Quick snack avec collard greens

So.. ever feel hungry and have no idea what you want? That is pretty much the story of my life. At best, I will know whether I am craving something sweet or salty, but my brain likes to make me guess after that point. Tonight I was poking around in my fridge and seeing what needed to be eaten and found a half a bunch of collard greens. They probably had a day left before they would need to be tossed, so what ever I made for a snack tonight needed to include collards.

Wasn't sure what to call this concoction.... but here it is...

Earthy, salty and pretty healthy. Made in under 15 minutes

Collard-Shroom Bowl
*Serves 1

• Half a bunch of collard greens, stems removed, rolled length-wise and sliced
• 5-6 Mushrooms, sliced (any kind and use more or less depending on what you like)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• Scant 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat your pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Chop the collards, mushroom and garlic. I think these could be added all at the same time, but I added garlic first and a minute later, I added mushrooms, then collards. Let this saute for 5-6 minutes. Add a little water if it looks dry. Now grind up the sunflower seeds if you haven't done this yet and then toss them in. Add salt and pepper and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until everything is cooked through and tender. Add the nutritional yeast and serve.

Confession - I had already started into this when I realized I hadn't photographed it.
Sorry - have to deal with lower quality cell pic :)

Even though this appears to just be a bowl of greens, the garlic and shrooms give it a bit more depth in flavour and the sunflower seeds give it some crunch and extra fat and protein. So it's like eating greens, except more filling and tastes more like a meal. To make this into a bigger meal, add tempeh, tofu, walnuts, quinoa. I think the options are endless because so many things could go with these flavours... even pasta... I think I might try that one next time!

Vegan Milk Part V: Sunflower Power

My other vegan milks:
Part I: Hemp
Part II: Almond
Part III: Rice
Part IV: Flax
Wow, I cannot believe I am already on my fifth non-dairy milk test. This weekend I decided to attempt another seed milk. The flax milk I think was about a 80% success, so I am striving for more. Instead of looking for something online, I looked to my cupboard. I have no urge to be running to the grocery store, so I needed something that I already keep in stock. This is when I stumbled upon a large jar of sunflower seeds.

What a great idea for milk. I doubt I am the first to come up with it, but I am surprised this one is done more. If I could describe this milk, I would say it is a bit more savoury. I did not sweeten the recipe this time, but I think it would be a good addition if you are looking for a taste that is closer to what you find in the store.

Sunflower seeds are really good for you too. They have lots of vitamin E, magnesium and selenium. They also have phytosterols which can help lower cholesterol. Because of the high vitamin E (1/4 cup gives you 90% of your daily intake), sunflower seeds are known to known to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and some cancers. Not bad for a little seed!

Best of all, they are cheap! For those on a budget, this milk cost me approximately $0.35. I buy the seeds in bulk and it doesn't take much to get a litre of milk. That is a savings that can add up over time.

So here is the recipe. It is very similar to the other seed and nut milk.

Sunflower Power Milk
Makes about 1 litre

• 1 cup of shelled, raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
• about 3 - 3 1/2 cups of water (judge on how thick you like your milk. 3 cups is similar to 1% dairy)
• dash of salt
• Sweetener (optional, I didn't use one) - e.g. date, maple syrup, sugar, agave

First, rinse the seeds and soak them for 8 - 12 hours. Once soaked, drain the seeds and pout into a blender. Add to the blender the remaining ingredients and blend for 2 minutes or until you can't see seeds anymore. While the mixture is blending, set-up your straining station: Take a large bowl and rest a small-hole strainer inside. Cover the inside of the strainer with cheesecloth, long enough that it hangs over the sides of the strainer

Once the mixture is completely blended, pout it through the strainer. Let it rest a minute or two and then you can lift the corners of the cheese cloth up and squeeze the remaining liquid out.

Chill and serve.

Finally a milk with good consistency and flavour! This milk looked and poured much closer to the almond milk I made previously. Since I didn't sweeten it, the taste was a bit on the earthy, savoury side. If you let this milk sit, it will separate, so keep in a container with a tightly sealed lid so you can shake it up. I found this milk to be very tasty and could even drink it on its own. I made some muffins with it, and they were really good! I have also used it in a smoothie and it was a welcomed addition.

A cheap alternative to almond and soy milk. This is worth a try. Highly recommended!