Eat healthy – Go green

The greens I grew up on were “cooked to death” by good southern cooks. They were delicious — what could be slow-cooked for hours with a smoked ham hock and not be yummy?

Throughout my childhood, I thought slow-simmered was the only way to eat greens. Everybody I knew ate greens that way.

When I moved to Columbus it was hard to find greens other than spinach in the produce sections of area grocery stores. Kale was used to edge bins of other produce to add color, but not to take home for dinner.

The times, as they say, are a-changin’. Not only do people buy and cook kale, turnip greens, collards and mustard greens the old fashioned way — now they’re stir-fried, used raw in salads, added to soups and salted and baked so they’re crisp like potato chips.

I’m glad to see greens becoming so popular. I’ve always loved the flavors. The fact that they’re inexpensive and good for you is a bonus. Kale is now known as a ‘super food’ loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Try some greens several different ways. Make them a regular part of your healthy diet and reap the health benefits. This recipe uses kale as a snack.

CRISPY KALE

1 bunch kale, rinsed and well-dried

1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil of your choice

1-2 drops sesame oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Cut the kale into manageable pieces; cut off the tough stems. Place cut kale in a large bowl. Sprinkle oil over and toss to coat leaves. Sprinkle sea salt over oiled leaves and toss to coat thoroughly.

Arrange kale pieces in a single layer on parchment paper.

Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown — kale should be crisp.

Remove from oven, cool to room temperature and enjoy. Bet you can’t eat just one.

Serves two to three as a snack.

Optional: Add one or more of the following: chili pepper flakes, 1/4 cup chopped nuts of your choice.

Linda Conway Eriksson can be reached by e-mail at ieatatmoms@gmail.com.

Posted by Linda C. Eriksson on Feb 18 2013. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS Feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.