Food Q&A and a Recipe

Spring is finally here and it is a wonderful time where we begin to plant seedlings of greens that will begin to grow in abundance in our area over the next few months.  There is so much talk about greens, especially dark leafy green vegetables—Kale, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy—and the nutritional benefits they hold. 

Dark leafy green vegetables are a super-food- an amazing source of calcium, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A and beta—carotene as well as fiber.  I have been told a number of times that people are  intimidated when they walk through the markets, not sure how to prepare greens. In my Simple Dinner for Busy Families class, Jessica L asked me if I  find greens tend to be bitter when I cook them and she followed up with a question. 

How do you get the bitter taste out leafy greens when I sauté them?

I love sautéing greens in a simple garlic, olive oil, sea salt mixture. Garlic with its potent anti-oxidant properties and a good olive oil rich in omega 3’s is a healthy addition to any recipe.

My first suggestion would be to cut the stem out of your leafy greens since this is the most bitter portion of the leaf.  My second suggestion would be to make sure you cut your greens in small bite-size pieces. The third and most effective way I have found is to add vegetable stock after a few minutes of sautéing.

This is a basic recipe that we share in many of our classes.  Once you discover how good you feel when adding more greens to your diet and start to crave them, you might want to try adding different spices and herbs to your sautés. May is the month of greens at and our classes are chock full of wonderful leafy green recipes. Check out our class calendar on-line for details.

Swiss Chard is a nutritional powerhouse—enjoy the recipe below.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 bunch red chard–cut into bite size pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger minced
• 1 tablespoon shoyu
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 table spoon sesame oil
• 1 table spoon olive oil
• ¼ cup minced red onion
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Mix together shoyu, sesame oil, olive oil, rice wine, garlic and ginger
2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, pour mixture in pan until it sizzles, cook for one minute
3. Add sliced bell peppers and minced red onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes
4. Add red chard—Fold until chard is incorporated.  Tongs work great for this step. Cook for 5 minutes and serve immediately.