Question of the Week -Are you getting your Greens and how do you like to use them?

[Guest guest]

Two of my favorites are dandelion greens and violet leaves. I love them tossed

into a spring salad mix or baby spinach, when I do that I usually add the violet

blossoms also. I LOVE collards and turnip greens cooked the old fashioned way

(minus the meat I use vegetable broth to cook mine with). I also love to use

fresh raw mustard greens on sandwiches for a great mustard taste. (I did this

once by accident thinking my mother had bought some new strange lettuce to put

on our sandwiches. When I bit it I was shocked and asked her just what that

was, and when she told me I had to laugh. (She had collected them from her

garden to do something else with later at dinner.) She thought I was nuts, but

I've been doing it ever since. )

 

~Tee

-

wwjd

Thursday, April 09, 2009 8:00 AM

Question of the Week -Are you getting your Greens

and how do you like to use them?

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a while since we've had a Question of the Week.

 

Are you getting some green veggies into your diet every day and how do you

enjoy preparing them? Your answers inspire us all to healthier eating and ideas.

What kind of greens do you enjoy and are available in your part of the world?

 

Romaine lettuce, kale, beet greens, mustard greens, turnips greens, collards,

spinach and Swiss chard are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, cancer fighting

phytochemicals, vegetable protein, essential fats -

green leafy vegetables are the king of all foods, as they are the most

nutrient-dense of all foods.

 

I love to add them raw to smoothies. You never even realize they are in a

fruit smoothie, as they add little to no taste at all. A favorite way that we

enjoy preparing collards, kale., spinach, and Swiss chard greens, is to wash and

chop them up. Then add to a hot frying pan with just a little peanut oil, sliced

garlic, pinch of salt. The water droplets left on the greens from washing them,

is all the water you need to steam these. Cover the frying pan and stir often.

Cook over a medium-high heat. When greens are tender and still bright green,

they are ready to enjoy. Eat up.

 

Adding some fresh diced up greens to soups, during the last few minutes of

cooking, is delicious. With spinach, I just add at the end of cooking the soup

and remove from the burner. It cooks so fast, that it needs no boil time. Most

other greens need about 10 minutes to cook up, in your soup.

 

Here's to eating our greens everyday !!!!!! Popeye had it right. We need it

for strong bodies. We need that chlorophyll I'm so thankful for the easy

availability of fresh greens, year around in the stores.

 

Judy

 

[Guest guest]

I have them every day in a smoothie with fruit and protein powder. This

morning I had kale, collards and swiss chard.

 

 

 

_____

 

 

On Behalf Of wwjd

Thursday, April 09, 2009 9:01 AM

 

Question of the Week -Are you getting your

Greens and how do you like to use them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's been a while since we've had a Question of the Week.

 

Are you getting some green veggies into your diet every day and how do you

enjoy preparing them? Your answers inspire us all to healthier eating and

ideas. What kind of greens do you enjoy and are available in your part of

the world?

 

Romaine lettuce, kale, beet greens, mustard greens, turnips greens,

collards, spinach and Swiss chard are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals,

cancer fighting phytochemicals, vegetable protein, essential fats -

green leafy vegetables are the king of all foods, as they are the most

nutrient-dense of all foods.

 

I love to add them raw to smoothies. You never even realize they are in a

fruit smoothie, as they add little to no taste at all. A favorite way that

we enjoy preparing collards, kale., spinach, and Swiss chard greens, is to

wash and chop them up. Then add to a hot frying pan with just a little

peanut oil, sliced garlic, pinch of salt. The water droplets left on the

greens from washing them, is all the water you need to steam these. Cover

the frying pan and stir often. Cook over a medium-high heat. When greens are

tender and still bright green, they are ready to enjoy. Eat up.

 

Adding some fresh diced up greens to soups, during the last few minutes of

cooking, is delicious. With spinach, I just add at the end of cooking the

soup and remove from the burner. It cooks so fast, that it needs no boil

time. Most other greens need about 10 minutes to cook up, in your soup.

 

Here's to eating our greens everyday !!!!!! Popeye had it right. We need it

for strong bodies. We need that chlorophyll I'm so thankful for the easy

availability of fresh greens, year around in the stores.

 

Judy

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dr Dragon makes me a pasta bowl full of salad each morning so this week it has

been a quarter of a lettuce (iceberg for ease!), a couple of spring

onions/scallions, a bell pepper and half a dozen cherry tomatoes - NOM!!

