by Betsy Naselli
It’s all about green these days. Smaller carbon footprint. Using fewer of the Earth’s resources. A vegan lifestyle is a great way to be greener. But, actually, that is not the green I am talking about.
No ma’am. I am talking about healthy green vegetables: collards and kale and mustard greens. Spinach and arugula and romaine. Mizuna and bok choy and, well, I think you are catching on.
Now, for some reason many (oh, all right, most) people are resistant to adding more of these super healthy greens to their diet. I think that a large part of this is the preparation necessary. Or, it used to be.
You had to wash and wash and wash and towel dry. And, still they could be gritty. Especially the spinach.
Now, you can buy triple washed organic baby spinach and baby kale. You can buy triple washed organic arugula and Romaine lettuce and just about any other combination of lettuces in an “open and serve” bag.
I do want to say, however, that in season, we should buy these from local growers at our farmers’ markets and do our own washing and drying. If you don’t have a salad spinner, get one now!
This is how I get more greens into my diet and into that of my two toddler grandchildren.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Smoothie
crushed ice (about a cup)
1C of chocolate hemp milk
1 banana
1T of peanut butter
2 large fistfuls of baby spinach
2T chia seeds
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pineapple Kale Smoothie
crushed ice
1 banana
1C of fresh pineapple
2C of baby kale, or stemmed dinosaur kale
1C of almond milk (I use raw, but you could use any non-dairy milk.)
2T chia seeds
stevia to taste to sweeten if necessary
At our house, these are called Magic Drinks because the greens disappear! And, they taste so good that my grandchildren don’t even consider that something green in their cup might be “yucky.”
Sautéed Greens
olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large bunch greens, cleaned, de-ribbed if necessary, stemmed if necessary and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1T nutritional yeast
1C vegetable broth
1T tamari
2T tahini
sprinkle of crushed red pepper, optional
Sauté the onion and garlic in about 1T of olive oil until softened but not browned. Add the greens and cook over medium heat, covered, until greens are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add nutritional yeast, broth, tamari, tahini and red pepper if using. Stir to combine and heat through.
Serve.
Variation: You can add a can of garbanzo or cannellini beans to make this a complete meal.
Betsy Naselli owns The Holistic Lifestyle Company in the Syracuse area. www.TheHolisticLifestyleCompany.com
The Atlantic Chapter encourages you to move toward a plant-based diet to protect the environment, human health and wildlife, and to make better use of natural resources. To learn more and receive more recipes, contact the Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Committee at LDESTEFANO3@twcny.rr.com, (315) 488-2140 , 5031 Onondaga Rd., Syracuse, NY 13215-1403 or visit our Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach page.