FW: FitNet - Winter Greens

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Enjoy.

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From: Enid Fox <enid.fox1@...>

Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:02:49 -0800

Subject: FitNet - Winter Greens

Hello,

 

Winter greens are in season now. We need to eat more leaves! Yup, green

leafy vegetables. Greens are important because they provide fiber and a

multitude of vitamins and minerals that are essential for our health and

vitality. Greens contain " phytonutrients " or " plant-nutrients " that our

bodies do not manufacture and we can't get from eating animal products.

 

The leaf of a plant is the where energy from the sun is turned into glucose

(sugar). Photosynthesis requires chlorophyll, the green pigment, to turn

energy into glucose. We get energy and essential vitamins, minerals and

phytonutrients from leaves. Many of these phytonutrients are fat soluble so

be sure to include some oil/fat in your meal with them!

If you are taking a drug with Warfarin to prevent blood coagulation

(Coumadin, Jantoven, Marevan, and Waran) be aware that leafy greens often

contain a high level of vitamin K which helps blood to clot.Your MD can work

with you to see if a changing your intake of greens impacts your clotting

time.

 

Most people don't find leaves much fun to eat and unfortunately the most

'leaf-eating' some people do is from a pale green salad of ice berg and

romaine lettuce or on top of a burger. If you are not much of a

'green-eater,' try adding one new winter green to your menu each week for

the next 2 months. Leafy greens belong on your plate for breakfast (with

eggs) lunch and dinner!

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Below is my favorite way to prepare winter greens. It's very quick and can

be very versatile.

Use a choice of one or a combination of the following winter greens:

* Kale

* Swiss chard (my personal favorite is rainbow colors of chard)

* Turnip greens

* Collard greens

* Mustard greens

* Beet greens

* Cabbages

* Bok Choy

* Spinach

Use a julienne cut. This technique for preparing winter greens results in a

delicate thinly sliced presentation that is probably not one you are

familiar with. It makes a wonderful bed of greens for your fish, chicken or

meat instead of using rice and grains if you are limiting carbohydrates.

 

The greens should be washed and dried prior to or after slicing. For greens

with a thick stalk like collards, mustard, kale and turnip, take the tip

of a 8 " chef's knife and cut out the stalk. Thinner and softer stalks can be

left in or sliced out and then chopped into the mix. The trick is to take

the leaves and pile them up on top of each other, and then roll them

sideways. Now finely chop/slice (julienne style) through the long roll

forming delicate green shavings. Once you learn this technique, it only

takes seconds to do.  

 

The rest of the preparation can be as creative or simple as you like. The

winter greens are cooked in a skillet over medium to high heat, depending on

the oil I use. Do not over cook so that they become mushy! I vary the type

of oil I use from coconut oil, grape seed oil, red palm oil, peanut oil,

bacon fat and duck fat. Try a mix of pure olive oil with a little sesame

oil, butter or other flavorful oils that have a low smoke point; added at

end of cooking. I also vary other ingredients. I add different veggies like

red bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, celery

etc. If the added ingredients take longer to cook than the greens, they go

into the skillet first. Two of my favorite ingredients to go with my greens

are garlic and ginger.

 

The other creative part of this simple to complex preparation are the

spices. I tend to use Indian curry flavors with cumin and turmeric but you

can go Italian spices or Asian or whatever you prefer. Another option is to

sprinkle a topping of crumble cheese or seeds or nuts at the end. My

favorites are goat's milk or feta cheese, pine nuts or pumpkin seeds and

sometimes peanuts. It really depends on the spices and oils used... and my

mood!

 

Voila! From start to finish it takes less than 15 minutes to prepare a

wonderful base for what ever protein I am having. You will find that certain

ingredients and toppings are your favorite but if you get bored, your

creative flair is the only limit.

Eat Well and Thrive!

Enid

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