Despite what you may be thinking, I am not about to embark on a culinary (or public health) discussion of a particular plant of which I know nothing (no, really! nothing.). Rather, I want to talk about the joys of eating leafy greens!
As it turns out, mom was right to push spinach across the dinner table in our direction. If she is not a credible enough source, then consider that Popeye, "born" January 17, 1929, has officially surpassed the average life expectancies of some of the healthiest folks in the world--including us gals--and we all know what *his* favorite vegetable is.
I will not pretend that spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard, rainbow chard, dandelion greens, arugula, kale, radicchio, escarole, endive, rapini (aka brocolli rabe), or the many lettuce varieties are at the top of everyone's shopping list. Indeed, a fantastic [nurse] friend of mine (you know who you are) can be quoted as having once said, "I don't eat anything that looks like a tree."
Although she has since reformed--or better yet, progressed--her eating habits to include greens and all of the other goodies you know I love, I know there are many people who either "hate" these greens or just haven't a clue as to what to do with them. Admittedly, until college, I did not know what a third of the greens on my list were, and I also had a whole list of preconceived notions about what to do with them. Nevertheless, as is my golden rule, there is always much to learn, and still to this day, I am discovering new realms of The Magical World of Weeds.
To begin, I will take you back to Summer 2010. I was a newly graduated MPH, sitting at home one afternoon, un-gainfully unemployed, relentlessly hunting for jobs and using the inter-interview time (which was, at times, expansive) to improve both my cooking (to the joy of my roommate who got a picnic lunch everyday on The Green in New Haven) and television watching skills.
Flipping through the channels, I came across a Dr. Oz episode that was actually quite interesting (no, really!). I learned two very important things that afternoon:
1) one's urine should be clear in color or as close to it as possible (our body's pretty accurate measure of dehydration)
2) there are very low rates of cancer and Alzheimer's Disease in Greece that have been, in part, attributed to the high consumption of leafy greens throughout the country's history.
Admittedly, I have not researched the latter point in any depth whatsoever, but, the argument presented makes sense both from what Dr. Oz said and from what I have learned since: leafy greens are LOADED with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and ANTIOXIDANTS that help promote detoxification. Mediterranean people are also known for their slender physiques (not to mention killer olive skin tones), so I concluded, without a doubt, there is definitely something to a diet high in leafy greens.
Despite its "magical powers", as with anything, no food, drug, gizmo, or gadget is 100% free of issues. For individuals with thyroid problems, there is one potential problem with these so-called "cruciferous vegetables". Some of them contain enzymes (a type of protein in the body) that *may* interfere with thyroid hormone production, which is primarily responsible for regulating our metabolisms (the adjective for this issue is "goitrogenic" if you want to do some reading). Moreover, leafy greens can also interfere with the way the body handles drugs by increasing the speed at which they are processed, which *could* result in the body not getting the intended amount of medicine for the intended amount of time.
With all that being said, for most people, the goitrogenicity of cruciferous vegetables will not be problem, and for those for whom it is, cooking them can significantly reduce the possible risks. Of course, if you have any reason to be concerned, talk to a doctor. Personally, I eat these foods at least once per day, if not more.
Anywho, I digress...
My all-time favorite leafy green is arugula (or "rocket" if you feel like being British). The tender baby arugula leaves make the best addition to salads, omelets, sandwiches, pizzas, soups, and everything else I have tried them in and on. The full-sized, mature leaves are perfect for cooking, salads, and making pesto.
Although arugula--like most of these greens, actually--requires several soaking and rinsing cycles to remove *all* of the sand, the first bite of a fresh, crisp leaf makes it all worth it! Peppery and just a tad bitter, I always love to keep a bag, box, or bunch of arugula in the fridge. Try chopping it up and mixing with a little mayonnaise as a spread for a sandwich, or pair it with sliced tomato, crispy toast, salt and pepper, and a fried egg for breakfast, or perhaps make a little salad with thinly sliced fennel, baby arugula, and shaved Parmesan with a light lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, olive oil).
Humm...perhaps I just got my dinner salad plan done for tonight...
Three of my favorite and newly discovered leafy greens are kale, chard, and collard greens. For me, I gave "collards" the greatest resistance because I always associated them with Southern home-style cooking, and FAT. While that may be true, I have recently learned a lot about *just how delicious* collard greens can be, and how LITTLE fat one needs to make that possible.
