The Goodness of Greens

Green leafy vegetables, known as ‘greens’ are getting attention as nutritional super-stars.

Most greens are packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals so these leaves are great to heap onto your plate. They can be used in a variety of recipes and they taste great too.

If you’ve never cooked them – or if you’ve found them tough to chew – take heart and follow these tips for cooking greens into delicious dishes.

Kale

• Appearance – Ruffled, very thick, dark green leaves with very light green stems
   
• Taste – Bold and almost bitter
   
• Preparation – Turn leaves into tender, succulent greens by making:
  
  • Soup – Cut into thin ribbons and add to any soup. Kale & Apple Soup is especially delicious: Sauté sliced kale with a chopped onion and apple; then add 2-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth; puree in a blender if desired; top with a spoonful of low-fat plain yogurt.
  • Kale Chips – Wash and dry leaves with a towel; tear into bite-sized pieces; drizzle with a little vegetable oil and black pepper. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes until crispy.

Swiss Chard

• Appearance – Dark green leaves with beautiful bright pink, yellow or white stems
   
• Taste – Slightly tart and pungent, not as bold as kale
   
• Preparation – Cut out the stems and cook separately. Slice the leaves into thin ribbons and cook as follows:
  • Whole grain pasta – Toss leaf ribbons into the pasta water during the last few minutes that the pasta cooks; then drain along with the pasta and serve according to your pasta recipe or just toss with olive oil and herbs.
  • Instead of a bed of rice – Fish or shrimp is delicious on Swiss chard ribbons sautéed in a little vegetable oil with garlic, and 2 tablespoons of water; cook until bright green and tender-crisp about 2-3 minutes.

Arugula and Escarole

• Appearance – Arugula is bright green leaves shaped like oak leaves; escarole looks like a soft-ball-sized head of curly lettuce.
• Taste – Both taste peppery; escarole has a more bitter bite
• Preparation –
  • Salads – Compliment the tanginess of the greens with sweet salad ingredients like orange slices, dried unsweetened cranberries or raisins. Crunchy nuts add contrast and just 1 teaspoon of a bold blue cheese or aged cheese make the greens taste sweeter.
  • Sandwiches – Add crunch and variety to low fat, sandwiches on whole grain bread; top with a sweet component like apple or pear slices.