Forums: March 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone
Created on: 03/01/10 01:16 PM Views: 2403 Replies: 13
Bluesgyrl Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 159	Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Monday, March 1, 2010 at 1:16 PM As some of you know, I have set a goal for this Kickstart to incorporate more greens daily. Is anyone up for sharing some green recipes with me??????
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gramma Joined: 12/30/09 Location: Michigan Posts: 31	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 8:58 AM One of my favorite salads is mixing organic spring mix greens with fresh organic baby spinach leaves and thinly sliced red onion. Toss in fresh blueberries, dried cranberries and sliced fresh strawberries and 1/4 c. pecans. Use dressing of your choice. My favorite which brings all the flavors bursting in your mouth is Kens Lite Sweet Vidalia...the combination is wonderful yet even just 1 T will do. Because I am committed to this program I have not used the dressing since Jan 1st..but will highly recommend it if you want to try it. Another favorite is green beans sauteed with garlic, red pepper flakes and salsa..modified version of Trader Joe's Prig Khing Green Beans imported from Thailand..very spicy if you like hot and spicy which I love! Don't be shy using unusual mixtures and spices..your taste buds will love the change Good Luck, Gramma
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Vegann Joined: 03/02/10 Posts: 35	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 9:07 AM Bluesgyrl wrote: As some of you know, I have set a goal for this Kickstart to incorporate more greens daily. Is anyone up for sharing some green recipes with me?????? I LOVE making veggie subs. I use spinach, green peppers, red peppers, cucumbers, etc etc and mustard. hooo boy is it good. I also add spinach to just about anything. Soups, pasta (lasagna, stuffed shells, spaghetti), and sandwiches. I've also heard you can add a handful of spinach to a smoothie and not even taste the spinach. I am yet to try this though.
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cyclingmarge Joined: 03/01/10 Location: Seattle Posts: 31	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 10:51 AM I love collards & kale. I use my kitchen shears to remove the tough spines. I chop them larger then bite size as they will shrink as they cook. Then I placed them in a colander and rinse with cool water, leaving the water on the leaves. This is one of my favorite recipes: In a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Saute 4-5 sliced cloves of garlic until they are just golden, add the clean greens, stir, replace lid and lower heat, 3-7 minutes, depending on how tender you want your greens. (the longer you cook the more tender but also the more they will shrink) Remove lid, stir, add one can of rinsed white beans, heat until beans are warm, a couple of splashes of vinegar (prefer ume plum vinegar) and some big twists of groound black pepper. YUM!
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essie Joined: 02/26/10 Posts: 163	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 1:19 PM Collard leaves or swiss chard can also be softened/steamed in the microwave--just a few seconds is usually enough--and used as a sandwich wrap. Cabbage is great shredded for salads or put into just about any soup. Makes soups sort of silky/creamy. Kale I've gotten to love so much I can just eat it raw, but it's also really great steamed with lemon juice, garlic and red pepper flake or a little hot sauce. Thinned hummus also makes a great sauce. I put greens in practically everything...and I can vouch for the spinach in the smoothies. No matter what the recipe or dish is, the answer to "can I put greens in this or on top of this or under this" is probably yes! Burritos, yep. Stir fries, yep. Soup, always. Enjoy!
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Bluesgyrl Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 159	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 1:43 PM Thanks to all for your suggestions. I will definately try the greens with Ume vinegar. I tried something similar the other night and it was delicious. THe Ume vinegar seems salty. How much do you normally use? I also love the sandwich wrap idea! Do you trim the spines from them before steaming? What types of fillings do you use. I know all of this may be obvious to you "Seasoned" vegans but for me even the things you all think are simple are like revelations to me! The salad dressing sounds good but like you Gramma I am totally sticking to vegan. Unless it is a situation that can't be helped. Please..............keep the green suggestions coming!
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veveveveggie Joined: 12/28/09 Posts: 114	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 1:50 PM Those big swiss chard leaves are good fresh in sandwiches and salads too. I agree with the ume plumb vinegar, but you don't have to eat greens cooked. Jean
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essie Joined: 02/26/10 Posts: 163	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 1:56 PM Yes, slice the stems where they're large. Usually you can fold the leaf sort of in half along the stem and just make a slice through it along the stem edge. It kinda leaves a little upside down V where the stem was. Does that make sense? Then I just roll that end first so they stay tucked inside. Hummus with raw veggies is a great filling. Leftover grains or stew seem less like leftovers in a wrap somehow. Mashed beans and veggies for a burrito. Or you can make something special for it--saute some mushrooms and peppers and onions with some vegan sausage, etc. I've made tempeh rueben wraps a few times--some browned tempeh slices, a little vegan mayo or mustard, sauerkraut (reduced sodium) rolled in a collard. That's a fork dish, rather than a sandwich though. Messy!
