Light rain means fewer people out on the trails--all the better to avoid coronavirus exposure. Maia enjoyed some tree climbing while I poked around for signs of spring hiding under the brown leaves. I was able to find some young dandelion greens as well as a few small patches of wild sorrel. Sunny fields usually yield more than shady forests.
There are a few precautions you need to take when foraging for wild food. Most importantly, DO NOT go by yourself if you don't know what you are doing! If you are interested in learning what plants are edible where you live, go out with someone experienced (harder to do now with social distancing, I know). There are also many books and videos that will help teach you the basics of plant identification.
Make sure the area where you are foraging is safe:
- Avoid roadsides with vehicle pollution, as well as railroad beds and dog-walking areas.
- Do not pick plants near construction sites or other areas where the soil may be contaminated with lead from paint, etc.
- Rural areas will be easier to forage from than urban ones; make sure you're not going to get in trouble for trespassing.
Dandelions are easy to begin with since all parts of the plant are edible. The leaves, flowers, & roots all have different uses.
At home, I rinsed the leaves I'd found in a bowl of water several times. Then I combined them with shelf stable tofu and some other seasonings. Normally, I would choose a firm water-packed tofu, but after a few weeks of social distancing we only have the silken variety that comes in an aseptic pack. It works, but doesn't give the tofu "ricotta" the same texture.
I didn't stock up on pasta, which I sort of regret, but then I don't need to be eating a ton of pasta anyhow. By the time I went shopping a few weeks ago, one of the few pasta shapes left on the supermarket shelves were medium Pastene shells, not the super large stuffing variety, but big enough that I could fake it. My kids adore stuffed shells and I hadn't made any in quite awhile.
I cook the pasta very al dente and leave it sitting in cool water so that it doesn't get too soft and is also easy to work with since it doesn't stick together. I plop a bit of tofu "cheese" inside each shell and line them up in a baking dish. After that, I slather them with sauce. I covered and baked the pasta shells for 35 minutes at 350F, then I made a cashew creme to top the dish with upon serving. Add a side of garlic bread (made from a frozen mini baguette) and voila.
We were going to attempt an online social "cooking & dinner party" via Facebook. It was a great idea, but the technology of the host didn't work so well. Regardless, it was a fun experiment and our dinner was great.
If you've got any tofu left in your fridge or pantry, add any leafy green, fresh or frozen, and make a healthier green "ricotta" cheese.
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Tofu Spinach "Ricotta"
1 package tofu, drained
1 cup fresh greens or thawed frozen greens (leaf spinach works well)
1 T. olive oil (optional)
1-2 garlic cloves or 1/2-1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2-1 tsp. salt
a few grinds black pepper
Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
Great for stuffed pasta dishes.
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