Indian Greens

Oh No! I had this all ready to go last week, but totally failed to send it off or post this entry! Oops. Sorry. Here's the post as it was written last week!
People often ask me where I find recipes. Here's a list of my favorite cookbooks. Please note that all of these books except From Asparagus to Zucchini and the Complete Vegetarian Kitchen are available to check out at our library. You might have to put it on hold or request it from another library, but they are easily obtainable. I encourage you to purchase books from our local booksellers. Port Book and News will order anything for you. I've only linked these books to Amazon.com because it's an easy way for you to look at the covers and get the full title and author. If you must buy online, buy from Powells or another independent bookseller.
So, here are my favorites!
Anything by Deborah Madison, including:

Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen; Local Flavors ; Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Lorna Sass: Whole Grains Every day Every Way, Recipes from an ecological kitchen ( Now available in paperback by this title: Complete Vegetarian Kitchen)
Feeding the Whole Family, Cynthia Lair
From Asparagus to Zucchini
Victory Garden Cookbook
I also really like the following websites for recipes:
epicurious it's searchable by ingredient
Live Earth Farm CSA: recipes by key farm share ingredient
Green Living
This week's recipe comes from members Hazel and Mike Levine. They've included their notes right in with the recipe. We tried it out too and enjoyed it (see the picture at the top of this post. . . really, it's hard to photograph Indian foods to make it look as yummy as it is!). It would be tasty with cooked chicken or paneer (if you can find that!) instead of the tofu. If you're industrious you can make your own Naan (indian flat bread) to go with it. I like to get a couple of orders of garlic naan to go from India Oven in Port Angeles to go with Indian inspired meals I make at home. Yum!

Spinach Saag (serves 4-6 people as a side dish or 2-3 people as the main event)

Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
6 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tsp coriander seed
0.5 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp oil or ghee
1 lb chopped spinach (we added all our farm share greens including most of our salad mix)
1/3 cup chopped coriander
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
0.5-1 cup plain yogurt
1 block firm tofu cut in 0.5" pieces

Method:
1. Saute onions in oil till translucent. Add garlic, ginger and spices and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
2. Add greens, water and salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes over low heat.
3. Remove to a blender and puree in batches.
4. Return puree to the pan and add a little water if necessary. Simmer another 5-10 minutes. Add chopped coriander.
5. Stir in yogurt and tofu and return to brief simmer. Do not boil. Season to tasted and serve.

Variations:
- You can use frozen or fresh greens
- A squeeze of lemon at the end will brighten the flavor of the dish
- Nice when served with naan (located in freezer section of the health food store in PA and at Sunny Farms)