	Edited 03/02/10 1:56 PM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
fiji51904 Joined: 01/12/10 Location: Ontario, CA Posts: 98	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2:03 PM Well, when I know that the greens are not going to make it (or at the end of the day when they haven't ) I will throw a few handfuls into my blender w/just enough liquid to blend it and throw in a cpl other goodies to give it some flavor. You really cannot taste much of the greens when they are blended (kinda that earthy green taste) and once you get past the green color (for some this is the hardest part) you will find that this is an easy and yummy way to get the greens in where they need to be. And it works w/them all!!! Good Health! Heidi
	Edited 03/02/10 2:04 PM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
Sassy Joined: 03/01/10 Posts: 6	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 2:58 PM I don't disguise greens because I love them, especially kale. I wash them, then remove the toughest part of the stem (which my dog sits and begs for!)--it's easy, just put one hand around the stem where the leaves start and pull with the other hand. The toughest part will come right out (and it makes the dog very happy). Then I either tear them or (especially with collards) cut them into strips. To cook, I put a tiny bit of olive oil (like a teaspoon) into the pot, add some soy sauce or tamari to taste (I use low sodium), then enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Either press or cut up garlic to taste, let it cook a bit, then add greens, stir, cover, turn down the heat at this point if it's been very high. I need to uncover and stir a couple times as it cooks. When it's nearly done (I like it deep green, but not too well done--certainly not gray), I just turn off the heat and let it cook with remaining heat from the pan or burner (I have an electric stove). When it's perfect I dump it on to a plate to cool down so it won't overcook. The only bad thing is that it shrinks down so much!
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Bluesgyrl Joined: 01/06/10 Posts: 159	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 5:24 PM Wow.............I can see that I am going to have to print these out. I knew there were "Techniques" to getting those stems out and I love the rolled sandwich and blend and insert suggestions. After thinking about it, you can pretty much put them ground up in anything. Go figure! Although, like someone else said, I really like them so I don't need to hide them either. But, I have to listen to my husband complain if there is one thing left from the CSA box that I get because he thinks it's expensive. So, if there are any greens a lingering I will grind those puppies up! I wish I had a dog to feed them to. Im allergic but I love animals. I don't think my cat would go for them! Pretty funny....who would have thought a doggy would like greens! Ok have you ever cooked turnip, beet or any of those kind of greens? I would not have aclue how those get cooked!
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txgirl Joined: 01/04/10 Location: Pasadena, TX Posts: 82	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 6:22 PM Bluesgyrl wrote: Ok have you ever cooked turnip, beet or any of those kind of greens? I would not have a clue how those get cooked! I wish I knew. My granny used to make turnip and mustard greens and a lot. (I don't remember her ever using the turnips though) She probably sauted them in crisco or bacon fat and then boiled them. I think that's how she treated almost all of her vegetables - and after taking all the time and care to grow them, too! I never liked them but I'm trying to develop a taste for them...getting a taste for kale is a big step. My guess would be that you could try subbing them into most of the other recipes for kale or collard greens, knowing that they may have a different flavor in the end. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will weigh in shortly.
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mommyof2nc Joined: 12/31/09 Location: North Carolina Posts: 172	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 7:44 PM I add greens to pretty much anything - tofu scrambler, pizza, spaghetti sauce, tacos, stir fry, etc. I normally keep a big bag of frozen spinach in the freezer and we grow our own collards and chard, plus I get kale at the farmers' market, so we normally have at least a couple of different types available at any given time.
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TexGal Joined: 02/25/10 Location: Texas Posts: 111	RE: Green cooking suggestions......Anyone Posted Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 7:56 PM Bluesgyrl wrote: I wish I had a dog to feed them to. Im allergic but I love animals. I don't think my cat would go for them! Pretty funny....who would have thought a doggy would like greens! I don't know about greens, but I used to have a cat that LOVED broccoli!
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