Thursday, June 28, 2012

Green pancake


The thing about trying to eat more fresh vegetables is the amount of cooking it requires.  And I’ve been busy with weekend social engagements, meetings, and appointments after work.  So my veggies were piling up; I eat a salad every day at lunch but that just doesn’t make a big dent.   

With another CSA share rapidly approaching I had to step to it.  Yesterdy, after getting home late, I used my bok choy, from the previous week’s share, by grilling it on my counter top compression grill along with some reduced fat kielbasa, and I chopped some scallion which I mixed into a side of brown rice.  The whole meal took 15 minutes to prepare and was balanced enough but I had plenty of greens left. 

Not surprisingly, what I had left were my least favorites.  My beloved toscano kale was long used up but beet greens and carrot tops?  Those I had.

Cheese to the rescue.  

Trust me, its hard to make carrot greens taste good.  In fact there are plenty of people who just don’t ever bother with carrot tops; at my old CSA they were collected at our pick up area (an environmental center) as rabbit food, not for human consumption. Not only are they not all that tasty, but they are a hassle.  Somehow carrot greens have a super power ability to stick to everything: the bowl, the pot, the spatula, the knife, the sieve, the sink and most annoyingly, your hands.  So why bother?  Well simply put: they’re good for me, and I have them.

Carrots are super healthful.  Carrots have been shown to aid in warding off cardiovascular disease and colon cancer.  Admittedly the studies pretty much focus on the root, the carrot, of the plant not the greens. But I figure there has to be some carry over to the leaves.

Mixing the carrot greens with the beet greens and cilantro helped cut their bitterness, and the onion rounded it all out.  The rice and flours were added just to give it some body and add a grain element to the meal, the egg as a binder.  It was the cheese blend (NY white cheddar and Parmigiano Reggiano) that really made the flavor tip over into tasty, complimented by the deliciousness of pan frying in butter (and olive oil) – what doesn’t taste great when cooked to a crispy golden?

Green Pancakes (6 pancakes, 3 servings)
1 bunch beet greens, stems trimmed
1 bunch carrot greens, stems trimmed
1 bunch cilantro, stems trimmed
¼ red onion
1 cup mixed whole grain flours (whole wheat, buckwheat, flaxmeal)
1 cup brown rice with scallions
1.5 cups shredded cheese
2 eggs
butter & olive oil

Quickly boil the beet and carrot greens.  Drain and add to the food processor along with cilantro, onion, and rice. Process until finely chopped.  In a bowl, mix the veggies with the flours until fully in corporated.  Then mix in cheese.  Once its well mixed, add the eggs and mix in well.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan. Form greens into patties and put in pan.  Cover and cook 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook another 4-5 minutes covered, over medium high heat.
Enjoy hot.

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