As summer farmers’ markets open up this week, aisles will be filled with different beautiful shades of green. It’s too early for so many of the other delicious fruits and vegetables we are all craving right now. So the key to getting through these dreary, rainy April days is to get creative with delicious greens!
Greens are packed with vitamins and minerals, including calcium, B vitamins (like folate), vitamins C, A, and E, along with fiber and phytonutrients. They key is that these foods are nutrient dense, meaning they have a lot of nutrients for very little calories! Greens are even more of a nutritional powerhouse when you cook them. Think of what happens when you pour an entire bag of spinach into a saute pan – everything shrinks down drastically. For the amount on your plate, the cooked green is going to contain more nutrients (by no means should you stop eating them raw, too!).
What’s Available Now: Greens in April and May
Spinach
Arugula
Baby kale
Bok choy
Microgreens
Lettuce
Radish greens
Pea shoots
Tips:
1. Make greens the focus of your dish (use them to replace rice or pasta).
2. Raw leafy greens like large lettuce leaves, cabbage or collards can be a great gluten-free substitution for bread.
3. Don’t make an extra dish! Just add chopped or thinly sliced greens to your main dish (goes wonderfully in rice/grain dishes, soups, crockpot meals, and casseroles).
4. Breakfast for champions – add greens to egg sandwiches, omelettes, or your morning fruit smoothies.
5. Use sites like Pinterest to find and save your favorite recipes using seasonal greens.
6. The best tips and words of advice will come from your farmers!
Super Simple Bok Choy, from Thestonesoup.com
What You Need:
1 bunch bok choy
1 scant Tablespoon white miso paste
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
olive oil
1. Heat a large frying pan (preferably with a lid) on your highest heat for 3-4 minutes
2. Rinse Boy Choy well and slice the stems about 1 inch across.
3. Add a little oil to the hot pan. drop in your bok choy and jam the lid on (or cover with a baking tray). Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Stir, add a splash more water. Cook for a further 2 minutes with the lid on. Taste veg, if it needs more time, leave it for another minute or so.
5. While bok choy is cooking whisk together miso, balsamic, 1 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Taste and season if needed, but usually the miso is salty enough.
6. When the bok choy is done place on a serving plate and drizzle with the dressing.