Kale and White Beans Sautéed
Italian country cooks have been simmering greens and buttery white beans together for decades. Canadian bacon is cooked in a pan in this simple variation from cookbook author Holly Clegg. After that, cook an onion in olive oil. Stir in chopped kale, white beans, and chicken broth until the greens are soft. Canadian bacon has a meatier flavour than regular bacon but contains less fat.
Salad with Bok Choy
This salad has a crunchy texture thanks to the bok choy, a mild Chinese cabbage. Chop the baby bok choy, green onions, toasted sliced almonds, and drained mandarin oranges and combine them in a bowl. To make the dressing, combine olive oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and low-sodium soy sauce in a mixing bowl. Bok choy is high in vitamins and minerals and has the disease-fighting properties of cabbage.
Black Licorice, Beets, and Greens
Do you want to serve leafy greens like a pro? Richard Blais, winner of Top Chef All-Stars, created a salad using sliced beets and beet leaves. With shavings of black licorice, he softens the bite of the greens. Like cinnamon or vanilla, it imparts a kick and a false feeling of sweetness. In his newest restaurant, The Spence, he finishes with a dash of horseradish.
Collards with Steamed Salmon
Collards have a cabbage-like flavour and large, broad leaves. Chef Blais blanches them in boiling water for a few seconds before plunging them into icy water. When the leaves is soft, fold it over the raw salmon to make a wrap. In a collard leaf, steam the salmon until it is tender.
Aim for 2 to 3 cups of vegetables every day. Greens that have been cooked, such as cabbage, count as one cup of vegetables. Two cups of salad greens equal one cup of veggies.
Greens with a Southern Flair
Collards — or the more peppery mustard greens displayed here — are best served with ham or Andouille sausage slices. Clegg, who hails from Louisiana, achieves a similar flavour with turkey sausage or Canadian bacon. This reduces the fat and sodium content of this popular side dish. After the meat has been browned, add the olive oil, onion, broth, and leafy leaves and cook until wilted.
Sautéed Spinach in the Italian Style
Chef Blais suggests sautéeing garlic with red pepper for a classic Italian spin on leafy greens. Finish with a splash of lemon juice and chopped spinach or kale.
Try kale stems or broccoli rabe chunks in your pasta sauce. The greens, according to Chef Blais, give the sauce a bite and a peppery depth.
Broccoli Rabe Charred
It’s a leafy broccoli cousin with little buds that’s popular in Italian and Asian cuisine. To keep the flavour, Chef Blais loves to sear it briefly on the grill or under the broiler. He adds a few drops of Asian fish sauce, anchovy oil, or oyster sauce to the cooked broccoli rabe. They impart a savoury flavour known as umami.
Greens and Steamed Shellfish
Greens go really well with steamed mussels or clams. Chef Blais makes a Portuguese soup with clams, sherry, garlic, and chopped turnip or beet greens, which he steams. Through the salt naturally contained in shellfish, the ocean adds its own seasoning. This soup is rustic and filling thanks to the addition of greens.
Casserole of Cabbage Rolls
This one-pot dinner is similar to stuffed cabbage, but it’s faster to prepare and requires the use of a slow cooker. Ground sirloin is cooked in a skillet with onion and garlic, then seasoned with pepper, according to Holly Clegg’s recipe. In a slow cooker, combine the meat, brown rice, chopped cabbage, marinara sauce, and brown sugar. Cook on low for four to six hours, covered.
Coleslaw with a Twist
Clegg’s sweet and delicious coleslaw recipe is free of mayonnaise. Thanks to the fruit, nuts, and seeds, you might forget you’re eating cabbage. Red and green cabbage should be thinly sliced. Red bell pepper slices, dried apricots, maize, green onions, slivered almonds, and sesame seeds are all good additions. Dress with a balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, and garlic dressing.
Soup for an Italian Wedding
In Italian minestra maritata soup, the “wedding” refers to the delectable combination of meat and greens. In a large pot, sauté onion, garlic, celery, and carrots. After that, add the chicken and beef broth, orzo pasta, and oregano. Toss the soup in a pot with enough water to cover it and bring to a boil Ground sirloin, Parmesan, bread crumbs, eggs, and seasonings are combined to make mini-meatballs. In the soup, cook the meatballs. Add the baby spinach and continue to cook until the greens are wilted.
Greek Dip with Eight Layers
In this take on a Mexican layered dip, fresh spinach makes an appearance. It has Mediterranean flavours throughout, from the bottom to the top:
- Hummus with red peppers
- baby spinach, chopped
- tomatoes that have been sun-dried
- Cucumber slices, peeled and cut
- Onion, red
- Pecans that have been toasted
- Feta cheese with a low fat content
- black olives, sliced
Serve with pita chips as a side dish. A quarter cup of dip contains around 90 calories.
Salad Caesar with Kale
Chef Blais created this Caesar salad with a twist. It’s made with Asian fish sauce, Thai chilies, garlic, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice, and it’s flavoured with Asian fish sauce, Thai chilies, garlic, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice.
Learn more: What’s the Difference Between Sea Salt and Table Salt