dark leafy greens recipes??

amyg

amyg

Cathlete
Hey all, I'm thinking I should eat more leafy greens... but have NO CLUE what to do with them once I buy them! I'm eating spinach and tired of it. The post earlier in the week with chick peas made me think about it. (not a fan of Indian food so haven't made that one yet)

Any suggestions?? TIA!
 
I always mix my spinach and romaine together for a salad with dinner. Once I add 1/2 tomato, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2-3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar and 1TBS reduced fat feta cheese it becomes something I HAVE TO HAVE everyday. the oil and vinegar is WAY better than any dressing! Try it, you just may become an addict, too!;-)
 
Oh, and I forgot to say, I have been seen tossing some chickpeas on there as well...throw on some sliced turkey and ham and you have a Chef's salad! YUMMY!
 
Like Sarah said, salads are the way to go! You can do so much with them - change the toppings and the dressing and it's like a completely different dish. I also agree it's better to make your own dressings. I just mix some olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and season with a little pepper. It's easy and deeeelicious! I also have a pantry stocked with half a dozen types of vinegars so I can make my own vinaigrettes. Much better than the store-bought stuff! :)
 
MMMmmm you guys are making me hungry!!! ;)

What about kale and collard greens and all that? I have no clue. I'm a CA girl- we want green vegies, we reach for an avocado!! }(
 
Sauté some garlic in olive oil, add some kale. You can also add potato or red pepper.

I wouldn't eat a lot of spinach. The oxalic acid in it blocks calcium absorption.
 
Leave it to Kathryn... ;) I don't eat a lot of spinach, maybe once a week. That's why I need more recipes for what to do with the other kinds of dark leafies!! I realized there are parts of my local produce section I never venture into, which means I'm missing out on a lot of good stuff!! Thanks!!!
 
Another dressing you can use for your salad that's low cal, is fresh lemon juice. This is actually about the only way I'll eat a salad, my mother got me hooked on it when I was little and now can't stand any type of dressing, as it's either too oily, or too greasy. But it can really liven up your salad, and it brings out more of the leafy green taste.

Kit
 
Thanks, Kit, I think now I've got the salad and dressing part covered. (Wow this thread is making me hungry for a big yummy salad!!!)

I'm trying to find ways to eat greens other than lettuces and spinach- like kale- but I don't know how to do that. I know they're all over my grocery store but I don't know what to do with them. I think they're too tough to eat as a salad? But I may be wrong.
 
What about Swiss Chard? Saute it until it wilts with garlic, onion and enough olive oil to keep it from sticking to the pan. Serve it over your favorite pasta.
 
There are some great suggestions here for dark leafy greens.

I would second the opinion that little olive or canole oil and vinegar or lemon juice and salt and peppa make the BEST salads!

Greens and Beans are another savory way to enjoy leafy greens. I prefer this dish when the weather gets cool, but we did have it this week for a break from the grill.

Recipe:
1. In Large skillet put 1 TBSP olive oil and add one chopped onion. Saute until light brown. Add 1 tbsp bottled minced garlic saute 1" longer.

2. Add one can of navy beans, undrained. 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth and fresh ground pepper. Add one bunch of escarole* on top. Simmer until greens are wilted. Serve hot.

3. Serve with best quality parmesean cheese or parm/romano blend. Just one teaspoon per serving is plenty for flavor.

Serves 4 lightly. I usually double this recipe.


* Clean and chop escarole first.


** Sometimes we serve this over whole wheat pasta (short stubby shape or Penne) for a hearty meal. Or we just serve with whole grain rolls toasted with a light spry of olive oil and garlic on the side.

Judy
"Likes2bfit" , The original, since 1999
 
You can also tear up the leaves of several types of dark greens and use them in soups.

And how about using them in lasagna instead of spinach?
 
I make pesto a lot during the summer. 4 cups (and really pressed into the cup measure) basil leaves, 4 cloves garlic, 1 and 1/4 C. olive oil, 1/3 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/2 C. Romano cheeses. Throw it in a food processor until thoroughly blended. I usually begin with the leaves and end by drizzling in the olive oil gradually. Toss with hot linguine and serve with homegrown tomatoes. The best. Leftover pesto I use in soupe au pistou, which is basically a bean and vegetable soup thickened with leftover pesto and is nummy with a little macaroni thrown in and served with French bread.
 
I did that last summer, and froze the leftover pesto in small containers. It is so good!!! We use it a lot. The other night my DH made salmon (boiled it in the bag, never seen that before), and put the pesto on top. It was surprisingly good.
 
Gawd, the pesto soup sounds delicious!!!! I'm glad to see this thread, as I need some ideas, too. I've been eating spinach salads daily for quite some time, and am sick to death of them. I also discovered a worm in my steamed broccoli at dinner last night, and it will take me quite some time to buy fresh broccoli again.

I have a recipe for creamed spinach that is really yummy. It comes from a WW cookbook:

2 x 10oz bags of raw spinach
cooking spray
2 tbsp minced shallots
2 tsps all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup tub-style light cream cheese, softened.

Cook spinach in a large pot, covered, over medium heat for 5 mins, or until spinach wilts. Stir as necessary. Drain the spinach in a colander, pressing it with the back of a spoon to remove as much moisture as possible.

Coat the pot with cooking spray, and place over medium heat until hot. Add shallots; saute 2 mins. Combine flour, salt, and nutmeg; add to shallots and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add milk and cream cheese, and cook 1 min or until thick, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Stir in spinach; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 4 (2/3 cup per serving).

Cheers,
Sandra
 
I buy the baby spinach, prewashed in a bag. It's great to add to salads, or to sautee in a pan with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Use a lot of spinach if you wish to saute it, because it wilts down to nothing.

Lori
 
Sorry, I was going to put my recipe for basil in but I forgot. It isn't as high-calorie as the previous post, but it's okay. (I'd much prefer the other one, with the pine nuts!!)

1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup very good quality olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
combine all ingredients in bowl of a food processor or blender. blend until smooth. store in freezer in usable amounts. [you can freeze it in ice cube trays and then after it's frozen, pop them into a freezer bag]
if you want nuts, my recipe says toast 2 tablespoons pine nuts in a dry nonstick pan over medium heat, stirring continuously, until golden, about 5 minutes. combine with the rest of ingredients before pulsing or blending.

YUM! And this came from one of my fave cookbooks, "Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen" by Kathleen Daelemans, isbn 0-618-22632-X

Now, about that pesto soup.... ;)
 
Sandra-

Do you think you could use frozen chopped spinach in this? This looks SO good- and I don't even eat creamed spinach! Yet... ;)
 
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