 

The Dragon (aka High Priestess Enchanting Even weave)

Current stitching - RSPCA Perfect Pets, Map of Durham, Cat Ornaments, Green Man

http://tempewytch.blogspot.com/ - stitching/house

http://tempewytchdiet.blogspot.com/ - diet/angst

 

--- On Thu, 9/4/09, wwjd <jtwigg wrote:

 

wwjd <jtwigg

Question of the Week -Are you getting your Greens

and how do you like to use them?

 

Thursday, 9 April, 2009, 2:00 PM

 

It's been a while since we've had a Question of the Week. 

 

Are you getting some green veggies into your diet every day and how do you

enjoy preparing them?  Your answers inspire us all to healthier eating and

ideas.   What kind of greens do you enjoy and are available in your part of the

world?

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I put them (mostly kale, chard, spinach) in soups most of the time. I

also make pestos with them and serve with pasta, or saute them with

multiple veggies.

 

¸.·´ .·´¨¨))

((¸¸.·´ .·´ -:¦:- Terri

-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´

 

Genesis 2:15 The Lord God then took the man and settled him in the

garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it.

 

>

>

> On Behalf Of wwjd

> Thursday, April 09, 2009 9:01 AM

>

> Question of the Week -Are you getting your

> Greens and how do you like to use them?

>

> It's been a while since we've had a Question of the Week.

>

> Are you getting some green veggies into your diet every day and how

> do you

> enjoy preparing them? Your answers inspire us all to healthier

> eating and

> ideas. What kind of greens do you enjoy and are available in your

> part of

> the world?

>

> Romaine lettuce, kale, beet greens, mustard greens, turnips greens,

> collards, spinach and Swiss chard are rich in fiber, vitamins,

> minerals,

> cancer fighting phytochemicals, vegetable protein, essential fats -

> green leafy vegetables are the king of all foods, as they are the most

> nutrient-dense of all foods.

>

> I love to add them raw to smoothies. You never even realize they are

> in a

> fruit smoothie, as they add little to no taste at all. A favorite

> way that

> we enjoy preparing collards, kale., spinach, and Swiss chard greens,

> is to

> wash and chop them up. Then add to a hot frying pan with just a little

> peanut oil, sliced garlic, pinch of salt. The water droplets left on

> the

> greens from washing them, is all the water you need to steam these.

> Cover

> the frying pan and stir often. Cook over a medium-high heat. When

> greens are

> tender and still bright green, they are ready to enjoy. Eat up.

>

> Adding some fresh diced up greens to soups, during the last few

> minutes of

> cooking, is delicious. With spinach, I just add at the end of

> cooking the

> soup and remove from the burner. It cooks so fast, that it needs no

> boil

> time. Most other greens need about 10 minutes to cook up, in your

> soup.

>

> Here's to eating our greens everyday !!!!!! Popeye had it right. We

> need it

> for strong bodies. We need that chlorophyll I'm so thankful for the

> easy

> availability of fresh greens, year around in the stores.

>

> Judy

>

>

[Guest guest]

They grow year-round in my yard (southern part of USA), in flower-type beds

renewed with composted grass clippings and such. I have varieties of kale,

collards, mustard greens, arugula, and patches of perpetually productive New

Zealand spinach, which for me has been much more prolific and trouble free than

any of the proper oleracea species spinach. I like species that let me easily

re-gather the seeds. For harvest I usually snip with scissors to fill a bucket

or stockpot, wash them in another and dry 'em -- all gathered leaves together --

in a big salad spinner and this takes several batches. I store them a few days

at a time in large flat tupperware type containers in the 'fridge. I rarely fix

them separately as a dish. For that all you have to do is wilt them with some

savory liquid, water with some balsamic or apple cider vinegar with garlic or

other herbs, no fats needed. Usually though I just chop 'em handfuls at a time

making cross cuts with a knife on a board and stir them into rice-cooker batches

of brown rice with herbs (rosemary, basil, etc.) carrots and lentils. You've got

to be pretty lazy, not to eat such fantastic food, when all you have to do is go

out in the yard and pick it. Sometimes, I'm that lazy, though...

 

Slim

 

 

, " wwjd " <jtwigg wrote:

>

> It's been a while since we've had a Question of the Week.

>

> Are you getting some green veggies into your diet every day and how do you

enjoy preparing them? ...

>

> Judy

>

>

[Guest guest]

I really don't like greens. The choice in shops over here is generally not that

great - salad leaves, spinach, bok choy, the occasional kale in winter. They are

usually sold in large bags which are not a good buy for someone who would only

use small amounts. I guess you would have to grow your own to get the kind of

variety that you are talking about.

Christie

[Guest guest]

I'm jealous of Slim! I could learn to like a lot of that stuff if I had it

growing year-round in my hard!

