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| I had to capture at least a bit of the color that occurred within all the green! |
Earth Day. April. The one day in the one month that suddenly everyone is thinking “Green”. My veggie box was a celebration of Earth Day and Green. The entire box was green.
- Beets (with Greens)
- Red Russian Kale
- Spinach
- Collards
- Braising Mix (Bag of baby greens, not the lettuce-y kind, the braising kind)
- Asparagus
- Spring Onions (AKA Green Onions)
- Cilantro
- Oh, and not picture, carrots (with their Greens attached)
Bleary-eyed and in my Sunday veg-out-getting-ready-to-start-a-new-week mode, I flipped on a DVRed “Iron Chef”. The profile on the challenging chef, Madison Cowan-from homeless in Manhattan to a successful chef with a food production company-is what makes good TV so I tuned in and I’m glad I did.
Secret Ingredient: KALE! Every form and colors.
Having been absent from the kitchen for 4 days due to a very busy food-and-wine event filled weekend, I remembered my Very Green Earth Day Friendly veggie drawer. 44 minutes later (thanks to DVR and FF button), I was filled with ideas (and my memory was “jogged”for things I’ve done in the past) for how to dispatch these greens!
NOTES ON GREENS
For those new to using seasonal veggies, greens in general are interchangeable for the most part. Some preparations won’t work on all, such as the Kale chips. Spinach or beet greens just wouldn’t work the same, but other than that, you can switch them all out. Beet greens are sometimes called the “Farmer’s Green” since most people discard them (except Farmers and others like you, now, who are in the know). Beet greens, turnip greens, chard, radish greens, spinach. They all cook the same…FAST and they can be served raw. Kale is a bit firmer (but can be massaged with salt and lemon juice into submission for a salad or slaw) and Collards are the most firm requiring a bit more cooking time, but can also serve as wraps (LIKE THESE! from Peas and Thank You).
10 Things to do with Kale
(At least pretend you are as excited as I was…)
- Sauteed Kale & Smoked Mozzarella Pizza – Garlicky sauteed greens, smoked mozzarella (or regular if that’s all you’ve got), pitted oil-cured black or Kalamata olives = YUM and healthy to boot. THIS IS DINNER TONIGHT for Meatless Monday.
- Kale Chips – Eat an entire bunch of Kale by yourself? YES, You Can!
- Flatbread with White Bean, Chard and Italian Sausage – (Pictured to the Left)
- Italian Chicken Soup with Kale Pesto – For Pesto, blend or process in food processor, one bunch of well-washed kale leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, 1 tsp salt, a large pinch of red pepper flakes, the juice of half a lemon and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Blend well, then add more olive oil or warm water to thin the pesto. Stir in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Want more pesto recipes and uses for them? Order Rock Star In the kitchen recipes.
- Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole (Kalyn’s Kitchen) – Pictured to the left
- Kale Slaw – Shutterbean.com – Sub thinly sliced apples or other fruit for the cabbage if you don’t have it.
- Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes (101Cookbooks.com) This. Roasted chicken. Dinner.
- Sauteed Greens & Black Bean Tacos – Another Great Meatless Monday option.
- Garlicky Sauteed Kale with Polenta – Saute sliced garlic in olive oil then add 8 cups of chopped greens and a good spinkle of salt to help the greens break down. (If kale or collards, add a little water, too.) Add a little vinegar or hot sauce then serve over polenta. Need a recipe for polenta, Go here and scroll down…)
- Roasted Vegetable and Rice Salad (GlutenFree Girl.Com) This looks so good, that I’m contemplating making it instead of pizzas now.
Print Page Copyright 2012 Christi Flaherty, Cook What You’ve Got
