Greens and Beets

In elementary school, during lunch, I was served some of the most unappetizing food ever. What was supposed to be cooked spinach resembled pond algae. You know that green, hairy stuff that gets caught on the fishing hook when you’re reeling in your fishing line. Yep, that was on my lunch tray. Consequently, I have had a prejudice against cooked spinach or anything that might resemble it, until recently.

I decided to give spinach another chance. I found that when not overcooked it is very tasty and visually pleasing. In fact, this has changed my perspective on many vegetables I have never tried to cook myself such as greens(kale, chard, mustard and collard) and beets.

Here’s some easy tips and recipes for spinach and greens.

Spinach-1 serving

1 tablespoon EVOO or an infused oil, such as garlic or herb

1 tablespoon minced onion(green onion and shallot can be used as well)

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cup raw spinach, rinse well

1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook the garlic only a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Using tongs quickly add spinach. Turn the spinach over quickly until is is slightly wilted. Work fast because it can become overcooked. Remove the skillet from the heat and move the spinach to a serving dish otherwise it will continue to cook. Salt and pepper spinach and add a squeeze of lemon.

Greens-1 serving

1 tablespoon EVOO or an infused oil, such as garlic or herb

1 tablespoon minced onion(green onion and shallot can be used as well)

15 crushed red pepper flakes or more depending on how much heat you want

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups greens(kale, chard, beet greens, mustard) sliced into 1/2 ribbons, rinse well

Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and red pepper flakes and cook until the onion is golden brown. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook the garlic only a few seconds until it becomes fragrant. Add greens and stir fry until tender, about 4 minutes.(Takes longer than spinach.)

I’ll be sharing a beet recipe and some other ways to incorporate greens into a daily diet over the next couple of days.