Crisp, leafy green veggies are overflowing our Harvest Home Farmers’ Markets. Collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, and broccoli, delight your mouth while they boost your health and help your food budget. These greens are not just for salads. Leafy greens can add crisp, tangy, peppery, or slightly sweet new flavors to your meals.
What do they do for your health? Low in calories, and high in fiber with a lot of vitamins and minerals, they help lower your risk of diabetes, while boosting your immune system.
They have iron, calcium, and vitamin K for strong bones and protect your eyesight with Vitamin A. A nutritional powerhouse at a low cost!
Eating healthy must be delicious. If not, who wants to eat?
There are so many tasty ways to eat Greens:
Slip greens into meals: Chop them up and toss them into soup, stews, stir-fry, eggs
Roast up a side dish: Brussel Sprouts, kale, Swiss chard, get crispy and flavorful. Turn your oven on to 425 degrees, grab a cookie sheet, chop up greens (quarter Brussels sprouts) dump the veggies on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle on a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly brown and crispy. Simple and surprisingly delicious.
Explore new side dishes like Balsamic Pan-Roasted Greens
Turn a veggie side dish into a meal: Add beans (cannellini or northern white beans are suggested) or bits of chicken. Try adding a can of tuna.
Don’t forget chips (see tips) for snacks, wraps for sandwiches, big salads for the summer, or Green Smoothies.
Be creative! Just eating one serving of greens a day is a deliciously easy way to keep everyone a bit healthier!
Crisp and Crunchy Greens
RECIPE: Beans & Greens
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
½ cup of onion, finely diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
½ tsp red pepper flakes (omit or reduce if not a fan of spice)
1 bunch of chard or other greens, chopped (1 bunch yields =5 cups (mustard greens, kale, or collards are also delicious)
1 (15 oz.) can white beans (butter beans or cannellini), drained and rinsed
½ tsp sea salt
¾ - 1 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
TO MAKE:
In a large-rimmed skillet with a lid, heat the oil till hot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and translucent. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 more minute.
Return the heat to medium and add the chopped chard (or greens of choice). Toss to coat the greens in the oil. Once the greens are just beginning to wilt, add the white beans and salt and stir to combine.
Add the water and lemon juice then cover and simmer for 15-25 minutes, until the greens are tender, the beans have softened, and the mixture is a bit saucy but most of the water has evaporated. Add more water and cover as needed to achieve the desired consistency of your greens and beans.
Serve immediately! Delicious on its own as a quick meal or served with toast. Keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer.
Add more ingredients like small pieces of chicken, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Whatever pleases your taste!
TIPS & tricks FOR TASTY GREENS:
Just use the leaves: Remove the stems and the ribs To remove the leaves from the fibrous stalk, simply hold the fat end of the stem up and run your hand down the stalk.
Soften before cooking:
Massage chopped leaves with a sprinkle of lemon or lime juice until the leaves feel a little soft and the taste is to your liking.
Freeze out the bitterness: Chop greens and freeze. No need to defrost. Add to whatever you are cooking.
Quickly boil(blanch) for a minute. Put loosely chopped leafy greens in a large pot of boiling water for a minute. Rinse in cold water; use either raw in a salad or cook into any dish
Run hot water from the tap over chopped leaves in a strainer until they wilt. Rinse with cold water
Green Smoothie:
Bananas & Lemon get rid of the bitterness of greens. Blend ¾ cup chopped kale or Swiss chard, ribs and thick stems removed; small stalk celery, chopped, ½ banana, ½ cup apple juice, ½ cup ice, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice.
Kale Chips: Eat plain or sprinkle with a spice you love like cumin or balsamic vinegar after you finish cooking. Watch the video on how to make them. If you are adding more spices, finish cooking first, add the new spices, and cook for another minute.
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