t. barley malt powder or Sucanat®
1 1/2 c. warm water 110-115°
2 t. salt, use canning salt
2 t. olive oil
3 1/2–4 c. whole wheat bread flour, fresh ground if possible
Unbleached flour for rolling

Mix together warm water, sweetener and yeast. Stir until dissolved and let proof until bubbly. Add yeast mixture to bread mixer or bowl. Add enough whole wheat flour to make a soft spongy mixture and mix to develop gluten for 5 minutes. Add salt, oil and enough whole wheat flour to make a soft, only slightly sticky dough. When too stiff to stir, turn out on a floured board and knead, adding a little flour if needed, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. If you use a mixer or food processor it won’t need that much hand kneading.  Divide dough into 8–10 balls, cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Dust the board with a little unbleached flour and roll each ball out into a circle 6–8 in diameter and about an 1/8 thick or less. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a towel. Place in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 500°. Put a baking sheet or pizza pan with little holes, or a wire mesh on the lowest oven rack. Place 2–3 pita rounds on the baking sheet on the bottom rack (whatever will fit) and bake for 3 minutes. Pitas will puff up like a balloon. Do not allow pitas to become crisp. Remove to a cooling rack and cover with a towel to retain moisture. Pitas will deflate as they cool. Bake the remaining circles the same way. When cool, pitas can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated or frozen. To reheat, cut pitas in half, slightly separate the edges and stack in a casserole dish. Cover and reheat for 10 minutes at about 250°. Serve with Hommus and lots of chopped veggies.