Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut oil, lard or other vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning (see below)
• 1 ham hock (optional)
• 10 cups water
• 3 pounds assorted greens (i.e. kale, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, chard, parsley, dandelion greens, beet greens), chopped (about 14 cups)
• Salt
• 1 pound smoked andouille sausage (optional)
• File powder to taste (optional)
• Cajun Spice Blend
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika

Instructions

1. Make the roux: Start the gumbo by making a roux, which will add a lot of flavor and thicken the gumbo. Heat the cup of peanut oil or lard (both are traditional roux ingredients) over medium heat for a minute or two and then stir in the flour. Mix so there are no lumps.
2. Cook the roux over medium-low heat until it is the color of chocolate. It is your choice how dark you let your roux go. The darker it is, the better, but once the roux gets dark it can burn easily, so you must stir constantly and keep and eye on it.
3. Heat water to a simmer: While the roux is cooking, bring the 10 cups of water to a simmer.
4. Add onions, celery, green pepper, then garlic to roux: When the roux is dark enough, mix in the chopped onions, celery and green pepper and turn the heat to medium. Let this cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
5. Add bay leaves, spice, hot water: Add the bay leaves, the Cajun spice and slowly stir in the hot water. The roux will seize up at first, but keep stirring and it will all come together in a silky broth.
6. Add ham hock, greens, cover and simmer: Add the ham hock and all the greens. Taste for salt, but remember the ham hock will be salty, so let the broth be a little under-salted for now. If you want to add more Cajun spice, do so now. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
7. Remove meat from ham hock bones, chop and return to pot: Check the ham hock. If the meat is falling off the bone, remove it, discard the bones, chop the meat and return it to the pot. If the hock is not ready, keep simmering the gumbo; ham hocks don't always cook at the same rate.
8. Add andouille sausage: Once the hock is ready, add the andouille sausage and cook for another 15 minutes.
9. Serve with file powder at the table.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 cups chicken pieces and scraps from a rotisserie baked chicken (we slice the breast for salads or other recipes, then use the scraps in soup)
• 2 packages dry ramen noodles, any flavor – use only 1 of the flavor packets
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 6 cups water
• 6-8 cups prepared chicken broth
• 4-6 cups thinly sliced fresh greens or 2 cups cooked greens, drained and chopped
• 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes (optional)
• 2-4 carrots, sliced thinly (optional)
• 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced into thin circles
• 4 scallions (optional)
• 1 hard boiled egg, sliced for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring the water to boil in a large soup pot, add the baked chicken skin, scraps, scallions and carrots for 7 minutes.
2. When the chicken scraps have turned the boiling water into a rich broth, remove the skin, but leave the chicken pieces and vegetables. Reduce heat to medium high (7 on a scale of 0-9) Add the ramen noodles and boil until tender. If you are using fresh greens, add with the dry ramen noodles. If you are using cooked greens, add them after the noodles are tender.
3. Add one of the jalapeño peppers, the tomatoes, and the cream of celery soup. Add the extra chicken broth and cook on medium high for 7 more minutes.
4. To serve, fill a bowl with soup and garnish with 2 slices of hardboiled egg and the2-3 slices from the second jalapeño pepper. Place 1 lime wedge on the edge of the bowl to squeeze into the soup just before eating for a delicious tang.

Notes

Ingredients

• 1/3 bunch of swiss chard, roughly chopped.
• ½ onion, sliced into 1/8 in slices
• 2 Sweet Peppers (Hungarian Waxed), sliced into 1/8 in slices
• 2 T fresh squeezed orange juice
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Salt
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan and add the onion and peppers. Saute until softened. Add the chard and cook until it starts to blend with the onions and peppers. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper and salt. Stir, then add the orange juice. Stir to combine, but then let it simmer until the juice is absorbed and gets a little caramelized. Serve warm.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, tough stems removed, leaves thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
• 1/2 head Savoy cabbage, cored and thinly sliced (4 cups)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 4 skinless salmon fillets (4 to 6 ounces each)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss kale and cabbage with 2 tablespoons oil and spread in an even layer; season with salt and pepper and bake 6 minutes. Stir. Season salmon and add to baking sheet. Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together lemon zest and juice, dill, mustard, and remaining 1/4 cup oil. Season. Drizzle salmon and vegetables with dressing before serving.
3. http://www.marthastewart.com/1033633/roasted-salmon-kale-and-cabbage

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tsp.s honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb. grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced
• 6 oz. crumbled feta cheese, or more to taste
• 1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Instructions

1. Whisk the vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and oregano in a bowl until the honey has dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil until evenly blended. Place the kale, Swiss chard, chicken, feta cheese, and walnuts into a bowl. Toss with the dressing to serve.
2. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kale-swiss-chard-chicken-and-feta-salad/

Ingredients

• This Italian recipe is from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian cookbook.
• For the Swiss Chard
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, coarsely chopped (use both stems and leaves)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• About ¼ tsp. salt
• For the eggs
• 6 eggs
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. To prepare the chard, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, as if you were boiling pasta. Drop in the chard and boil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is tender. Drain. Rinse under cold water and then squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
2. Put the 2 Tbsp. olive oil and garlic in a non-stick frying pan or sauté pan and set over medium-high heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the greens and about ¼ tsp. salt (taste as you go) and mix well. Stir and cook for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
3. Put eggs into a medium bowl and beat them well. Add the salt, pepper to taste, and chard. Mix well, separating the chard pieces.
4. Put the 3 Tbsp. olive oil into a nonstick, omelette-type frying pan with a metal handle (about 10 in. at the top and 7 in. at the bottom) and set over medium-low heat. Stir the egg mixture in the bowl and pour it in, swirling the pan to spread it evenly. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. When eggs have cooked for 5 minutes, turn the heat down to low and cook another 5 minutes. Uncover the frying pan and put it under the broiler for about 2 minutes, or until the top has set. It should go on the top or second to top oven rack. Slide the frittata onto a serving plate and serve hot