Flash in the Pan: Cheryl’s Creamy Coconut Collards

[Sometimes, you just want to eat something now.  I’ve decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so easy to make that no recipe is required. Here’s today’s “Flash in the Pan.” (For other FitP recipes, see “Categories” at right).]

Before I get to today’s super-quick, super-easy, SUPER DELICIOUS recipe, I wanted to respond to all your generous comments about the new blog home (AND remind you all that there is only ONE WEEK left to enter the giveaway contest to win a quart (liter) of pure maple syrup or a custom-baked cake–be sure to get your comments in!) 

First : Thank you for all your positive feedback and support!  And thanks, too, for following DDD to its new home. 🙂  I’m glad that, overall, most of you like the new site.  I’ve attempted to incorporate as many of the suggestions as I could; please know that changes are limited by (a) the existing template, some of which can’t be modified without extensive knowledge of html (my knowledge of which extends about as far as the length of an eyelash); and (b) how much I can badger entice beg request from Blain, who has been implementing these revisions for me. 

Interestingly, I deliberately chose the white background and sparse look to replicate the old blog (even though it, too, was all white in back with an orange title and green blog post titles, it seems as if many of us–myself included–found the old site less “bare” looking!  I wonder what genetic wiring that’s connected to. . . ?).  I have changed the font, the glaring black-against-white color, and the comments link (the best we could do is highlight it at the bottom of each post, which I hope makes it more visible). 

The original idea for the site was to add a banner under the title (there’s a thin, long white space there now) with assorted photos across the top, but honestly, I don’t like any of my photos enough to leave them there all the time; and I’m growing rather fond of the clean, austere look (I figure at least something in my life should be unencumbered!). I’d love to one day put up a cartoon of The Girls’ faces as a kind of mascot (to the right of title “Diet, Dessert and Dogs”), but so far my cartooning skills aren’t up to snuff.  Any volunteers??

So, for now, anyway, this is the new look of DDD.  I’m sure it will evolve and grow with time. . . and after I take a few courses in web design. 😉

And now, on to today’s supercalafragafantabuwonderlicious veggie recipe! 

(I liked it.  Can you tell?)

[I know our cruciferous friend here isn’t exactly photogenic.  But he makes up for it a thousandfold in personality, believe me!]

Well, with my current (ACD-imposed) gluten-free diet–which will likely drag on  improve my transit time  leave me with post-traumatic stress sydrome continue for at least another month, I’ve been relying mostly on tried-and-true favorites, plus a whole lot of raw dishes (mostly salads–too boring to blog about). 

For some reason, I don’t seem to possess my usual zeal to create many new recipes based on the ACD requirements.  Oh, and I’m hungry all the time.  No, really, all the time.  (I used to know a guy in university who was such a chain smoker that his body woke him up around 3:00 AM every night so he could have a cigarette.  He’d roll out of bed, light up in the dark, then butt out and go back to sleep.  Well, that’s pretty much what it feels like to me, except substitute “food–ANY food” for “cigarettes.”) 

And–worst of all–I seem to have misplaced my sense of humor on this diet. 

Curse thou, wretched ACD–

Do not my humor take from me!

(Thank goodness I haven’t lost my sense of poetry–for the time being, anyway).

While I’m waiting for both hunger to subside and humor to return, I discovered a simple and irresistible recipe to help tide me over. For quite some time now, I’ve been a regular follower of Cheryl’s cheery, informative blog, Gluten-Free Goodness (you should see some of the incredible, innovative ways she meets the Daring Bakers’ challenges on a restricted diet!).  And every month, I read her contribution to the “Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger” event, and think, “Hmmm. . . . I should take part in that, too.” Though I’m not entirely gluten-free (except when following the ACD), I actually prefer most GF grains to wheat or spelt, and tend to cook that way quite often.

I read about Cheryl’s Coconut Curried Greens a couple of weeks ago and immediately thought, “Yes!  I love collards, too!”  And I’m always on the lookout for new ways to make them.  I mean, oil and garlic is great, but sometimes, you want something a little different–creamy, say, and coconutty, and a little spicy.

This Indian-inspired dish (it features a good hit of garam masala, one of my favorite Indian spices) is ready in a flash and rewards you with a rich, velvety sauce, one that’s slightly sweet from the combination of aforementioned spice and coconut milk–the perfect foil for the assertive, slightly bitter collards.  And the extra bit of sauce that pools at the bottom of the pan is perfect for dipping some chickpea cheela, which is exactly what I made to go alongside.

As Cheryl mentions in her own post, these are so good that she and her hubby “ended up fighting over leftovers.”  The HH and I didn’t fight, but we did resort to that age-old method used by moms everywhere, to ensure fairness when splitting food between bickering siblings:  one of us (that would be me) got to divide the mixture in half, thereby determining the size of each portion; and the other (the HH) got to choose which one he wanted first.  It’s the perfect way to guarantee absolutely equal division of portions, believe me. 

So, finally, here is my first entry to this month’s Adopt a Gluten Free Blogger.  Head on over to Book of Yum’s blog to see all the amazing GF creations!

I’m also entering this recipe in Kristen’s Fight Back Fridays blog carnival for healthy foods. . . check it out!

Creamy Coconut Collards

from Gluten Free Goodness: Recipe here

The only change I made to Cheryl’s original recipe was in preparation of the greens: rather than boil them first and then add to the sauce, I simply added the shredded greens to the coconut milk mixture in the pan and let the whole thing simmer for about 8-10 minutes for the sauce to thicken. I also used a can of full-fat coconut milk instead of the fresh coconut.

Last Year at this Time: Quinoa Salad with Buckwheat and Cranberries (and it happens to be gluten-free!)

© 2009 Diet, Dessert and Dogs