Getting your Greens

Are you looking to incorporate more greens in your diet? We have gotten lots of greens in our CSA shares, and decided it was time to compile our recipes for them in one place. I have made these recipes GAPS friendly (please click on the title to see the original recipe).  What are your favorite ways to get your greens? Please offer some recipes below.

Braising Greens inspired by Dinosaur BBQ
1/2 pound braising greens* (use up to 1 pound)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

Method

Wash the greens well. Drop the greens into a couple of inches of boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Coarsely chop. Pour the olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions. Once they're soft, add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Dump in the greens and give them a stir. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, the vinegar and Tabasco. Stir a couple of more times, and it's ready to serve.

*What are braising greens? We use the term to describe any of the tougher or bitter greens. We have made this recipe with collard greens or with a mixture of beet greens, radish tops and "braising green" mixture from our CSA.

Slow Cooker Greens

1 lb of greens

1 C Chicken Stock

Method

Wash the greens well and coarsely chop. Add the greens and chicken stock to the slow cooker. Cook for an hour and stir. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of greens and and the heat of your slow cooker.

Sauteed Greens

1 large bunch of greens
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
olive oil
Method
Heat the pan and add enough olive oil to lightly coat it. Add the greens and cook until tender. Add garlic and cook until soft.

Frittata with Spinach*
1 bunch of spinach, washed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 eggs, beaten
olive oil
Method
Preheat the broiler. Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Generously coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. Add the spinach and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Spread out the spinach and garlic to evenly coat the bottom of the pan, and pour in the eggs. Cook until the eggs start to firm up around the edges, and then place under the broiler. Cook for 3 minutes and then check. The frittata will be done when the top has a golden color.
*This recipe will work with any greens with tender leaves.


Frittata with Kale*
1 bunch kale, washed and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 eggs, beaten
olive oil
Method
Preheat the broiler. Steam the kale until tender. Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Generously coat the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. Add the kale and cook for 2 -3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook one more minute. Spread out the kale and garlic to evenly coat the bottom of the pan, and pour in the eggs. Cook until the eggs start to firm up around the edges, and then place under the broiler. Cook for 3 minutes and then check. The frittata will be done when the top has a golden color.
*This recipe will work for any tougher greens including kale, collard greens, etc.


Collard Greens inspired by Chez Suzanne
1 bundle of collard greens, about 15 leaves
5 slices smoked bacon
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons butter

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 3 slices of the bacon, salt and juice from the lemon to the boiling water. Smash 4 of the garlic cloves and add them to the water (reserving the rest for the garlic chips). Boil the water for 45 minutes.

Remove the stalk for the greens, and then cut the leaves into bite sized pieces. Add them to the boiling water and cook for 45 minutes or until the greens are very tender. Drain well.

While the greens are cooking, slice the 4 remaining garlic cloves to make the garlic chips. Lightly sprinkle  with a pinch of salt. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and saute the garlic until lightly browned and crispy. Remove and set aside.

Cut the remaining bacon slices into thin lardons and fry in the leftover oil from sauteing the garlic chips. When lightly crispy, remove and set aside.

Keep the bacon fat and olive oil in the saute pan. Add the apple cider and lightly simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the drained collard greens and toss in the cider vinegar / butter mixture to completely coat.

Remove the collard greens to a serving dish and top with the  garlic chips.

*This recipe is time consuming, but worth every second because they are SO tasty.

Creamed Spinach
2 T butter

2 shallots, chopped
1 bunch spinach (or other tender leafed green)
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 dash of nutmeg
Method
Melt the butter and add the shallots. Cook until soft. Wash the spinach and roughly chop. Add to the pan and cook until tender. Add the coconut milk and cook until the milk has reduced. Sprinkle a bit of nutmeg over the top before serving.