Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 7

Well, here we are at the end of the journey, Lentil Stew with Mustard Greens and Sausage, a hearty dish for a cool fall night.

I made this recipe with Red Rain Asian mustard and Italian lamb sausage from our own farm. Signature Yeast-Raised Sweet Potato Biscuits from our favorite JeannieBird Baking Company were a perfect complement to the sweet potato in the stew.

I hope you enjoyed following me on this adventure through the world of mustard greens. Here are a few more recipes that I never got around to:

• Vietnamese Pickled Mustard Greens 
• Smokey Mustard Greens 
• Mustard Green and Sweet Onion Frittata

Be sure and stop by our booth at the Downtown Westminster Farmers Market and pick up some mustard greens to start your own adventure!

Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 6

Took a day off from the mustard greens yesterday, as we had to attend the annual dinner and election of officers for the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association. Got home just before midnight, and before you know it the alarm was going off for this morning's farmers market. After a cool morning at the market (where we sold lots of mustard greens!), we headed home where I whipped up quick and easy Broth Bowls with Mustard Greens for lunch.

First, I layered coarsely chopped Ruby Streaks mustard greens, edamame, cubed marinated tofu, and thinly sliced radishes in individual bowls. Then I heated a carton of Trader Joe's Miso Ginger Broth to a boil and ladled it over the other ingredients. A drizzle of sesame oil and a sprinkling of chopped green onion and voila, lunch is served!

Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 5

And now for something completely different...day 5 of our challenge takes us to India for a variation on Saag Aloo. Since we are still harvesting potatoes from the garden, this dish seemed like a natural. Saag Aloo is usually made with spinach, but I substituted the trifecta of Green Wave mustard, Chinese Hon Tsai Tai, and Red Rain Asian mustard that I had in the refrigerator.

The original recipe called for black onion seeds, which I did not have. Instead, I added an equal amount of ground cumin to the other spices. The Fatali hot pepper I used made this a five-alarm dish! Another interesting discovery was that the purple stems of the Hon Tsai Tai turned the water I used to blanch the mustard a lovely violet color. I wonder if I could use it to dye yarn?

Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 4

I wasn't sure what to expect from this recipe for Papardelle Over Wilted Asian Greens, since the greens aren't really cooked; the pasta and raw greens are tossed in a buttery, broth-based sauce. The results were yummy! For a variety of texture and color, I used Green Wave mustard, Chinese Hon Tsai Tai, and Red Rain Asian mustard. The flavor of the greens was sweet and bright with just a hint of spiciness. (I think the butter helped.) This definitely goes on the list of things to make again!

Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 3

Tonight it was time for Balsamic-Glazed Chickpeas and Mustard Greens. This was an interesting recipe from the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen as it did not use any oil; instead, everything was cooked in broth. I used a combination of the standard Green Wave mustard and the African Amara. Instead of red pepper flakes, I used a red chili from the garden (Aji Colorado, I think) which we had harvested before the frost. Bon Appetit!

Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 2

As they say on the cooking shows, today's lunch features mustard greens done two ways. First, I made a Mustard Greens Pesto. I had made yummy kale pesto in the past -- my favorite recipe is from the cookbook "Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables" -- but I had never thought about using mustard greens until I saw this recipe on Pinterest. For this batch, I chose the traditional Green Wave mustard. If you've ever tried this mustard raw, you know it packs an almost wasabi-like wallop. In the pesto, the walnuts and olive oil mellowed it out so there was just a pleasant spicy afterburn. 

I used the pesto as part of Broiled Tomato Sandwiches with Feta and Mustard Greens. I was lucky enough to have some yellow heirloom tomatoes on hand (probably Yellow Brandywine) that we picked before Saturday night's frost. I sliced the tomatoes thickly, sprinkled them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and ran them under the broiler for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, I assembled a topping of shredded Rain Red mustard, feta cheese, a Serrano chili (chopped), a clove of garlic (pressed), salt, pepper, cumin and a dash of olive oil. I piled this on the broiled tomatoes, topped it all off with a sprinkling of Shaved Cheese Blend from Trader Joe's, and stuck them under the broiler for about 3 more minutes until everything was toasty. The finished tomatoes went on Focaccia rolls spread with the pesto. Yummy!

Seven Days of Mustard Greens - Day 1

We have added several varieties of mustard greens to the fall lineup this year. In addition to the standard Green Wave mustard familiar to cooks in the southern United States, we have added Amara from Africa (also known as Ethiopian Kale), Red Rain Asian mustard, Ruby Streaks Mizuna, and Chinese Hon Tsai Tai.

While our more adventurous customers were quick to hop on board, many others bypassed these unfamiliar greens, leaving us with a fair amount left over at the end of the market. And so the "Seven Days of Mustard Greens" cooking challenge was born! My goal is to prepare at least one dish featuring mustard greens each day, and share the results here with you. I have also pinned a number of mustard green recipes on our "Garden Inspired Recipes" board on Pinterest.

Day 1 - Mustard Greens and Edamame Salad with Sesame Dressing 
This was our Sunday lunch. (I obviously need to work on my food photography skills.)

I started with this base recipe from Vegetarian Times. I used the Ruby Streaks Mizuna (so pretty!) and substituted the mild flavored Hon Tsai Tai for Tatsoi. Greg pronounced the dish "quite tasty"!