My ancestors, like most African Americans’, did not arrive on the Mayflower. I’m well aware that the Thanksgiving feast, which every American child learns about in school, does not acknowledge that thousands of Native Americans who taught the new settlers from Europe how to survive harsh winters in New England were slaughtered and raped before the Pilgrims ever broke bread with the survivors.

So every year while I’m cooking my part of the family feast, I honor those ancestors by acknowledging their contribution to my lineage.

But on the up-side, Thanksgiving is a time for all Americans to gather with their loved ones,  to celebrate love and great food. Every family has its own tradition and ours is to get together in South Orange, NJ, at either my sister Diane and her husband Bill’s or my cousins Eric and Marguerite’s homes. Our family feast started at my parents home here in Philadelphia 50 years ago. We have pot-luck, and each of us bring our own traditional dish.

Like my mixed heritage, the palates around our feast vary. Some of us eat meat and some don’t, so all of us make our side dishes to accommodate either palate.

I always take my special meatless collard greens, stuffed mushrooms (two or three types) and fish, which is usually a nice broiled salmon.

What is your family tradition? Please share your recipes and thoughts about the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Unlike collard greens, kale doesn’t need to cook as long. Boiling foods robs them of many of the nutrients, so here’s a quick way to stir-fry kale in olive oil and keep the dish flavorful. Although you can prep everything up to one hour ahead of serving and  store your ingredients in zip-lock bags, don’t cook it until right before you are ready to serve.

INGREDIENTS

One pound of fresh kale

1/4  cup Virgin olive oil

1/2  red onion

5   cloves of fresh garlic

1/ 2  cup of capers

Salt, pepper and oregano to taste.

Garnish with fresh vine ripe tomatoes cut into wedges.

DIRECTIONS

Wash and clean kale thoroughly, strip leaves from the stalks and finely chop. Set aside.

Skin and slice onion into wedges about the size of your thumb.

Heat olive oil in a wok or a cast iron frying pan.

Skin and finely chop garlic and cook on low heat until tender. Be careful not to burn it.

Toss in onions and cook down until nearly caramelized.

Add kale and toss the mixture until it is bright green.

Add capers, salt, pepper and oregano, then toss.

This dish is served best when the kale is still crisp. Don’t let the kale cook past bright green or it will be slimy instead of delightful.

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If you’re from the South, you probably remember the  elders de-worming every one in the fall.  They took  “bitters” made  with nasty-tasting root plants as well as herbs and daily doses of  cod liver oil to keep the bowels ” regular.”    Some people get allergies,  particularly  in the spring,  at the height of high pollen counts.  By the time fall comes around, our bodies are ripe to be fortified for the winter’s harshness.

I live for spring and summer, when fresh vegetation is abundant and the days are long.  At the end of every summer I get a little bit blue, knowing that winter isn’t far behind and by mid-winter am usually in a pure blue funk.

That’s because I suffer from S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), which happens because of  a chemical imbalance in the brain due to light deprivation.  I didn’t know about S.A.D. as a child and never understood the complexities of Winter Sadness,  a form of depression that arrives like clockwork when it gets cold  and the last leaves have fallen. Research has taught me that S.A.D.  affects millions of people, and the good news is there are a number of ways to control it.  Some people use light therapy in the winter to compensate for the lack of sunlight.  But food also has a strong correlation to how we feel physically, as well as emotionally.

In the fall, our bodies are ripe for fasting and cleansing our liver to prepare for the winter’s rest.  The liver is the organ that correlates to our emotions. Leafy green vegetables and root plants rich in vitamins and minerals  help cleanse the colon and liver by ridding the body of poisonous toxins that have accumulated.

You’ll see an abundance of leafy green vegetables like kale, collards and various cabbages in the market. All of these vegetables help to sweep the bowels and are loaded with nutrients. If you decide to do a fall fast, you can prepare your system by eating plenty of leafy greens a couple of weeks ahead of time. And you don’t have to load them down with pork to make them tasty.

Despite the common belief,  greens are delicious without meat, which clogs our insides and is not exactly conducive to fasting. Besides, meat  carries the very parasites that you want to get rid of.  Chef Angela Brown,  who competed on NBC’s  cooking competition The Chopping Block,  caters to all types of palates.  Although Angie does season her greens with turkey, she taught me some key ingredients that lend themselves to making collards without meat.  My sister Diane makes her kale with capers and red onions,  a delightful combination. Finally, you can eat your greens raw or cooked and they will serve your body well either way you choose.

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