(Mahalia’s Recipe)
This recipe is a simple “side” that integrates a sea vegetable, Arame. With the classic Japanese flavors of toasted sesame with soy sauce, this broccoli dish will disappear fast. Perfect to accompany broiled/roasted tempeh, fish or chicken with ginger-tamari marinade, this dish is fancy enough for a party and easy enough to be part of a weekday meal.
Budget eating, with all the locavore/organic/foodie brownie points you care to collect.
I just discovered that one of the most common garden weeds is also known as Wild Spinach, and indeed, it is edible and delicious. With a deeper & more robust flavor than spinach, and without that squeaky teeth feeling, I can’t believe I didn’t know about this before. I figured if I, as a weed-loving naturopathic doctor didn’t know about this weed, you might not, either.
So, introducing Chenopodium album – Lambs quarters, aka Pigweed aka Wild Spinach. Why the multiple names? Well, more than one plant is referred to as both lamb’s quarters and as pigweed, and this one is actually related to spinach, so the latter name is more functional. The former name is more common, however, so I am presenting you with options.
Nutritional information: good for you! Rich in magnesium and potassium, more fibre, beta carotene (pro-vitamin A), vitamin C, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese than domestic spinach. Domestic spinach has more iron and folic acid. (From Edible Wild Plants”: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate, by John Kallas, PhD)
In my garden, wild spinach colonized the garlic patch and was happily taking up all the space between the garlic plants. I was waiting for them to get big, and then one day I realized they were starting to shade my garlic. This won’t do, I thought. I must weed. And then I must be an adventurous weed-lover, and cook the weeds for dinner!
I pulled the wild spinach out by the roots, as I couldn’t have it shading my garlic, but you can also selectively harvest to allow your plants to keep producing throughout the summer.
1) They are free
2) They are nutrient dense
3) They are tasty
4) You get points for being a locavore and slow foodist
5) You feel virtuous for being a locavore & slow foodist, as well as for eating really healthy food for cheap.
6) You get to meet the neighbors (when they ask you what you are doing over in the abandoned lot with your kitchen scissors and colander)
1) Step away from your screens, and go outside.
2) Bring scissors and a large bowl/basket/bag for collecting your greens.
3) Let go of getting things done. Harvesting and prepping plants for dinner is contemplative and slow.
4) Always first confirm the identity of the plants you are planning to eat! Consult books and people who know these things.
5) Make sure the patch you are harvesting from is growing in uncontaminated soil. Ideally, this means it is in your yard, or your friend’s yard, or a green space whose history you know (ie, not a green space that was created over a massive garbage dump or industrial waste site!)
6) If it is sunny, wear a hat. And sunglasses. Best sun protection there is.
7) Harvest your greens. If the weed patch is on your property, it is up to you whether you level the whole patch for spanakopita, or save some for sesame-greens next week. If it is a public patch, the general rule for wildcrafting is never remove more than 30% of an area’s growth of that plant. This is a super-common weed, so you shouldn’t have any trouble abiding by these happy harvesting guidelines.
8) You can cut individual stems, pile them up and do the prep (of removing leaves from stems and setting aside stems for composting) in the kitchen, or you can snip leaves off individually and leave the stems growing.
Here’s a simple greens recipe to get you going:
One overflowing colander full of wild spinach, washed, big stems removed (or any other greens)
1-4 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
1-3 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1-3 tbsp Tamari (wheat-free natural soy sauce)
1-2 tbsp Olive oil
3 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted in a hot, dry pan
½ tsp Sea Salt, or to taste
Water for sautéing
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan, add garlic and stir for a minute or so. Add greens, stirring as you can. Sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté, adding water and putting a lid on the pan if necessary to wilt & cook the greens. Just before they seem done, add tamari and stir to mix through. Remove from heat. Garnish with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds. Serve with grilled fish/tempeh/chicken etc.
Feel smug and healthy.
by Mahalia Freed ND
In a wide mouth 1 L mason jar, 
Place all solid ingredients along with lentil sprouts in a serving bowl. Add lemon juice, and Bragg’s liquid aminos to taste. Add good olive oil if you like. Toss, enjoy. This salad gets better as it marinates, so don’t worry about dressing before taking to a party to impress your friends. Dress it, take it. They will be impressed!
* If sensitive to soy , subsitute sea salt for the Bragg’s
~ Vary the veggies as the contents of your crisper drawer dictate. Share your favorite combination with us!
Mahalia Freed, ND
Committed to eating locally but also to eating green veggies daily? Not sure which value to prioritize from November to May? Not wanting to spend so much of your grocery budget on imported, tired greens? Sprouting is a beautiful way around these dilemmas, and is so satisfying. Kids will love to participate in this sort of project, too. Watching their sandwich topping grow before their eyes is a great way to engage kids in learning where food comes from, and how plants grow from seeds.
As a seed sprouts, it releases all the nutrients a seed needs to grow into a mature plant (eg brocolli, or alfalfa, or red clover). Enzymes produced by the sprouting seed make these nutrients super available, and thus super digestible for us. Nutrients include vitamins and minerals, along with highly specific nutraceutical compounds. For little ones who might not let a huge variety of veggies into their bodies in a day, and for grown-ups looking for a concentrated nutrient boost, sprouts make sense!