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Lamb's Quarters – What to do …

    images-4I found this great thread on Lamb’s Quarters on my search for information and recipes on these beautiful strong plants ….

    Thank you to Mariquita Farm for this information 🙂

    Chenopodium album: also called lamb’s quarters, white goosefootfat hen. This is a common weed that is one of those marvelous wild plants that’s completely edible, delicious and nutritious. Use it where you would spinach, raw or cooked.

    It can be eaten raw in salads, pasta salads on sandwiches or use in soups or stir-fry. Steam it like spinach and serve like a side dish or put in an omelet or lasagna. It is quite versatile as a garnish and the mild flavor blends well with other vegetables.images-2

    Lamb’s-quarters Spread
    adapted From THE WILD VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK Lamb’s-quarters greens are better than spinach, a close relative, both for flavor and nutrition. And it contributes greatly to the flavor of this spread.
    julia’s note: this was a big hit with the three adults at table. I highly recommend this recipe! We ate it with cucumber slices. You could eat it with crackers, or as a sandwich spread or a pasta topping.

    2 cloves garlic, peeled
    1 small red or white onion, peeled
    2 cups lamb’s-quarters leaves
    1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted (I didn’t have one so I used 1/3 cup olive oil)
    1/2 cup toasted nuts (I used almonds, the original called for 1 cup walnuts)
    1/3 cup pitted kalamta olives (the original called for: One 6-ounce jar low-sodium pitted olives, drained)
    3 tablespoons hedge mustard leaves or seed pods(I left this out)
    2 tablespoons mellow (light-colored) miso
    1 tablespoon chili paste or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
    1. Chop the garlic in a food processor or by hand.
    2. Add the onion and chop.
    3. Add the remaining ingredients and process or chop until finely chopped.
    Lamb’s-quarters Spread will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
    Makes 2 1/2 cups
    LAMBS QUARTER SOUP (SOUPE AUX POULET GRAS) :
    3 tbsp. butter
    2 or 3 med. size onion slices
    3 tbsp. flour
    1 1/2 tsp. salt
    Few grains pepper
    3 c. milk
    About 2 c. cooked, young lambs quarters, chopped lightly and cooking liquid
    Cook up onions in butter til wilted, add flour and cook up til mixture browns a bit. Add S & P. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. Add milk and lambs quarters. Then heat gently and eat ‘chunky’ or whirl with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Simple and yummy. If you don’t want to use 3 Cups milk, you can use vegetable or chicken broth and a potato or two.
    ——————
    Lamb’s Quarter Quiche
    1 9″ unbaked pie crust
    1/2 t Salt
    4 c Young lambs quarter leaves -cut up
    3 Eggs
    1 3/4 c Milk
    1/4 c Chopped onion
    2 c Grated Natural Swiss-cheese (8 oz)
    2 T Butter
    1 T Flour
    Partially bake pie crust at 450 degrees for 5-7 min. or until light brown. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Cook onion and leaves until tender and limp. Stir in flour and salt. Beat together eggs and milk; add vegetables. Sprinkle cheese in pie shell; pour in eggs. Bake 40-45 min. or until knife comes out clean when its inserted off center. Let stand 10 min. before serving.
    ———-
    submitted by Brenda N:
    images-3———-
    Steamed Lambsquarters
    I found this on Native Tech
    Tribal Affiliation : German-American White Folk
    Orgin of Recipe : Offered by Carla J. Striegel… who learned this from learned through an urge to live simply and organically.
    Type of Dish : Contemporary & Traditional
    * Water
    * Olive Oil
    * As much Lamb’s Quarter (Chenopodium species) as you’d like to eat.(a large, double handful makes a nice side serving per person)
    * Fresh Minced Garlic
    * Bragg
    Directions
    Lamb’s Quarter is a common, non-native weed in waste places. If you are lucky, it grows in your garden. Although this recipe is really not too exciting for someone already familiar with this excellent green, I couldn’t help but share it with those who have never tried it. It is my absolute favorite vegetable.
    Gather any of the tender leaves and stalk–I prefer to let some keep growing in my garden and keep its tender shoots well trimmed. It is also nice to use the small plants that you have just weeded from around your “garden plants”.
    Steam these greens for several minutes (less than ten minutes, because you do not want them mushy).
    Remove the greens from the steamer and place onto serving dish.
    Pour a dash of olive oil onto each serving.
    Top with minced fresh garlic and a bit of Bragg’s.
    Voila, you have the best meal this world could offer!
    Note: Lamb’s Quarter is a very common “weed” that is extremely nutritious. The seeds are also edible. To learn more about the plant, look in almost any book about wild edibles.
    ———————-
    lambsquaters note from blogger Mental Masala
    In Mexico, these greens are called quelites (as are many other edible greens). According to Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen, the word derives from the Aztec word quelitl, which was used for any culinary green or herb. Since my first introduction to the use of lamb’s quarters was by Bayless in Mexican cuisine, I cooked my bunch of lamb’s quarters in two Mexican dishes. The first was in soft tacos, with the greens lightly steamed and topped with hot sauce and cheese. The second was in a tortilla casserole, combined with cheese, corn, squash and crema (a relative of sour cream). The greens were excellent in both dishes, with a pleasing tenderness, a mild spinach-like flavor and none of the lingering astringency that I find in spinach.

