Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Make the most of all this green!

When working with greens it is easy to get caught up in the world of salads—and while that can be a tasty and simple use for them, it can also be fun to think outside the salad bowl, especially when working with kale, arugula, garlic scapes, chard and spring onions.
Kale~

Hopefully everyone has tried kale chips, but if you haven’t they can be a great way to ease into loving kale—just spritz each leaf with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and add hot pepper if you’re daring, and bake lying flat at 350 for 5-10 minutes until crispy and browning, cool and enjoy! Kale can also be a great addition to spinach in a stir-fry, complementing peppers, mushrooms, and tofu, beef or chicken. Massaged Kale Salad is a wonderful summery dish. You can go in any direction here, garlic sesame oil and lemon, or a tahini dressing with shredded carrots and raisins.
Garlic Scapes~

Garlic Scapes are the top of the garlic plant. It has exactly the same flavor as garlic and is a great substitute in any dish that calls for garlic. Instead of crushing garlic to flavor the stir-fry, chop the garlic scapes and mix them in for that garlic flavor! Or roast the whole scape and use as a side dish! Fresh Garlic Scape Pesto  is incredibly delicious on pasta.
Arugula~

Also makes great pesto. Arugula is a slightly spicy fresh green. It's sharp and spicy taste accompanies cheesy pizza, or a beet and goat cheese salad. Arugula can also be thrown into a stir-fry, towards the end so it is just lightly cooked, but it can also be a great additional flavor to Italian style meals—add it to your favorite pesto recipe, or chop and add to diced tomatoes for a farmer’s marinara sauce.





 
 











Swiss Chard~

Can also be a colorful addition to any stir-fry to broth-based soup. You can use swiss chard as a substitute for anything that calls for spinach. Bake it into a cheesy gratin, or stir fry it with some garlic scapes or spring onions, add some tomato sauce, and then crack four eggs into the mixture (no mixing). Throw some parmesan or feta on top, bake in the oven till eggs are cooked through. Serve with rice or cornbread or alone.

Spring Onions~

The stem of these early spring onions are still very flavorful and can be used the same way as scallions, chopped in the stir-fry, on top of a salad, pasta, or pizza, or leave the stems on and grill them and use as a side of burgers, steak, chicken, or kabobs!

Collard greens~

These hearty and nutrient packed greens are traditionally slow roasted—with butter or tomatoes—to calm the bitter flavor, but they can also be sautĂ©ed in olive oil with lemon zest and pepper flakes for a side dish with a kick!



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