Friday, March 18, 2011

Greens: Broccoli & Kale



Continuing on with our Green Theme this week in celebration of St. Patrick's Day, we are checking out more
Green stuff.

Healthy.

Crunchy.

Green Stuff.





Broccoli



The best broccoli I ever had was at my friend's house once. She steamed the broccoli, drizzled it with some olive oil and sprinkled it with grated cheese. Fantastic!  I've eaten it like that ever since.



Kale. 

I was scared of Kale for a while.  I've eaten it plenty of times when other people have prepared it, but every time I walked near all those greens in the refrigerated shower-y don't reach in you might get sprayed section, I would freeze up and think, "how do I cook them?" and keep walking.

Finally, someone rescued me from my fear and made kale while staying at my house last year.

It's SO easy. Who knew?

Not me.




Just slide your sharp knife along the stem and chop off the green leafy parts.



Chop it all up in thin strips,

And saute in butter or oil with onions, and bell pepper strips.

I like to cover the pan for a bit and let the Kale wilt down.  You can cook it till it's all limp or just slightly, so its crunchy. Whatever you prefer.



Greens are SO good for you.  I try to eat the dark leafy ones a few times a week.  Sometimes I mix in beet greens.

During the summer I get my beets and beet greens at a local little farm stand run by a retired couple. 

I can't wait till it's warm again just for the local produce.

Meanwhile, I buy organic beets at my local Giant. 

Other greens we enjoy are Swiss Chard, Mustard, and Collard Greens.  I prepare them the same way as the Kale.  Sometimes I add different seasonings, a shot of wine, a shot of balsamic vinegar, or some garlic.

It's been a real learning experience for me to get over my fear of the green wall, but now that I've crossed over, I'm really enjoying the variety.

Happily Munching,
The Lunch Lady

2 comments:

Andrea said...

I have yet to cross the green line - lol! Can't eat much broccoli right now as I don't want to bug the baby's tummy so I'm chowing down on spinach. I got the kids to like it sauteed in lard & sea salt but today I used the drippings from some sausages and some pasta sauce and they fought me all the way.
Sigh...must be a science to finding the right spices. I am determined to try Kale first (I've let it wilt in my fridge 3 times now - lol!)!

Unknown said...

I was scared of kale at first too! Now, I absolutely love it and crave it often.