    Greens Tacos

    This recipe is one of my favorite breakfast recipes, but of course it would work at any time of day. Please note the amounts given are approximate, I don’t measure anything when I make these. You could use more or less of any one of these ingredients.

    3/4 pounds greens, such as lambs quarters, cleaned well and sliced into approximate 1 inch pieces
    2 teaspoons cooking oil
    2 stalks green garlic, cleaned as a leek and chopped, or another alium family, whatever you have on hand (onion, green onion, garlic, leek…..)
    Pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne
    2 Tablespoons cream cheese
    4-6 small corn tortillas or 2-3 larger flour ones

    Heat the oil and add the garlic, having the greens ready to go, and cook garlic for about 30 seconds. Then add greens and cook until bright green and wilted, add red pepper (and salt and black pepper if you like). Take off heat and stir in cream cheese.

    Heat tortillas, divide filling among them. Eat and enjoy.

    Quelites (Lamb’s Quarters) and Beans

    adapted from The Vegetarian Times, July 1997

    1 pound fresh lamb’s quarters or spinach — bigger stems removed
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    3 stems green garlic or 3 cloves ‘regular’ garlic — minced
    3 leeks — finely chopped
    1 cup canned pinto beans — rinsed and drained
    1 teaspoon chili powder
    salt and pepper — to taste

    Rinse greens several times to make sure that all sand and grit are removed. Steam greens in tightly covered pot until wilted. Drain greens and finely chop them. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic/onions and cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in greens, beans and chili powder. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Makes 6 servings.

    Makes 6 servings.

    Per serving: 90 Calories; 3g Fat (25% calories from fat); 5g Protein;14g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 217mg Sodium m

    Herb Pie: Old Colonial Recipe on BobCatsWilderKitchen site

    Black Bear Soup: a recipe using roots, sausage, and lambs quarters or other wild greens, also on the BobCatsWilderKitchen website.

    How Sous Chef Manuel Vera prepares Lamb’s Quarters at Kokkari in San Francisco:

    Sauteed Lamb’s Quarters
    1 bunch lamb’s quarters
    olive oil
    lemon
    1-2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
    1-2 small shallots, peeled and chopped (optional)
    Blanch the lamb’s quarters in boiling, salted water for 1-2 minutes. Drain, reserving blanching water.
    When ready to use, heat a large skillet and add a little olive oil. Add the lamb’s quarters, a little salt, and a little of the blanching water. Heat through and finish with a little lemon juice and some more olive oil.
    Serve warm as a side dish or under your favorite meat/fish.
    If using the optional garlic or shallots, add those for a minute before you saute the lamb’s quarters.

    For Breakfast:

    Blanch the lamb’s quarters the same way, then drain and chop them. Mix with some eggs for a Lamb’s Quarters Scramble.Unknown

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