Recipes from Edible Wild Plants III DVD
Hontzontles (serves two)
History: Huanzontles (Chenopodium album L.) at the Los Colorines restaurant in Cuernavaca, Mexico is a typical Indios preparation. The main ingredient is Lamb's Quarters, prepared from the seed heads of the plant.
Ingredients:
-12 lamb's quarters stems with leaves, flowers, buds and
seeds
-2 eggs
-cup of fresh salsa (red or green)
-oil to fry lamb's quarters
-half cup Masa or flour
-salt and pepper
Preparation: Pick two dozen seed heads (8-10 inches in length}. Steam or par boil (three minutes). Whip two eggs with or without yolks with 2 Tablespoons of water. Dip Lamb's quarters into egg, then dredge through flour or masa (corn flower). Fry in about a 1/4 inch of Canola oil (until brown). Serve with warm red salsa or salsa verde. Strip the cooked seed heads between your teeth. High protein dish, with excellent fiber, folic acid, flavonoids, vitamin C and vitamin A.
Paleo Waffle (four waffles)
Ingredients:
-2 cups Bisquick
-1/2 cup cattail male reproductive
parts
-1/3 cup (or less) of cooked wild rice
-1/2 cup cooked twelve or seven grain cereal
-cup of milk
-black walnuts, walnuts, pecans or hickory nuts
-cup of wild berries whatever is available
-1 whole egg
-maple syrup
-butter or spread
Preparation: After cooking wild rice and multi-grain cereal mix them with flour, egg and milk. The nuts may be stirred into the batter or spread over the cooked waffle. Serve waffle with maple syrup and wild berries (I like half a sliced banana over mine).
Details: The simplest way I know to cook wild rice is to boil two and a half cups of water lightly salted, enter a cup of wild rice, cover and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes.
Alternative Recipe: The Paleo waffle is best made with low fat Bisquick, twelve grain cereal, wild rice, walnuts.
Mix one cup of cooked 12 grain cereal with two cups of Bisquick. Crack in one egg white.
Meanwhile, cook wild rice for ten minutes until it is softened, but not well done.
Add the cooked rice to the Bisquick and 12 grain cereal. Here's where you can get creative. Put in a half cup of cattail pollen you have been saving in the freezer. Stir in the walnuts. Then squeeze in the juice of one half lemon. Add skim milk to thin batter. Spray waffle iron with Canola and pour in batter. I like this with maple syrup, sliced banana and blueberries. Raspberries and strawberries are great too.
Frittata (4-6 servings)
History: In Spain this dish is called Tortilla Espanola. The
first time I had it was standing in the street at a Basque Tapas bar in
Barcelona, Spain. It is a quick easy egg dish that you can load with healthy
vegetables and heart protecting fiber--a simple a pleasing alternative to
Quiche.
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup fresh cilantro
-pinch of black pepper, cayenne pepper (dried) and Lawry’s
salt
-4 T grated sharp cheese (Asiago is a good choice)
-1/3 cu Parmesan cheese grated
-6 eggs
-stinging nettle broth (simmer three
cups of fresh nettles in three cups of water for three minutes, cool)
- morels, Jerusalem
artichokes, asparagus, roasted red pepper.
Preparation: In an oil sprayed iron skillet, lay asparagus, cooked artichokes and roasted pepper across bottom. With a fork whip 6 eggs with cilantro. Slowly pour whipped eggs into pan over vegetables. Sprinkle cheese over top. Put in a pre heated oven (350 degrees) for 15 to 17 minutes. You may use the broiler to finish the top.
Serve on a tortilla, with tomatoes, refried beans, salsa and cilantro..
Cro Magnon Omelet (serves one)
History: I found this recipe scribed with charcoal in the Navajo
language across the top of a cave shelter in the four corners region.
Either that or I made it up in a bar one night when Jill (my lovely wife)
let me off my leash.
Ingredients:
-two eggs
-cattail pollen (optional)
-1 whole wild leek chopped
-1 medium morel chopped and saute in butter
-quarter cup of sauteed watercress
-T grated Fontina or Asiago cheese
-1 chopped, sauteed asparagus
-buttered toast and salsa (red or green)
Preparation: Oil omelet pan, medium heat...Whip two eggs, enter into hot pan. Add all ingredients. Turn half omelet over on itself, flip omelet once and serve over a piece of toast or tortilla with a side of black beans, guacamole and salsa.
Chimpanzee Surprise
History: I happened onto this surprise while experimenting with ways
to make soy milk palatable. With the spread of growth hormone use with dairy
cattle I decided to wean myself from milk and substituted soy milk, and with the
additions suggested below you can enjoy a great drink and better health.
Ingredients:
-quart of Soy Dream or other soy milk
-t grated ginger
-whole medium banana
-cup of Paw Paw fruit
Preparation: Blend the ingredients until smooth. Serve 3-4.
Stores in refrigerator covered for five days.
Wild Berry Toast
Ingredients:
-Handful of blackberries, blueberries,
raspberries in
combination or singly.
-Toast, jam and optional butter or healthy spread.
Preparation: Quick and easy. Spread jam on toast, then smash fresh or
frozen (thawed) berries into the jam.
Dump Truck Pita
History: I first discovered the use of a thin slice of sweet potato on a sandwich at the Whistle Stop deli near New Buffalo, Michigan. Raw sweet potato provides a boost of immune stimulating polysaccharides, providing protection from acute infections. The wild ingredients in this Pita round out what is an incredibly healthy sandwich that is filling and satisfying.
Ingredients:
Wild Garden Crostini
Piltdown Stew
Field Berry Pie
Oriental Stir Fry
with Wild Leeks, Stinging Nettle and Watercress
INGREDIENTS:
-1 pound of fresh watercress
-½ pound stinging
nettle
-12 leeks
-1-2T of fresh
chopped ginger or 1 t ground ginger
-2 T soy
-2 T Oyster sauce
- -1t sesame seed oil
-2T olive oil
-1t lemon juice
Preparation: Chop watercress and nettle, leave
leeks whole. Stir fry all ingredients in a wok or large skillet at medium heat
for five minutes or until leeks become tender.
Add optional sesame seed and lemon juice at end.
Serve hot as an appetizer or side dish.
Curried
Watercress and Wild Leek Soup
INGREDIENTS:
¾ C chopped wild
leeks (about 5-6 leeks)
2T olive oil (or
butter)
2 t curry powder
2 pound of
watercress or 2 pound wild asparagus
¼ t coarse ground
pepper
2 cups chicken broth
¼ cup sour cream
Stir fry chopped
leeks and watercress in pan until wilted. Stir
in curry and pepper. Add broth and
simmer for two more minutes. Let
cool and process in batches.
Divorced Eggs
Won Tons in Sauce
Tortilla Espanol
Salad and special
dressings
Mint tea
Fry bread with wild
grape