The health gods have spoken and greens are in! No, we haven’t stumbled upon the next food trend, it’s just a good whole foods eating habit. Generally we dismissed them as rabbit food or as a side dish such as salad, but they are so much more than that and really fun to explore not to mention very easy to grow.
We all know that we need to eat our veggies; our parents grilled it into our brains, just like their parents did to them, and just like we are/will be doing it to our next generation.
There are many different types of leafy greens, each so versatile and bringing unique flavours, that I like to call them the snowflakes of food.
Greens are hardly a passing fad, in fact cabbage can be dated back to the 1600s and even then it was known that drinking cabbage juice could assist in healing ulcers. Then there is watercress, containing more than 15 essential minerals and vitamins. The father of medicine himself, Hippocrates, built his first hospital beside a stream to enable him to grow watercress abundantly for the treatment of his patients.
And if greens still aren’t cool enough for ya, here are the facts: they bring us an amazing source of fibre, vitamin C, K, iron and even calcium. They are versatile, letting them blend into all sort of different food situations. And they are delicious, ridiculously so. Here are some different types of healthy greens and how they can bring nutritional and flavorful abundance to your taste buds.
Romaine Lettuce
Not just for plain salad anymore, people are grilling these things these days. True story. It is also extremely high in vitamin K needed for blood clotting and an essential part of building strong bones. Eat a salad fools.
Kale
I’m sure by now we are all experts on kale, but did you know that it has more vitamin C than an orange? Well now you can eat kale for whatever ails ya. It’s great sautéed, baked and made into chips, I have added it to soups and even salads for an extra nutritional kick, and of course smoothies.
Spinach
Rich in many vitamins and minerals, so much in fact that some have said that half a cup of raw spinach actually equals one to five servings of fruits and veggies (this doesn’t mean to stop all other foods). You can steam it, eat it raw, bake it into something – the possibilities are pretty vast. Also, you get to have the sex appeal of Popeye.
Swiss Chard
This multicoloured green got its name from the botanist who discovered it, who was from – wait for it – Switzerland! I love adding them to stir-frys or just sautéing them with butter and crushed garlic. They have even been known to get into my salad once in awhile, raw style.
Garlic spinach baked eggs
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups spinach
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 jalapeno, chopped
4-5 olives, pitted and diced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp chili powder
2 crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Sauté onion, spinach in coconut oil.
2. When onions are soft, add apple cider vinegar.
3. Add spices and sauté for 3-5 minutes more.
4. Scoop out mixture and put into small ramekins.
5. Add diced olives, garlic and jalapenos.
6. Crack an egg over mixture.
7. Bake at 400F for 10-15 min or until egg is cooked
8. Served with a side of sauerkraut and avocado for a delicious breakfast or brunch!
