Date: Tue, 25 Oct 94 21:32:08 -1100
From: Neal Pinckney (neal@aloha.com)
Last week a friend gave me a big bunch of edible hibiscus leaves
that he grows. (He also gave me three plants, and I intend to try to
nurture them). The leaves are dark green and tender, thin and as
much as 2 feet in diameter. They taste a bit like kale or spinach.
So I'll share this recipe I invented to incorporate the leaves in a
thick, rich soup. I call this Masa Soup, to honor the donor, Masa
Yafuso and his wife Harriet, who donate their time giving low fat
vegetarian cooking classes (and give samples of all their recipes at
each meeting.)
MASA SOUP (T) (A thick vegetable, lentil and pea soup)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup split peas
1/2 cup lentils (any color)
2-1/2 cups edible hibuscus leaves, spinach, kale, collard or mustard
greens, etc., cut or torn in 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup eggplant, diced (optional)
3 large fresh basil leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
pinch (1/4 teaspoon) thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt (or 2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Amino)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
--optional-- chili peppers or hot sauce to taste
This is the good part. Saute onions and garlic in water till starting
to turn yellow, add all other ingredients in a large pot with 2 1/2
cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer an hour (or
until peas are tender) and then puree in a blender. That's it!
Serve as a main meal with whole wheat pita bread. For a variation,
sprinkle fresh ripe diced tomato on top of soup (or this can be
blended in earlier). For those who remember the days when pea soup
used to have h*m or b*c*n in it, soy baco-bits, sprinkled in just
before serving, brings back that aura.
Makes 6 - 12 ounce servings. Each: 259 calories, Fat 0.645 grams
(2% calories from fat), Carbohydrate 47.84 grams, Protein 16.95
grams. Sodium 219 mg.
kwvegan vegan