Do you ever pass a farmer's market stand and ask yourself, 'What is that, and what do you do with it?'

Well, I hope this week to provide a few recipes for some of the vegetables that I have called into question.

I receive a weekly share from Abbe Hills Farm, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) right outside of Mount Vernon. I have found it to be a great way to take advantage of local produce buying directly off the farm. Each week I get a loot of mixed lettuce, beans, broccoli, bok choi, tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs, potatoes, cabbage, collard greens, kale, swiss chard, kohlrabi, radishes, sweet corn and more.

When I first started getting all these varied veggies, I was stumped as what to do with some of them, such as the collards, kale and Chinese cabbage.

The number one recommendation for the leafy greens is to put them into a stir-fry. I love mixing in fresh zucchini, mushrooms, yellow squash, garden peas and the broccoli, but I thought there has to be another way of fixing them.

While searching the Abbe Hills website, I came across recipe links and found great recipes that really make these healthy summer harvest veggies quite enjoyable to eat.

For more information on Abbe Hills Farm, CSA, check out their website at www.abbehills.com.





Collard Greens with Peanut Sauce

1 medium onion chopped

2-3 cloves garlic (minced)

Sauté in 1 T. oil

1 medium tomato (diced, optional)

Add and simmer 2-4 minutes.

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Add, cook and stir 2 minutes.

1 pound kale or collards (8 cups chopped, with stems removed)

1/2 cup water or vegetable broth

Add and steam until greens are soft but not mushy. Avoid overcooking. Stir occasionally to coat greens with the spices.



Sauce

2-3 tbsp. chunky peanut butter

1-2 tsp. hot water



Combine and add peanut sauce to the greens at end of cooking time. Serve as a side dish along with rice, pasta or corn bread.





Kale Chips

12 large kale leaves, rinsed, dried, cut in half lengthwise down the middle, removing the center stem.

1 tbsp. oil

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Toss kale with oil in a large bowl or baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange leaves in a single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and a bit more for crinkled ones. Transfer to a rack to cool. Serve in a tall glass vase or pitcher or lay flat on a tray.





Chinese Cabbage Slaw

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice

2 T. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. minced fresh jalapeno or cayenne to taste

Salt & pepper

1 head Chinese cabbage



Combine the first 8 ingredients and whisk to blend. Wash cabbage and spin dry cabbage leaves. Roll leaves and slice thinly. Toss with dressing.