leafy greens « ForkBytes

Simple Boiled Greens

Note: this piece first appeared as the January 2009 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 4 to 6

Enjoy this super easy recipe for cleansing, delicious mixed greens. It cooks in just 5 minutes and pairs well with virtually every entrée!

1 bunch kale, cleaned and chopped
1 bunch collards, cleaned and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add greens and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well. Place the cooked greens in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and sea salt. Serve immediately.

Kale with Dill and Parsley

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2009 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

This cleansing greens dish is ideal for giving your overworked system a break after holiday indulgences. It’s simple, bright, and delicious!

Serves 2 to 3

1 bunch kale
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
sea salt to taste
juice of 1 fresh lime
dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Heat oil in a pan with black pepper, add kale leaves, and sauté about 3 minutes. Add water, cover, and allow to steam for 3 to 4 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove from heat and mix in herbs, sea salt, lime juice, and cayenne pepper (if using). Serve immediately.

Greens We Can Believe In

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2009 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Welcome to 2009! January is always a month of change and new beginnings, and that’s never been more true than this year in Washington, D.C., and the rest of the country as we prepare to inaugurate a new president. Harness this energy of change by trying something new and different in 2009. What would really excite and ignite your passion this year? Skydiving? Singing lessons? Experimenting with new cuisines?

To support your new year’s goals, we’re focused this month on one of the most important — but often neglected — food categories: leafy green vegetables. Read on for the whys and hows of leafy greens!

Delicious & Nutritious Leafy Greens

Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale, collards, and mustard greens, are a favorite choice among health food and nutrition experts. They are revered for their fantastic nutrient profile; leafy greens are a great source of fiber, calcium, folic acid, and beta-carotene, and many varieties are also high in vitamins C, A, and/or K.

Greens are great cleansers, so they are ideal to emphasize in your post–holiday indulgence meal choices. Well-cooked greens are particularly beneficial. If you find the flavor of greens to be bitter, try adding a little acidic flavor, such as lemon or umeboshi vinegar, to your cooked greens.

To prepare greens, wash the leaves well and tear or cut into bite-sized pieces. Greens shrink quite a bit during the cooking process, but they are much easier to chew and digest if they are already cut into small pieces before cooking. Place the cut greens in a steamer with a generous pinch of salt and steam until tender, usually around ten minutes. Alternatively, sauté your greens in a little extra-virgin olive oil and garlic. If the greens are very tough, add a small amount of water and cover your sauté pan to allow them to steam a few minutes before serving.

This month, challenge yourself to try one or two new varieties of leafy greens and enjoy their fresh, light, delicious flavor!

Garlic Kale

Note: this piece first appeared as the May 2008 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 4

This delightful and simple kale recipe is bursting with garlic flavor. It’s a delicious side dish with minimal preparation, so you can easily add it to any meal — even on a busy weeknight. Any kind of kale (including curly green kale, purple kale, or lacinato kale) works well.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bunch kale, washed and cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
sea salt to taste
1/4 cup water

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook briefly (about 1 minute). Add the kale and stir briefly until the kale is coated in oil and garlic. Sprinkle with sea salt. Add the water, stepping back from the pan to avoid splattering oil. Cover the pan and cook until the kale is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cleansing Chard-Lemon Soup

Note: this piece first appeared in the March 2008 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Serves 4

1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch Swiss chard, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
sea salt to taste
2 radishes, thinly sliced

Juice the lemon and set the juice aside. Cut the rind into 2 or 3 large pieces; set these aside as well.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and celery and cook briefly. Add the vegetable stock and the reserved lemon rind. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook until the celery is almost al dente, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove lemon rind.

Add Swiss chard and stir until chard is just wilted. Stir in the sea salt and reserved lemon juice to taste and serve immediately, topped with radish slices.

Oven-Roasted Kale Chips

Note: this piece first appeared as the January 2008 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 4

These crispy, salty chips made from a favorite leafy green are an absolutely delicious snack. You won’t believe you’re eating nutrient-packed kale, a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Be sure to watch the chips carefully when cooking as they go from pleasantly crisp to burned within seconds.

1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Remove the stems from the kale and cut or tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet (lined with parchment, if desired) and place in the oven for 4 to 6 minutes, watching closely to ensure the kale becomes crispy but not burned. Serve immediately.

Sautéed Baby Spinach

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2008 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups baby spinach leaves
sea salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and salt and continue to cook, tossing constantly with tongs, until spinach is wilted. Serve immediately.

Super Simple Miso Soup

Note: this piece first appeared as the October 2007 ClarkWellness.net Recipe of the Month.

Serves 2

This preparation method for miso soup is not traditional, but it’s an easy, quick way to enjoy this healthful and delicious dish. Try making Super Simple Miso Soup for breakfast, especially in cooler weather! You can substitute other vegetables and use whichever variety of miso you prefer. Nori and dulse granules (made from the sea vegetables nori and dulse) are available in the macrobiotic section of health food stores. Miso paste is also available in health food stores (in the refrigerated section).

1 carrot, grated
1 3-inch piece of daikon radish, grated
1 cup thinly sliced collard greens
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons nori or dulse granules
3 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon sliced scallions
1 tablespoon brown rice or mellow white miso

Place carrots, daikon, collards, garlic, ginger, and sea vegetable granules in a large bowl or medium soup pot. Pour the boiling water over the vegetables and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the scallions and miso and serve immediately.

Simple Boiled Greens

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2007 issue of Clark Wellness ForkBytes.

Enjoy this super easy recipe for cleansing, delicious greens.

Serves 4 to 6

1 bunch kale, cleaned and chopped
1 bunch collards, cleaned and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
sea salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add greens and cook for 5 minutes. Drain well. Place the cooked greens in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and sea salt. Serve immediately.

Food Focus: Cleansing Greens

Note: this piece first appeared in the January 2007 issue of Clark Wellnes ForkBytes.

Dark green, leafy vegetables are a favorite choice among health food and nutrition experts. They are revered for their fantastic nutrient profile; leafy greens are a great source of fiber, calcium, folic acid, and beta-carotene, and many varieties are also high in vitamins C, A, and/or K.

This January, why not try one or two new-to-you varieties of leafy greens? Curly kale, dinosaur kale, collard greens, mustard greens, green cabbage, and bok choy are just some of the delicious, healthful vegetables waiting to be discovered. Start with our recipes for some simple preparation ideas.

ForkBytes

Grab life by the fork

Simple Boiled Greens

Kale with Dill and Parsley

Greens We Can Believe In

Garlic Kale

Cleansing Chard-Lemon Soup

Oven-Roasted Kale Chips

Sautéed Baby Spinach

Super Simple Miso Soup

Simple Boiled Greens

Food Focus: Cleansing Greens

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