Internet Cooking 2- Simple Turnip Green Casserole

 I'd heard of all kinds of greens casseroles  and how delicious they are but, had never tasted  or tried one.  As with most recipes, the proof is in the seasonings of the cook.    

The Greens Casserole is good for using any type of leftover greens. I first used leftover kale.

I liked it so much I made it again  but, this time I used canned greens and instant cornbread mix. I like to keep things simple.

    There are numerous recipes out there on YouTube. Many that are pretty elaborate layering the greens with chicken,corn, additional cheeses and other extras.   After viewing various recipes, I developed a  simple recipe that would suit my needs. I might get fancy in the future but not this time.

Simple Turnip Greens Casserole

                    Ingredients

• 1  27 oz. can of Margaret Holmes turnip greens, drained (or use your own leftover  greens approximately  3 1/4 cups

• 2 boxes of  Jiffy cornbread mix (or use homemade)  yielding approximately 4 cups of batter

• 1  8oz. block of cream cheese

•  additional seasonings of your choice 

                                Instructions

Preheat your oven to  350 degrees

1. Drain the juice from your greens and place them in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the 8 oz. block of cream cheese to the greens. opt. add any additional seasonings to your liking. Mix well. Set aside.

3. In another bowl prepare your cornbread batter. Set it aside.

4. Grease a suitable sized baking pan or casserole dish. (I used a 9 x 9)

5. Pour in an even layer of cornbread batter that goes up to about 1 inch in depth.  

6. Spread your greens mixture evenly across this layer of batter. DO NOT MIX  or STIR  IT.

7. Pour the remaining batter across the greens mixture. DO NOT MIX or STIR IT

 8. Place your casserole inside the 350 degree oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check  at 30 minutes to see if the casserole has "set" when you jiggle it and the  cornbread top has browned.

9. Allow the casserole to cool for about 10 minutes giving the filling extra time to set.

10. Cut a square of the casserole, place it on a dish, and serve.

Alternates and Extras

Some views showed a dollop of sour cream on individual servings.

Others showed a strata consisting of cooked chopped chicken, cheddar cheese and corn. All recipes ended with the cornbread topping.

This casserole was also delicious and simple. It's in the "Keep" pile.

That's It ***

Pulled Chicken with Hoppin’ John and Greens

The local Winn Dixie had free magazines with shopping tips and recipes by Curtis Stone. 

I decided to try one of Curtis Stone’s recipes in an effort to eat something different.

 

Pulled Chicken with Hoppin’ John and Greens 

Prep  20 min.    Cook 1.5.hr.        Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

• 2 lb. chicken leg quarters

• ½ cup dried black-eyed peas
• 8 oz. mustard greens, stemmed, rinsed, and coarsely chopped (I used turnip greens)
• 3 slices bacon, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• ½ green bell pepper, diced ( I used red and yellow peppers)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice (I used boil- in- bag rice)
• 1 fresh or dried bay leaf

Instructions:

1. In large pot, combine chicken, black-eyed peas, and 6 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes.
   
2. Stir in greens and simmer 15 minutes, or until peas and greens are tender. Drain, reserving cooking liquid and solids separately. Cool chicken slightly. Discard chicken skin and bones. Shred and reserve meat with peas and greens.
   

3. In large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, sauté bacon 5 minutes, or until crisp. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Sautè 8 minutes, or until onion is tender. 

4. Stir in rice, bay leaf, 1 tbs. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper. Add 1¾ cups reserved cooking liquid, peas, chicken, and greens. Bring to a simmer. Cover tightly, reduce heat to low, and cook 20 minutes. 

5. Remove from heat. Fluff with fork. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon.

 Curtis Stone's

 Mine

Make-ahead
Chicken, black-eyed peas, and greens can be cooked (step 1) up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Rewarm over low heat before proceeding to step 2

Why I substituted

The grocer didn’t have mustard greens. 

I had red and yellow peppers in the fridge.

I’ve never been successful with rice so I used a boil-in-bag rice. I added the cooked rice at the latter stage of the recipe where listed.

My Comments

This recipe was bland at most even after adding additional seasonings. Different people have different tastes. This recipe wasn’t worth all of the time, preparation and dirty dishes I had to wash afterwards.   It may feed four but, they won’t be able to go back for seconds. I wanted to throw this out but, after all of the trouble I went through, not to mention using my perfectly good chicken thighs, I put it in containers, labeled it and put it in the freezer.  I’ll save it to put in homemade soup.

Since I wasn't satisfied with the meal, I opted for a nice dessert.

That's It ***