Simply Cooked Greens
If you are not eating enough dark leafy greens, this is a great time of year to change that. Greens offer us so much.
They are incredibly nutritive. Each variety has a slightly different nutritional profile, but in general dark leafy greens have significant amounts of vitamins C and K (and more), minerals like iron and calcium, lots of fiber, folate, carotenoids, and act as antioxidants.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC) leafy greens are known to have lightness and upward energy (among other things). This is very helpful in the spring especially for your liver and gallbladder.
The cooking method here is very quick and simple. The greens are cooked only until they turn bright and get tender. (The longer you cook greens the more vitamins you lose.)
To keep it simple I have cut the greens before cooking. I have added them to the pot in the order according to how much cooking time they needed.
You can also cook greens whole using this method. Drain, let cool and then cut. It is believed that the greens will keep more of their nutrients if you cook them whole.
I sometimes use a single type of green and sometimes mix different kinds. You can make many interesting and delicious green medleys. When deciding what to cook together you may get better results if you choose greens that are not like each other. For instance if you have green kale, lacinato kale and red kale and cook them together, they are so much like each other that their uniqueness is lost.
If you took lacinato kale and put it with red chard and brussels sprouts you have a more interesting balance of flavors, nutrients, colors and textures.
Experiment and see what works for you.
Greens can be eaten plain or with dressing. A little acid and oil in a dressing may help you utilized the nutrients in the greens.
Try greens with Basic Hemp Seed Dressing.
Simply Cooked Greens
Serves 4 to 6
Prep and cook time – 10 minutes
1 small or 1/2 large bunch green kale
1 bunch red bok choy
About a pound of brussels sprouts
Place a pot with 3 inches of water on the stove, cover and bring to a boil.
Wash vegetables. Trim brussels sprouts and cut in half. Cut bok choy into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
Trim off tough end of kale stems (you can save these for soup stock) and cut kale into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
When water is boiling add brussels sprouts and simmer for 5 minutes. Add kale, cook a minute and then add bok choy. Stir to make sure all greens are submerged. Cook for one more minute and then remove greens to a colander (set over a bowl). Spread out greens as much as possible so they can drain and also cool quickly. Serve warm or cool. With or without dressing.
Options: You can use a single green or any combination you like.
