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  The Power of Greens

  21-Sep-2023

  Leafy green vegetables are, arguably, one of the most powerful foods you can eat, and there are SO many benefits to adding them to your daily menu. Just to list a few:

  • They are one of the most nutrient dense foods out there (i.e. more nutrition per calorie)
  • They are associated with the strongest protection against major chronic diseases, including a reduced risk for heart attacks and stroke
  • A study done at Rush University and published in the journal Neurology showed that eating green leafy vegetables every day was associated with slower cognitive decline – the study results suggested that older adults who ate at least one serving of leafy green vegetables showed an equivalent of being 11 years younger cognitively
  • and more

  In this week's episode of In My Plant-Based Kitchen I talk about why greens are so powerful (and what exactly we mean by "greens"), we delve into the benefits of greens for health, talk tips for getting the most out of your greens nutritionally and ideas for how to get more of them into your meals. ANDI do a demo of Side Sauteed Greens

  So if you're interested in this info, be sure to check the episode out.

  Now, on to the recipes.

  Side Sauteed Greens

  Serves 2-3

  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced (you can add minced ginger, chives or other aromatics here if you wish)
  • About 4 cups roughly chopped greens (kale/beet greens/chard/bok choy/Chinese cabbage, etc)
  • 1 tbsp Braggs Soy Alternative + 1 tbsp water
  • sprinkle of lemon/lime juice

  Directions:

  1) Prepare all your ingredients i.e. chop the garlic, and wash and cut the greens. Measure out the Braggs and water and halve a lemon/lime. Have everything at hand because you will need to work quickly in this next stage.

  2) When everything is just about ready to go, heat your pan over med-high heat, and when water sizzles, add about 1 tbsp water then the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds - 1 minute or so, until the garlic becomes fragrant and starts to look a bit translucent. Don’t allow it to brown – this will make them bitter.

  3) Add your greens, and toss with the garlic. Add the braggs/water mixture and toss again, stirring constantly until the greens have just wilted.

  4) Now sprinkle the lemon/lime juice and toss once more. DON’T overcook – this whole process should only take a couple of minutes!

  5) Remove from pan and eat immediately! (This should be the last thing you do for your meal as these greens are best served HOT).

  Serve as a side with a veggie burger, as part of a bowl, with mashed potatoes and tempeh, or however else you can dream up!

  *Want to see a demo of this recipe? Check it out here.

  Creamy Kale Salad

  Serves 2

  This is another easy recipe that is super tasty and full of powerful nutrition. I love it because unlike most salads it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

  Ingredients: 

  • 1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped
  • 1 cup grated carrots
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • A sprinkling of sea salt (1/8-1/4 tsp, to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

  Directions:

  1. Chop kale and place in a bowl. Massage it until it starts to soften.
  2. Toss the rest of the ingredients except the sesame seeds into the bowl and use your hands or the back of a large spoon to thoroughly mash avocado into kale and mix everything together.
  3. Serve into bowls, garnish with sesame seeds and eat immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

  Note: for variation you can make this salad with other greens (don't massage unless it's a hardy one though...), lime juice or apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice, switch up the carrots for beets and the sesame seeds for another seed/chopped nut of your choice.

   Have a nutrition question or topic you'd like to see covered on In My Plant-Based Kitchen? Send it to Emma here.

  Tags: healthy recipes, vegan recipes, vegan, Plant-based recipes, cooking tips, wfpb, greens, vegan cooking, healthy cooking

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