 

I go through spurts, eat a lot of spinach one week, don't touch it for 2,

etc. Mainly, the problem is like Christie, I have to buy so much of it --

even a bag of baby spinach for salad sometimes goes slimy before I can eat

it all.

 

Audrey S.

 

 

On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 6:30 PM, christie_0131 <christie0131wrote:

 

>

>

> I really don't like greens. The choice in shops over here is generally not

> that great - salad leaves, spinach, bok choy, the occasional kale in winter.

> They are usually sold in large bags which are not a good buy for someone who

> would only use small amounts. I guess you would have to grow your own to get

> the kind of variety that you are talking about.

> Christie

>

>

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Another way I enjoy getting in some greens, is to you a large Romaine Lettuce

Leaf as a wrap for some sandwich spread. There are some delicious recipes for

sandwich spreads in our Sandwich recipe files. Also adding spinach or romaine

lettuce to sandwiches and Pita pockets with spreads and other fillings.

 

Our salad recipe folders have some wonderful salad recipes for enjoying your

greens.

 

 

This morning I made a wonderful and extremely healthy spring green colored

Smoothie. It didn't cost much to make a whole 48 oz container full of this, for

the whole family. Here is what I put into it.

 

Spring Green Smoothie

 

1 cup of diced frozen mango chunks

1 c. diced pineapple chunks

1 c. Juicy Juice 100% Juice - Berry flavor

1 banana

2 c. crushed ice

1/2 c. water

2 Kale leaves

small handful of wheat grass

 

Put into a Vita Mix or blender and blend until smooth. A Vita Mix will make it

into a velvety smooth sorbet.

 

Sprinkle 2 - 3 T. of ground almonds over each glass full and stir into the

mixture. I love the chewiness the ground nut pieces give this, while I'm

eating it.

 

Almonds are a rich source of Vitamin E, containing 24 mg per 100 g. They are

also rich in monounsaturated fat, one of the two " good " fats responsible for

lowering LDL cholesterol.

Almonds are loaded with vitamin E, magnesium and potassium and are a good source

of manganese, copper and vitamin B2 (riboflavin). They are also high in fiber

and a small serving has more protein than an egg.

 

 

 

Walmart has chopped up frozen fruit, for not much money. They have a great

selection to make your smoothies with.

 

 

Judy

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I hope to shout we eat our greens!  Since collards, turnips and mustard love our

hotter than Hades summers and mild winters, we usually have those growing

outside. Turnip greens are lovely and give you a lot of food since you can eat

the turnip roots as well as the greens. Collards grow and grow and grow and you

just cut off what you want, letting the plant keep growing till it bolts. (Which

it usually won't until you forget to snip off some greens for dinner.) The same

thing with mustard.

 

Sadly, spinach doesn't like South Georgia's heat, so unless I put them in a spot

with afternoon shade (East side of house, against the house), they'll bolt

before we get the first dinner. The same goes for kale, but thankfully I can buy

both close by. Yum.

 

We like collards cooked till tender and I add a couple packages of Goya ham

seasoning, which has NO ham in it, but does have a little MSG. I am sensitive to

MSG and the little bit in the ham(less) seasoning doesn't do anything to me.

 

Turnip greens are lovely done the same way, and I like peeling and dicing some

of the turnip bulb to cook with the greens. Mustard greens can be a little

assertive, so often I will put some of those in a grab bag of greens.

 

Spinach has always been my favorite vegetable and I like it cooked (steamed with

a little butter) as well as using the baby spinach leaves in salads or on a cole

slaw sandwich. (Yes, I am odd.)

 

We eat a lot of cabbage here, but not boiled to death. I do a chiffonade of the

outer leaves and saute them in a little butter and olive oil till they are semi

tender, then add the rest of the cabbage, sliced thinly. I cover the pot and let

it cook on low till tender, adding salt and pepper at serving. Old cabbage from

the grocery store sometimes needs a little water or vegetable broth and a

teaspoon of sugar. Fresh cabbage doesn't need that, though.

 

Carl and I love stuffed cabbage, but when the produce people at the grocery

store take all the bright green leaves off the outside and just sell the hard

white cabbage, I'll slice the cabbage and a couple onions, toss them in a bowl

with hamburgerish TVP (vegetable protein) and some V8 vegetable juice and brown

rice, put in a casserole dish, cover and let cook for a half hour, then uncover

and finish cooking. Nummies.

 

Drats, now I am hungry. BBIAB after tea and toast! Hugs, Jeanne in GA

PS: If your produce people also discard the lovely outer leaves of cabbage, ask

if they'll sell them to you. I can usually get a big bag of " discards " for fifty

cents, but usually they let me have the leaves for free since " no one else will

eat them " .