Tag Archives: collards

Fun and festive study breaks

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Management, evaluation and environment - I guess flashcards aren't a very advanced studying technique, but until someone gets me and iPad, these are the best way for me to study while waiting in line at the post office or doing cardio at the gym.

Management, evaluation and environment - I guess flashcards aren't a very advanced studying technique, but until someone gets me and iPad, these are the best way for me to study while waiting in line at the post office or doing cardio at the gym.

This may sound crazy, but studying for exams has been surprisingly relaxing. Not the actual studying or exam taking, since ya know.. grad school ain’t cheap and I’d like to graduate sometime this decade, but being able to clear my calendar for designated “Study Time” and “Break Time.”

I’ve also had the opportunity to spend a lot more quality time with my friends and family in the last two weeks, and that really means a lot. I guess it is the season of gatherings, out of town visitors and commiserating study groups.

This week, my semester exams are done and now I’m reviewing for my OMG-Big Mama-Comprehensive Exam. Tomorrow, I’ll sit in an icy computer lab for hours, cranking out essays about public health program planning, theory and evaluation. And then? I’ll wait to see if I get to graduate in May. I’m happy to report that I’m almost finished wrapping up the loose ends for my field placement next semester. I can’t say much about it, but I’m excited to do something new and to work on a program addressing health disparities, which is one of my main areas of interest.

But, Ok, enough about school…

Last week I baked my mom's oatmeal-coconut Christmas cookie recipe for Kat's cookie swap. It is hard to explain why these are so good, but really they are so. good.

Last week I baked my mom's oatmeal-coconut Christmas cookie recipe for Kat's cookie swap. It is hard to explain why these are so good, but really they are so. good.

It isn't the holiday season without cookies and festive booze.

It isn't the holiday season without cookies and festive booze.

Yesterday, my friend from my FloMo days, Michael came to visit. We went to the Body Worlds Vital Exhibit at the SC State Museum. I know this is going to sound either nerdy or disturbing depending on how well you know me, but..It was really interesting to see what disease looks like inside the body.

Photography wasn't allowed in the exhibit, but lucky for you, we have these other charming photos of our day.

Photography wasn't allowed in the exhibit, but lucky for you, we have these other charming photos of our day.

I’ve also being trying to get in the holiday spirit as much as possible by surrounding myself with glittery things lit by twinkle lights. It helps!

Sparkly trees fight SAD!

Sparkly trees fight S.A.D.! Try it.

And I’m really excited to announce that I was chosen as a grand prize winner for the “Lee Brother Your Holiday Recipe” contest from the Lee Brothers and the SC Department of Agriculture. They wanted recipes that used local ingredients, so I submitted my vegetarian collard recipe and won my category! My family is amused by this because growing up I hated collards, and now I’m spreading my love for greens all across the state.

And now.. I’m off to get in some movement and relaxation (cardio and yoga!) before I have to go back to studying!

Vegetarian Collard Greens

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Pig-free collards.

Pig-free collards.

I’d like to take a break from whining and blogging about Christmas sweets, to bring you my first attempt at collards. Now, throughout my life I’ve had a very keen sense of smell and a very big mouth, and as a kid I was pretty vocal about how much I hated collards, particularly the way they smelled cooking.

But then I grew up, started eating vegetables and ended up eating collards in other dishes. Even then, the fear of the gross-smelling green kept me from actually making them on their own. This year, however, my Dad planted collards in our winter vegetable garden, and they’ve done really well. So, I decided it was time to learn to make collards.

If you buy them like this, not pre-cut, be sure to wash them. Mine weren't dirty at all, but you can get the grit off by soaking them in a sink. The dirt will sink to the bottom and the collards will float on top.

If you buy them like this, not pre-cut, be sure to wash them. Mine weren't dirty at all, but you can get the grit off by soaking them in a sink. The dirt will sink to the bottom and the collards will float on top.

So I googled recipes and they all used ham hocks, pork fat or bacon. Ummmm no. Beyond the ethics of meat eating, I just don’t like the taste of ham. I put out a twitter APB and got some good suggestions. I ended up using this recipe that Tameika suggested as a jumping off point for my vegetarian collards. At first I was nervous that I wasn’t going to really like them, but I was really pleasantly surprised at how tasty and unlike my childhood memories they are.

Vegetarian Collard Greens

Ingredients

About 5 cups of collards, washed, chopped without stalks
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute onions, garlic and garlic in a large saute pan.

2. Add liquids and sugar and stir until dissolved.

3.  Add collards and stir so that they are coated and covered with the liquids. Some may stick out at first, but with a little stirring most should be covered depending on your pan/pot. You can add more liquid if you think they aren’t cooking evenly. It won’t hurt, but you’ll have more liquid left over when you`re finished.

4. Cook on medium-high heat for about 30 minutes, or until they are tender but not mushy.

 

Cooked in a skillet, but made from a box. I haven't conquered corn bread.

Cooked in a skillet, but made from a box. I haven't conquered corn bread.