Other than a few Brussels sprouts and maybe some green beans loaded with mushroom soup, most people don’t see a lot of green vegetables around the holidays. In fact, more than 80 percent of adults and children don’t get enough vegetables at all.

Cut your greens into ribbons so they cook quickly and are easy to eat

You’ve probably had your share of holiday treats and are feeling like you need to make some changes to your diet. Before you start off the new year with some radical resolutions (that probably won’t stick), try simply adding some greens to your menu to crowd out the sugary, processed foods that you crave but offer very little nutritional value.

Green leafy vegetables are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Chard, kale and spinach are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E and K. Other leafy greens include arugula, beet greens, bok choy, turnip and beet greens, and broccoli rabe.

If you don’t like kale or chard, it’s probably because you haven’t tried it, or it’s been overcooked cooked until it was bitter.  Many people think that steamed greens are more bitter than either boiled or sautéed greens. I prefer to sauté them to preserve as many of the nutrients as I can, but you can also quickly blanch greens (drop in boiling water) for 2-3 minutes, and then sauté them to eliminate a little of their bitterness.

Here is a quick way to sauté kale, chard, or even beet greens that is super simple.  The key is cut the greens into small pieces or ribbons, and to not overcook them. I like to sauté onion first to add a bit of sweetness, but you can do it without.

Greens Saute

Ingredients:

Half of a small onion diced
2-3 garlic cloves diced
1 large bunch red or Swiss chard, kale (any variety) or beet greens
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
splash of water (or soy sauce)

Directions:

Dice up the onion and sauté it with the olive oil on medium heat until just soft.  Add diced garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. (Keep heat on medium, not high or you will damage the olive oil and make it rancid.) Wash the leaves and strip the leaves from the stalks. (Tip: Fold them in half, then either cut or tear the leaf off the stalk.)  If you want you can chop the stalks and sauté them with the onion. Chop the greens coarsely or in ribbons.  (Tip: To get ribbons, stack the leafs and roll them like a cigar and then slice it in strips.)

 Add the greens and stir to coat with oil, onion and garlic.  Toss in a splash of water (or another liquid), and cook until greens are wilted and soft, but not overcooked, about 5 minutes for chard and 7-10 for kale. Season with salt and pepper.  

Other serving suggestions:  Saute greens with pine nuts or raisins.