The Daily Grind, Chop and Fry

I’ve been wanting to post, all of these silent weeks, and I haven’t been doing any blog-worthy cooking. There has been a lot on my mind that has made me want to keep things simple in the kitchen, and there have been plenty of nights when I’ve kept things so simple that I haven’t cooked at all. Along with the things on the mind came stress, and that made me do a few things that are at least note-worthy.

My mom had a heart attack when she was 53, and her mother also had heart disease at an early age. I eat pretty well most of the time, but I don’t exercise. I eliminated my biggest risk factor, cigarettes, ten years ago, and for all I knew, the only risk factor I shared with my Mom was genetic. So I had it checked out. (Thank the food industry for the fag habit, which I should have knocked for good decades ago, but I kept cheating.)

It’s pretty cool the things they can do these days with blood. I now know that I have Superheart. (My name for it, no one else’s.) What I do with it is up to me. I’m not totally in the clear – there is one weird risk factor I’ve got related to the size of my cholesterol particles, and I have to…wait for it…watch what eat and exercise. I think my doctor threw that in there because she couldn’t help herself, after she got done curtsying me for the awesomeness of my heart (I kid you not).

So, in honor of Superheart, may it beat another fifty years, here is a recipe guaranteed to get all of your cells jumping for joy when they get the burst of goodness you send their way. And may your children actually eat their greens, ‘cuz if they don’t eat these, they won’t eat any. They are super tasty, and just a little bit sweet.

Simple, Simple Greens
Serves 4

12 oz. Greens, cleaned, chopped and stemmed. You can use kale, chard, mustard, dandelion, escarole, etc.
½ onion, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp high-heat oil*
1 tbsp brown sugar or equivalent amount sweetener of your choice
¼ c brown rice or cider vinegar
1 cup water
Salt and pepper

Mix sweetener, vinegar and water in small bowl, taste to check for balance of sweet/sour and adjust if needed. Set aside.

Heat oil on high in wok until hot. Add onion, if using, and stir fry for one minute. Add as many greens as will fit in wok, stir fry until you can fit in the rest. Continue cooking on full heat, stirring from the bottom to the sides continually to cook everything evenly, for about 3 minutes. (Less if using more tender greens like new dandelion leaves.) Add enough vinegar mixture to allow greens to steam a bit, salt and pepper, and continue to cook on high, stirring frequently, until greens are still brightly colored and tender, adding more liquid if needed. Serve with tongs or slotted spoon to drain any excess liquid.

*When stir-frying, canola oil has a high smoke point, which allows high temperatures without burning the oil. Olive oil is not good for stir frying. You can buy canola oils with omega oils added – check the source of the omega oils to be sure they are vegetarian or not soy, if it matters to you.