As it turns out, mom was right to push spinach across the dinner table in our direction. If she is not a credible enough source, then consider that Popeye, "born" January 17, 1929, has officially surpassed the average life expectancies of some of the healthiest folks in the world--including us gals--and we all know what *his* favorite vegetable is.
I will not pretend that spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard, rainbow chard, dandelion greens, arugula, kale, radicchio, escarole, endive, rapini (aka brocolli rabe), or the many lettuce varieties are at the top of everyone's shopping list. Indeed, a fantastic [nurse] friend of mine (you know who you are) can be quoted as having once said, "I don't eat anything that looks like a tree."
Although she has since reformed--or better yet, progressed--her eating habits to include greens and all of the other goodies you know I love, I know there are many people who either "hate" these greens or just haven't a clue as to what to do with them. Admittedly, until college, I did not know what a third of the greens on my list were, and I also had a whole list of preconceived notions about what to do with them. Nevertheless, as is my golden rule, there is always much to learn, and still to this day, I am discovering new realms of The Magical World of Weeds.
To begin, I will take you back to Summer 2010. I was a newly graduated MPH, sitting at home one afternoon, un-gainfully unemployed, relentlessly hunting for jobs and using the inter-interview time (which was, at times, expansive) to improve both my cooking (to the joy of my roommate who got a picnic lunch everyday on The Green in New Haven) and television watching skills.
Flipping through the channels, I came across a Dr. Oz episode that was actually quite interesting (no, really!). I learned two very important things that afternoon:
1) one's urine should be clear in color or as close to it as possible (our body's pretty accurate measure of dehydration)
2) there are very low rates of cancer and Alzheimer's Disease in Greece that have been, in part, attributed to the high consumption of leafy greens throughout the country's history.
Admittedly, I have not researched the latter point in any depth whatsoever, but, the argument presented makes sense both from what Dr. Oz said and from what I have learned since: leafy greens are LOADED with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and ANTIOXIDANTS that help promote detoxification. Mediterranean people are also known for their slender physiques (not to mention killer olive skin tones), so I concluded, without a doubt, there is definitely something to a diet high in leafy greens.
Despite its "magical powers", as with anything, no food, drug, gizmo, or gadget is 100% free of issues. For individuals with thyroid problems, there is one potential problem with these so-called "cruciferous vegetables". Some of them contain enzymes (a type of protein in the body) that *may* interfere with thyroid hormone production, which is primarily responsible for regulating our metabolisms (the adjective for this issue is "goitrogenic" if you want to do some reading). Moreover, leafy greens can also interfere with the way the body handles drugs by increasing the speed at which they are processed, which *could* result in the body not getting the intended amount of medicine for the intended amount of time.
With all that being said, for most people, the goitrogenicity of cruciferous vegetables will not be problem, and for those for whom it is, cooking them can significantly reduce the possible risks. Of course, if you have any reason to be concerned, talk to a doctor. Personally, I eat these foods at least once per day, if not more.
Anywho, I digress...
My all-time favorite leafy green is arugula (or "rocket" if you feel like being British). The tender baby arugula leaves make the best addition to salads, omelets, sandwiches, pizzas, soups, and everything else I have tried them in and on. The full-sized, mature leaves are perfect for cooking, salads, and making pesto.
Although arugula--like most of these greens, actually--requires several soaking and rinsing cycles to remove *all* of the sand, the first bite of a fresh, crisp leaf makes it all worth it! Peppery and just a tad bitter, I always love to keep a bag, box, or bunch of arugula in the fridge. Try chopping it up and mixing with a little mayonnaise as a spread for a sandwich, or pair it with sliced tomato, crispy toast, salt and pepper, and a fried egg for breakfast, or perhaps make a little salad with thinly sliced fennel, baby arugula, and shaved Parmesan with a light lemon vinaigrette (lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, olive oil).
Humm...perhaps I just got my dinner salad plan done for tonight...
Three of my favorite and newly discovered leafy greens are kale, chard, and collard greens. For me, I gave "collards" the greatest resistance because I always associated them with Southern home-style cooking, and FAT. While that may be true, I have recently learned a lot about *just how delicious* collard greens can be, and how LITTLE fat one needs to make that possible.
Collard greens are a large leafy green with a thick stalk and semi-firm leaves commonly found in Southern U.S., African, and Brazilian cooking. When young, the leaves are very tender and can be eaten as a salad. As they mature, the leaves become tougher and more bitter, which makes them ideal for cooking. Collards are full of vitamins and minerals--particularly Vitamins A and C, and fiber--which we get almost all of with rapid (or better yet, raw) cooking techniques. What's more, throughout the year, collards only cost about--wait for it...--$0.50 - $1.00 per pound! Believe me, two-(2) pounds of collards will go a *longgggg* way in your household.
