"the portland meal" submitted by Farmer Koll This dish is so ubiquitous in certain SE circles that it has gained the moniker, "The Portland Meal". Quinoa, tempeh and greens are the basic ingredients, and endless variations are possible. Use whatever hardy greens are currently in season. Season the tempeh as you'd like. Add chopped veggies and spices to the quinoa as you cook it. Whatever you'd like. Here's the basic method.

The quinoa An ancient South American grain that is high in protein, quinoa cooks up in half the time of rice. Ratio of water:grain is about 2:1. (I never use a measuring cup but thought it would look cool in the photo. Do whatever suits you.) Quinoa is not being grown locally on a commercial level yet, though this will be my third year raising some experimentally.

Start quinoa off on high heat Cover the quinoa and turn up the heat. Keep an eye and ear on it as you go through the next steps. When it reaches a rolling boil, turn it down to a low simmer. It's ready when its "tails" pop out. You'll see what this means. Depending on the amount of quinoa you're cooking, it should take 15-20some minutes.

Chop up the tempeh I chop up the tempeh into bite-sized chunks. At the Trash Factory, they often leave 'em bigger. It's up to you. I also prefer to deal with it when it's still mostly frozen as this makes it easy to give it a crispy coating. Cutting it when it's thawed is definitely easier, though.

Start cookin' the tempeh Heat up oil in a pan at a fairly high temperature. Olive oil is the favorite, but sunflower oil -- which is about half the price -- works great too as I've recently found out. I like my tempeh crispy on both sides, so I'll keep it at a high heat and stir it every couple-three minutes until it gets brown and crispy all around. Other folks like it softer, or will add liquid at this point and let it simmer that way.

The greens Pictured here are two kinds of chicory greens, such as were distributed in the first CSA shares of the 2007 season. Being as bitter as they are, they're excellent candidates for "the portland meal". Wash or don't wash as you prefer. If it's rained recently, I usually just have 'em straight up, even with a few mud splatters. But then, as a farmer, I feel like I should eat my own dirt on a regular basis in order to stay in touch with everything.

Chop the greens I like to chop the greens into bite-sized pieces. Different greens might need different treatment. Collards, for example, are often de-stemmed first. When using a mix of various types of greens, I often chop each type separately and keep them in their own pile since the cooking time for each might be different. Examples: longest cooking time: Collards, Kales middling cooking time: Chicories, Dandelion shorter cooking time: Mustard greens very short: Sorrel, Lemon Balm (with these, you might steam the other greens first, and add these for the last 30-40 seconds) Basically, the more robust the leaf, the longer the cooking time. BTW, that's "The Trisslet" inspecting my chopping job. Ain't she darlin'?

Add greens and liquid to the tempeh Here's where the timing becomes key. Throw the chopped greens in on top of the tempeh. Don't stir them in! Doing so can scorch them, especially if you're using cast iron. If you're using a mix of greens with different cooking times, layer them in with the hardiest at the bottom and the most delicate on top. For example, first Collards, then Dandelion, and last Sorrel. Next, add a liquid for steaming the greens. Water will do, but the tastier options include: cooking vinegar, wine, beer, or pickle juice. I would say about a quarter cup or so. Steam will begin rising from the hot pan.

Steaming the greens As soon as that steam starts risin', slap a lid down and turn down the heat to very low. With cast iron (as pictured), turn the heat off entirely.

Done! Everyone likes their greens different, but I prefer them lightly steamed. At this stage they have just wilted and taken on a brighter green tinge. Longer and they get mushy and turn a kind of olive green. I feel like the taste is better and the nutrition higher if they are not cooked so long.

Bon apetit! Serve the tempeh and greens on a bed of quinoa, just so. I like to salt it at this stage. Adding more oil is nice, too, especially in the damper colder weather. People often serve themselves right from the stovetop with this meal. Alternately, you can put the quinoa in a big bowl, and set the skillet out on a trivet. Enjoy! xo, Farmer Koll