New Wave Greens

Those of you who are familiar with collard greens know that their origins are southern, right? And real, diehard southerners, wouldn't dream of preparing them without 1 or 2 smoked ham hocks swimming in the pot. Just ask Food Network's Paula Deen. But for those of us who watch our diets, but don't want to sacrifice taste, here's a recipe for you. These collards will give you all the flavor you know and love, but without all the fat. Remove the stem from each leaf and wash thoroughly; place 8 cups of cold water in a pot and boil over high heat; add 3 dried chiles and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt; simmer until the salt and peppers blend; add 3 pounds of the cut-up greens slowly to the pot, they will fill the pot fast but will cook down even faster; other ingredients include: smoked paprika, 1 large tomato quartered, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and freshly ground black pepper. The greens should later be transferred to a cast iron skillet and placed under a hot broiler about 3 minutes.

Flavors of the Middle East

I don't know about you, but I spend a ridiculously amount of time trying to pry friends and relatives out of their culinary boxes. I love variety when it comes to food. Although you won't catch me eating kangaroo, I like experimenting with ethic choices. Unfortunately, in my circle, if the dining establishment isn't serving exclusively American fare it won't be a pleasant evening for me. I'm proud to say I have successfully converted my friend Sandi to enjoying Middle Eastern cuisine. On a recent visit to Nate's Deli on Cleveland's near westside we took in the stuffed grape leaves and their chicken tawock sandwich. The grape leaves were pleasantly stuffed with rice and some very tasty and interesting herbs. The sandwich, which was wrapped in pita, contained tender strips of chicken, garlic mayo, and fresh greens. This entire meal was under $10.