This dish was inspired by some fried collard spring rolls I ate at Cafe Bamboo in New Orleans. I wanted to make a “southern inspired” roll, using the collard as the wrap, to make it healthier (and gluten free!).

Southern Collard Rolls
makes 5-6 small rolls

• 1 lb firm or extra firm tofu
• 5-6 large collard leaves
• 10-20 okra stalks
• 6 large crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 a vidalia (or sweet) onion
• Your favorite barbecue sauce, for brushing
• canola oil, for frying
• optional creole seasoning, like Zatarains

I always start by freezing my tofu the night before, and letting it thaw back out before I squeeze the water out. I think this dramatically changes the texture of the tofu, for the better. Next, I throw some oil on a sheet pan, and slice my tofu into 1/4″ slabs. Lay the tofu on the sheet pan, and brush with some bbq sauce. I bake it at 400 degrees F, for about 25-30 minutes, occasionally throwing the broiler on low to make it extra crispy, and flipping the tofu over. You’ll know it’s done when it’s no longer wet/squishy and it’s partially blackened.

Collards are a bitter green, which normally is mellowed out by hours of cooking. Since we’re just lightly steaming ours, you can start by soaking it in a salt brine(2c water + 1/4c salt) and refrigerating for a few hours, or just adding some salt on top when you’re finished rolling them up. Steam your collard leaves for about 2-4 minutes each, or until they are soft. The softer they are, the easier they are to roll up.

For the okra, cut the tops off, and slice each stalk in half. Slice your mushrooms, and onion, and add all three to a saute pan. Saute in oil (adding a little salt and pepper) for about 5 minutes, or until onions are transparent and veggies are tender. I usually drain off excess oil when I’m done.

To assemble, place a collard leaf horizontally on a plate. Add blackened tofu, okra, onions, and mushrooms to the middle (or even a little to the left, if rolling left to right) and top with BBQ sauce and creole seasoning. Fold your top and bottom of the leaf in, and roll from the left side, folding the edges in as you go. mmm mmm, Y’all!

“I want to roll you up into my life”- Katamari

I’ve been meaning to start making my own barbecue sauce, because most of the store bought ones have corn syrup or anchovies in them. gross. I’m a big fan of sweet barbecue sauces (like sweet baby rays), so this is my attempt at home made barbecue sauce:

Sweet Texas Barbecue Sauce
makes about 8oz/1 cup

• 1/4c molasses
• 1/4c tomato sauce
• 1/4c pineapple juice
• 2T distilled vinegar
• 1T onion powder
• 1/2T garlic powder
• 1t liquid smoke
• 1/2t dry mustard
• 1/4t salt
• 1t black pepper
• 1/2t chili powder (optional, if you like some heat)
• 1T brown sugar (optional, if you like it REALLY sweet)

combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, and let boil for approx 5-10 minutes, or until thick. You can add a starch (like cornstarch) to thicken it up a big more, if you’d like, but I prefer to just cook the liquid out. Allow to cool, then store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

For a sauce with more body, consider adding 1/4c crushed pineapple. Sweet Baby Ray’s ingredient list also includes tamarind paste, so if you can get your hands on some, I’d suggest adding it.

For the past few months, I’ve been making trips to the farmers market, instead of the grocery store for all of my produce. Though Wheatsville Co-op is great because a lot of the stuff (if not all?) is organic, and some of it is locally sorced… but with farmers markets, you’re buying organic produce straight from the farm. The only draw back is that it can be a little more expensive. So today, I made my first trip out to Johnson’s Backyard Garden to do a workshare. Basically, volunteers harvest, wash, organize, and pack veggies and in exchange, get to take home a share of veggies! Today, I primarily washed veggies and packed some in boxes. I came home soaking wet (my fault for not wearing proper attire), and freezing, but It was totally fun… and I’m really stoked to see how a vegetable farm runs. not to mention the gorgeous loot I brought home! Guess who’s not spending money on groceries this week?

in my box: Huge Carrots, Hakurei Turnips, Collards, Mixed Lettuce, Spinach, Parsley(?), Radishes, Kohlrabi, Cabbage, Broccoli, Scallions, Green Garlic, Grapefruit, and Oranges!

Believe it or not, I couldn’t even fit everything in the picture. There was tons more broccoli and lettuce than shown. Hopefully I’ll get more opertunities to do more work shares there in the future.

Milo enjoyed the carrots, too! :) Thanks Johnsons Backyard Garden!