Go Green(s)!

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Citrus Collards With RaisinsDid you know greens are practically FREE?? I would have been eating greens years ago if anyone had told me how much money they would save me on my weekly grocery bill. This past week we spent $65 at Wal-Mart on groceries and maybe another $18 at Earth Fare. And our fridge is PACKED with food. (FYI for those not in the know: Greens are the big dark leafy things you pass in the produce aisle on your way to the cookies.)

After years of retching and gagging at the mere mention of things like "collards" and "chard," I actually tried some. Guess what? Delish! That is, if you bypass the good ol' southern method of boiling the hell out of them. (I'll never forget the first time I ate gray-green mush at my mother-in-law's home. Blair had to explain to me that the food was--in a previous life--broccoli.) I wish someone had told her a quick 3-5 minute simmer and wilt does the trick. 

Here are a couple of recipes I've tried that I've liked:

Citrus Collard with Raisins - so good it almost made me cry.

Delicious Greens & Quinoa Pie from this month's Vegetarian Times. The recipe isn't up on their site yet, but probably will be soon. 

Cheese Grits and GreensCheese Grits and Greens - I'll be making this tomorrow. I like the idea of making grits and greens for dinner. Makes me feel southern. 

Mac N Chard at the No Meat Athlete site (scroll down in the post to view recipe). For the record, Blair liked but didn't love this one, and stubbornly refused to take my point of view that it was a reasonable substitute for mac n cheese. 

And I've saved the best for last: Kale Potato Chips. I know, I know - I had the same initial reaction. And they don't look pretty coming out of the oven. They look like burnt kale. Blair simulated some nice retching sounds when looking at them, but even he admitted the taste was really good. Put oil and salt on anything and you pretty much have a win. 

Kale Chips

  •  1 bunch kale, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1-2 Tbs. olive oil. (I go light on the oil. Just barely enough to coat.)
  • Kosher salt

 Preheat oven to 350. Tear kale into pieces, removing tough stems. Toss kale with olive oil in a bowl. Place kale on baking sheet and bake approximately 20-30 minutes, turning kale with tongs halfway through. Edges should be brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle lightly with salt. (Eat within 3 hours. The leaves don't stay crisp much beyond that.)