eat your greens

Last month I decided to start spotlighting different fruits and veggies--why we like them, and how we eat them. (I kicked things off with pomegranate)

This week I want to talk about greens.

We love greens. 

Now had you asked me a few years ago....I would have gagged. 

I didn't understand how to eat them.....or why you would want to. 

When I thought of "eating your greens", I imagined soggy spinach in some kind of cream sauce.

no thank you. 

This post will focus on kale, but most of the "recipe" ideas can be also used for collard greens or chard.

So what's so great about this stuff?

One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6, 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
[source]
It is a SUPER vegetable....so really, how could you pass it up?
And it sure is pretty....

How to prepare it:
Very easy.
Wash.
The larger the leaf, the tougher the stem, so I usually just take the green right off the stem.
Chop into bite size pieces--perfect for almost any recipe you'll use it in. 

How to eat it: 
-Make a salad! Toss it with your favorite salad ingredients and a good vinaigrette.
-If it's your first experience with kale, it is a bit more chewy and hardy than a usual salad of romaine or baby lettuces, so mix a little bit of kale into your regular salad.
-Put it in your smoothie. You won't even know it's there.
-Make kale chips. Theses disappear so fast!
-saute' it in a little olive oil and garlic until it softens, give it a squeeze of lemon.
-put sautéed kale in your favorite pasta dish or on your pizza!
-buy Whitney Ingram's cookbook (coming soon!)--it has a delicious recipe for braised kale.
(cookbook update! many of you know I am photographing Whitney's cookbook. We have 4 shoots left, and we should have information for pre-orders soon....eeeeek! so exciting!)

Throw kale right into your soup!
this may be the easiest way to warm up to kale or any other green (and the best way to hide it from your kids!) Start out small--chop it up tiny and only add a cup the first time. If you like it, add more next time. (remember it may look like a lot at first....but it shrinks down to nothing.

Chicken Soup with Kale and Barley
if you are new to the blog (welcome!), just a disclaimer: most of my "recipes" are very loosely written, and are basically just me throwing stuff in a pot. feel free to interpret them as you like.

1 leek, finely chopped
4 carrots, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 cups chopped kale (or collard greens or chard), chopped into bite size pieces
2TBS chopped fresh thyme
1 TBS chopped fresh rosemary
1-2 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup barley (you could use any grain you have--maybe wild rice or bulgur)
6 cups chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon
s&p

saute' in olive oil: leek, carrots, kale, and chicken pieces until onions are tender and chicken begins to brown on the edges
add garlic and herbs, s&p. cook for a few minutes.
add stock, lemon juice, and barley
bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat.
Let simmer on low for a few hours, until the barely is tender.

top with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

other soups with greens:
butterfly soup
chicken and white bean soup

How do YOU eat your greens?