Leafy greens should be a delicious part of your daily vegetable intake, not only for the super list of nutrients that they have, but also because they’re versatile and they taste great!  Many of us include the standard romaine and iceberg lettuce in our salads. Maybe you’re even one of the adventurous people adding spinach to your shakes for a green smoothie. There are many more options, though, when it comes to adding other leafy greens into your diet. Try something different from the list below, you may find your new favorite leafy green just in time for spring and summer.

Here’s just a partial list of the many leafy greens available:

• Kale, a cruciferous (cabbage family) green that contains indoles and isothiocyanates that produce enzymes to shuttle toxins from our bodies. Kale is blue-green, smooth or rippled, dark or pale and has a mildly earthy taste. These beautiful plants are often grown as a border in ornamental gardens; however, this plant is a nutritional goldmine, rich in fiber, iron and Vitamins A, C, and K.  Choose young, tender leaves for salads or garnishes. Otherwise add more mature leaves to soups, stir fry dishes, or toss in a lightly oiled skillet for a few minutes. Asian seasonings are very compatible.

• Arugula, a tender green with peppery flavor, is rich in Vitamins A, C and calcium. Arugula is most often eaten raw but is also delicious on pizza, in soups and in pasta dishes. To serve warm, toss arugula in a lightly oiled skillet for one minute.

• Beet Greens are bright leaves with purple stems and are most sweet and tender when young.  Beets are particularly rich in folate and a good source of vitamin C and iron. Braise or steam older and larger leaves; add lemon or fragrant vinegar.

• Collard Greens have a mild flavor and provide Vitamins A, C and K, folate, fiber and calcium. Add to soup, stew or steam and season as a side dish.

• Dandelion Greens have a sharp flavor and slender leaves with ragged edges. Young leaves can be added to salads but older leaves, which may be bitter, should be boiled or braised.

• Mustard greens, rich in Vitamins A, C and K and calcium, are peppery and spicy. They can be served in raw salads when young and tender or braised or when more mature.

• Romaine lettuce, rich in Vitamins A, C and K, is perfect in salads or wraps.

• Spinach has and earthy, mildly sweet flavor and provides Vitamins A, K and folate. It is a good source of iron and calcium.  Wash thoroughly, as mature leaves like to hold on to grit. Use raw in salads, stir-fry slightly or add to fruit smoothies for enhanced nutrition! You won’t taste the vegetable tartness.

• Swiss chard has a mild earthiness and is a good source of Vitamins A, and K, folate, iron and potassium. Use as spinach, cooking mature leaves. 

Which leafy green from this list are you going to try this week?

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Source: The Healthy Table. Photo Copyright 2008 Jupiter Images.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 11:42 am and is filed under Diet & Exercise Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.