Christmas Vision

[Guest guest]

Twelve Steps to Christmas Vision

by Orlin Sorensen

Focus on the Green

1. Just about any greens you can think of, whether they be kale, chard, or mustard, can be steamed with a little water or stock (1/2 cup or less), a pinch of sea salt, and some minced garlic or shallot in a large sauté pan. Just make sure to remove the tough stems before cooking. A squeeze of lemon just before serving brightens the flavor.

2. Greens, Glorious Greens! by na Albi and Walthers (St. ’s Press, 1996) is a fantastic resource for the greens impaired, with more than 140 delicious recipes and descriptions/illustrations of each plant, from arugula to watercress.

3. During the summer months, young tender greens can be eaten raw in salads: if the idea of a kale salad scares you a little, try mixing unfamiliar greens in with traditional lettuce.

4. Chez Panisse Vegetables ( Morrow Cookbooks, 1996) by Alice Waters, one of the country’s preeminent chefs, is a beautifully illustrated and knowledgeably written guide to everything you need to know about vegetables: umm, her Spicy Broccoli Vegetable Sauté sounds good right about now.

5. Want to get more berries in your diet but don’t want to eat fat-laden muffins? Try them as a topping on oatmeal in the morning. Trader Joe’s sells a prepackaged mix of raisins, cranberries, cherries, and blueberries that, along with some walnuts (an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids), is the perfect way to get your vision on without any hassle.

6. Fruit is not just for dessert. The venerable Alice Waters also has a fruit cookbook, Chez Panisse Fruit (( Morrow Cookbooks, 2002), featuring both sweet and savory dishes, including main courses: Middle Eastern-Style Lamb Stew with Dried Apricots, anyone?

7. Better yet, combine your fruits and veggies: a handful of currents or raisins makes a perfect accompaniment to everything from broccoli rabe (a classic vegetable in Italian cooking, now more widely available in the States) to kale (throw in some toasted pine nuts for an extra treat).

8. While Marcella Hazan’s seminal Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Knopf, 1998) is not exclusively devoted to fruits and vegetables, you’ll find enough interesting, new, and simple recipes (Beet Tops Salad, Swiss Chard Torte with Raisins and Pine Nuts) to last you for long while.

9. Face it. Unless you’re from the Southern U.S. or Africa, you probably don’t eat collard greens and have no idea how to prepare them. Which is a shame, as collards are a nutritional powerhouse: low in calories and loaded with vitamins A, B and C, calcium, beta carotene, and fiber. Eating them can reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. You can get a quick, easy fix of collards by slivering them and adding them to soups and bean stews.

10. The Collard Patch by Lou Cheatham and Elliott (Blue Moon Books, 2006) is a treasure trove of information about this misunderstood green and features what the authors claim is “the most popular collard greens recipe in the world.”

11. Here’s a salad secret: It’s not just lettuce anymore. Salads taste a lot better when you add stuff (and by “stuff,” we don’t mean high-calorie dressing). If you think salad is boring, try adding one of each of the following: nuts, cheese, and fruit. Think apples, pecans, and smoked Gouda, or figs, hazelnuts, and goat cheese. Let the lettuce be your canvas, and don’t be afraid to get a little crazy with the paint

Suzi

List Owner

health/

http://360./suziesgoats

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.