Include Fresh Greens In Your Daily Diet

11.Braised Gralic Greens(makes 4 side dish servings):
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves of garlic(crushed); 1 small cabbage or iceberg lettuce, or a large bunch of spinach(shredded); salt to taste; handful of chopped parsley or coriander leaves;
Variation:
You can also use 2-3 heads of young pak choy or a medium bunch of mustard greens or fenugreek leaves.Instead of shredding, chop or tear up into leafy wands with a single stem each for easy eating.For these, omit the parsley and add a slug of soy sauce and a large pinch of chili flakes to the pan instead.

Method:
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.Add the cabbage and saute for 5 minutes.Season and stir in the parsley; serve immediately.

*********************************************

12.Spinach, Pea And Cottage Cheese Salad(makes 4 servings):
Ingredients:
200g very tender peas; 200g soft crumbled cottage cheese; salt to taste; 200g medium bunch young spinach leaves; small bunch mint leaves(roughly chopped); juice of 1/2 lemon;1 tbsp olive oil;Freshly ground pepper to taste;

Method:
Steam the peas over boiling water(or cook in hot water) for 5-7 minutes, or until just tender.Drain if required and set aside to cool.Season the cottage cheese well.Set aside.
Make the Dressing: Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil; season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt.Toss together the spinach and mint, then stir in the cooled peas.Crumble over the cottage cheese and roughly toss together.Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss briefly.
Note:
If the spinach is not in its very first youth, you could quickly blanch them by plunging into hot water and immediately into cold water, then draining.If young peas are not in season, buy frozen rather than the harder mature peas - you want the still slightly sweet peas rather than the ones with a more neutral flavour and lentil-like taxture for this dish.Or use young mangetout or sugar snap peas if available, or perhaps very young green beans(haricot or French beans).

*********************************************

13.Leafy Zucchini Risotto(serves 4):
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion(finely chopped); 1 cup finely chopped mild-flavoured leafy greens(such as Fresh turnip tops, amaranth, young kohlrab, or cauliflower fronds, perhaps even jute leaves or tender pumpkin greens); 1 clove garlic crushed; 300g risotto rice(such as arborio) or short-grained pudding rice; 1 litre vegetable stock heated to boiling(you can use 2 soup cubes in water); 1 large zucchini(sliced into ribbons; freshly grated nutmeg and black pepper powder(to taste); 25g grated Parmesan cheese;

Method:
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan.Stir fry the onion and greens for 5-6 minutes, or until they start to soften.Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute.Add the rice, stirring to coat well, and cook for 2 minutes.Reserving one ladleful, gradually add the stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring each time until absorbed - it should take about 5 minutes.Shave the courgette into strips using a small vegetable peeler.Stir into risotto with the reserved ladleful of stock.Simmer for 5 minutes, then add half the cheese.When melted, season to taste and stir to combine.Spoon into bowls and serve at once, sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

*********************************************

14.Garlic Roasted Asparagus(serves 6):
Ingredients:
700g fresh asparagus spears; 2 to 3 cloves garlic(thinly sliced); 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp grounded black pepper;

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degree F.Snap off and discard woody bases from asparagus.Place asparagus and garlic in a 15*10*1-inch baking pan.Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Toss to coat.Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring once halfway through roasting.Serve immediately.

*********************************************

More Green Recipes