Do not forget though, when cooking greens, they always seem to magically "disappear", so plan on buying more than the final volume you need. I wish you could have seen the look on my face the first time three-(3) pounds of spinach become a small pile in the bottom of my pot...
That brings me to one of the best things my mother ever taught me in the kitchen: how to store greens.
First, as always, make good, fresh selections. If the greens are wilted in the misting, refrigerated aisle of the grocery store, they are only going to look sadder when you get them home. DO NOT buy these (unless you can haggle with the grocer to give you a REALLY good deal, AND you are going to cook them that same day) or you will be disappointed.
Second, when you get home, do not wash or cut up any produce you are not planning on using relatively immediately. With the exception of cherries and grapes, which I always wash and put in a bowl in the refrigerator to encourage consumption, I do not do anything with other produce I buy. It is *amazing* how porous fruits and vegetables are. (Ever tasted a washed strawberry a few hours later and wondered why it was so mushy? It was full of water.) The quirky thing I like to do is to remove all of the stickers from grocery store-purchased produce. It allows me to pretend that everything came from the farm stand down the road.
Third, store them well! Fresh vegetables can typically last up to one week (and sometimes even longer), which is great for saving you both time and money. Wrap greens (e.g., a bunch of arugula) in damp paper towels, place in an aerated plastic bag or other container (e.g., Ziplock with holes, or a plastic grocery store bag), and keep in the "warmer" part of your refrigerator (typically in the crisping drawers or in the middle) to prevent freezing of the leaves, which can happen when that bunch of Romaine lettuce is pushed in the back of the fridge and forgotten about for a few days.
Finally, wash, wash, wash them before you eat them. I emphasized in a different post how important it is to wash even the "pre-washed", "triple washed", "ready to eat" vegetables. I will say it again: WASH, WASH, WASH your produce (and your hands and knife while working in the kitchen to preventing transferring any pathogen between items). As someone who is very careful about food, and who may or may not have just recovered from a week-long illness requiring the BRAT diet--look it up, but remember, I'm not technically admitting to anything, LoL--it is really important to do your absolute best to consume well-cleaned produce.
So now, without further ado, here are some superb recipes of mine to introduce you to, or acquaint you with, The Magical World of Weeds.
Feel free to replace anything that says "collard greens" with any of the other greens, especially kale and rainbow chard (so pretty!).
"I'm strong to the finish
When I eats me spinach
I'm Popeye the sailor man!
Toot toot"
Enjoy your greens...
Enjoy your greens...
Sautéed Collard Greens
Time to Prepare: 7 minutes
Time to Cook: 5 minutes
Serves: 4 as a side dish
Cost: $0.50 per person
4 cloves garlic
1 onion
1.5 pounds collard greens
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1. Cut the collard green leaves away from the thick stalks into 2 pieces. Wash well and then dry well.
2. Stack several leaf halves on top of each other. Starting at one end, roll them up tightly into a log shape. Cut them across into very thin slices (1/8-inch or less). (This technique is called "chiffonade")
3. Chop the garlic very small and cut the onion into small pieces.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large pan until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly.
5. Add the thinly sliced collards to the pan and sauté just until they turn bright green, about 1 minute.
6. Remove the collards from the heat and season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Cucumber Apple Greens Salad w/ Honey Vinaigrette
Time to Prepare: 5 minutes
Makes: Approximately ten-(10), 3/4 cup servings
Dressing:
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar (or white distilled vinegar)
0.5 tbsp honey
0.5 tbsp lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mint, Basil, or other herbs, optional
Salad:
2 Crisp Red Apples
1 Medium cucumber
8 ounces (1/2 pound) collard greens (or other leafy green like chard and arugula)
1. Wisk together dressing ingredients up to 2 days ahead of time (refrigerate if done ahead of time).
2. Peel the cucumber and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. If using a small seed/seedless cucumber with a tender skin, you may leave both.
3. Finely chop apples and cucumber.
4. Cut the collard green leaves away from the thick stalks into 2 pieces. Wash well and then dry well. Stack several leaf halves on top of each other. Starting at one end, roll them up tightly into a log shape. Cut them across into very thin slices (1/8-inch or less).
5. Toss to coat in dressing up to 2 hours prior to serving. If you like it cold, chill in the refrigerator before serving.
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