Leafy Greens: A Closer Look
I think I'm a little too excited about the latest course for the Online Course Collection I've created.It's just such a great resource for educators!Building a Plant-Based Eating Pattern: Vegetables highlights the health impact of a variety of vegetables, exploring their flavors and culinary uses while peppering in lots of kitchen hacks and cooking tips and tricks. It's got handouts, videos, recipes, infographics, scientific research, and lots more, and it's all collected in one straightforward course.Today I'd like to offer you a special preview of that course -- a quick excerpt from the exploration of leafy greens. You can also find a free link to the video that accompanies that lesson in the post Sneak Preview: Make Vegetables More Appealing!Here we go!A Closer Look at Flavor Profiles:Mustard greens, watercress and arugula are spicy -- a little bit goes a long way in salads or soups.Spinach is very mellow and is delicious either raw or cooked.Cabbage, kale, collard greens, and chard are tougher than other greens, which makes them tastier when cooked, though there are ways to make them delicious when raw too. They're especially good in stews and braises.Lettuces like Bibb, Romaine, and butter lettuce are all wonderful in salads. Generally they taste better raw than cooked.
Cooking With Greens: Practical Tips and Kitchen InspirationThere are lots of ways to prepare and cook with leafy greens.When it comes to salads, consider a mix of raw greens, whether they're crunchy Romaine or peppery arugula. Try mixing a few different types of greens for side salads and see which ones make the best combinations.Stemming and steaming kale and chard is a quick and simple way to soften their tasty leaves into a fun side dish. Top the steamed greens with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of salt or grated Parmesan.Of course, there's lots to be said for sautéing too. Spinach is super tasty when cooked with sliced garlic in just a teaspoon of olive oil.Kale chips make a fun cooking demonstration or free sample at events. To make them, slice some kale leaves into bite-size pieces and toss them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper before spreading them on a baking sheet and roasting them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes, until they're nice and crispy.
If you're looking for more inspiration, check out the free recipe database, with over 1,000 recipes at your disposal. Some of the top recipes with greens include...
- Arugula Citrus Salad
- Unstuffed Cabbage
- Witch's Slaw
- Grilled Chicken and Chard
- Kale and Fennel Slaw
- Kale Salad
- Fresh Herb Salad
- Spinach Salad
- Eggplant Parmesan Salad with Watercress
- Winter Green Super Soup
If you liked what you saw, sign up for the course today!Oh! And don't miss this free printable handout, which features some of the key lessons from today's post...
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