I eat a lot of spinach, it's by far my favorite thing to put in my smoothies if I'm going for a mild flavor. I love Kale too but it has a bolder flavor so I use it often in juices and smoothies when I'm going for bold!
But what about the other dark leafy greens? It is important to have variety in your diet, firstly, because they all contain different arrangements of beneficial key nutrients. So keeping it different increases your nutrients intake. Secondly, you don't want to get bored or sick of the same thing over and over and over...and seriously, why eat the same thing over and over (unless of course you love it), when there is such a broad array of different types of tasty fruits and vegetables available. You can really spice up your life with greens. I don't think I ever really ate any dark leafy greens aside from maybe spinach growing up, so when I overhauled my kitchen and started cleaning up diet I had to learn how to cook them. Luckily, it's not in the least bit difficult to incorporate or cook these suckers! I used collard greens with my spaghetti squash this week, and then incorporated Chards into my vegan Mac n chz creation! Yes, Swiss and Green chard with Mac n chz.... It was shockingly awesome.
I'm feeling generous so I'm going to share both recipes with you in a single post. Yep, I know, I'm the best! BUT the catch is I'm going to make you read the fun nutritious facts first! Dark leafy greens are probably the most nutrient dense foods available. They are a rich source of minerals like Iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, while getting a hefty dose of vitamins K, C, E, and B's. The phytonutrients like beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin protect our cells from damage while protecting our eyes from aging issues. Not to mention they also contain small amounts of the oh, so important Omega 3's aka BRAIN FUEL! K is probably the biggest handy helper in these veggies because of how much they contain of vitamin K. K is known to regulate blood clotting, protect bones from osteoporosis, as well as reducing inflammation and preventing diabetes. POWER HOUSE FOODS. Incorporate them on a weekly bases and strive to up that to a daily basis when you can.
So here is the goods, my friends!
The greens themselves are actually cooked similarly in both recipes but are being paired with completely different types of foods which creates crazy diversity.
This recipe can be used for any type of chards, collards, spinach, ect
Sauteed Greens Ingredients:
1 bunch of greens (cut out large center stem if applicable)
1/2 small onion chopped
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup water w/ 1/3 tsp better than bouillon (or just 1/3 c vegetable broth)
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Put all ingredients in a large pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until leaves are tender.
For the spaghetti squash dish, all I did was baked the squash (see directions here) drizzled a little olive oil, salt & pepper on the squash and then tossed the collards with the squash and garnished with fresh parsley and cherry tomatoes.
For the Mac N "Cheeze"
Cook 1 package of noodles (I used brown rice noodles), drain, and set aside. In pot over medium heat combine 1 c daiya vegan cheeze, 1/2 rice or plain soy milk, 2 tbsp vegetable broth, 1 tbsp veganaise (which is a vegan mayo alternative, earth balance 'butter' would work too), Himalayan salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth. Turn off heat, toss in noddles and greens, and voila!
I also want to add my favorite green juice recipe that utilizes Kale.
2 large leaves of Kale
1 stick of celery
1/3 large cucumber
1 apple
1 pear
1/4 lemon
Enjoy!
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