It’s spring, y’all! Did you hear that southern come out of me? Well ok, I’m not actually a southern girl, but since I’ve been living in the south since I was 18, I get to use “y’all” like I’m from here.  Down here in the Atlanta area it sometimes feels like summer already, and if you’re up north you may feel like spring hasn’t even shown a hint of its appearance yet, but it actually is spring! Anyway, this week I want to talk about eating green.

So what do I mean by “eating green”? We could talk about organics and growing your own foods (and I have already planted by tomatoes and peppers, yea!), but this time I’m just talking about eating more green foods. There are so many choices and whether you choose to go for the organics or not, you can get more green food into your body with just a little effort. There are some easy go to options I have when I’m needing to get more green in my life.

 

You have two major categories for green foods: raw and cooked. Seems obvious, but some of the things you think you’ll have to cook could be eaten raw (like young green beans), so keep an open mind. Also, you could prepare some raw foods differently and get out of the salad box (think creamy cucumber soup – a fresh summer favorite of mine!). Today though, I’ll stick to some easy green food ideas…

 

 

First, let’s start with the most obvious: green juice. Now, you can go hard core and juice all green drinks, but if you’re doing that already, you may not be reading this for new ideas! Here’s my current favorite green juice (reminiscent of a mojito):

2 handfuls kale, chopped and de-stemmed

one apple (you choose – granny smith makes it even more tart)

juice of one lime

one cup pineapple

10 or so mint leaves

Put the ingredients in your high powered blender and blend with 1- 1/2 cups of water or coconut water. If you want it creamy, use almond milk, but it’ll be more smoothie than juice.

 

Second, another easy one: add a salad to your day. It’s spring and your body is looking for fresh greens just as they’re popping out of the ground. Are you already eating salads all the time already and feel bored? Try something new! How about a kale caesar? Anne Burrell on Food Network makes an incredibly delicious one and the dressing does not requires raw eggs. I make a double or triple batch of the dressing because it’s so good! The kids are asking for it instead of the fruity dressings now. And that’s another way to jazz up your salads – make some homemade fruit dressing! Strawberries are in season and pears are going out, so those are two easy options for now. Whip out your food processor or high speed blender and mix a mild white vinegar, some fresh fruit, salt and pepper and drizzle in your extra virgin olive oil until it becomes creamy deliciousness. Voila! Fruit vinagrette! (There are lots of recipes online if you want exact measurements…)

 

 

So what if it’s still cold or you just want to eat something warm? I love to saute my kale and add it to warm quinoa. It could be a side dish or a meal by itself, especially if you add a side salad with your homemade dressing. Here’s what I do:

Chop one onion and 3-4 cloves of garlic (I like lots of garlic, but when you mix this with the quinoa, it won’t be too much!)

 

De-stem and chop one bunch of kale

 

Heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in your skillet and when hot, add the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is getting translucent, then add your garlic and stir for one minute (don’t let it burn!).

Add the kale to the pan and salt and pepper the veggies. Stir until just wilted (and you can do this in batches if your bunch of kale is too big to do all at once – it’ll cook down).

Add the cooked veggies to three cups of cooked quinoa in a big bowl. (Cookie and Kate has the best way to make fluffy quinoa – I’ve tried it many ways and hers works). Then season the whole thing with whatever flavors you like – I’ve used worcestershire, but you could make it asian with sesame oil and soy sauce or tamari if you’re gluten free (be light with the soy and taste as you go). You could add a chili paste and cumin seeds and fresh cilantro for Southwestern flavor. Maybe a curry paste and coriander or mustard seeds for an Indian flair! The salt in the veggies won’t flavor the quinoa enough, so you’ll need to add a little something to the quinoa.

You can eat this warm or cold. If you can’t eat it all in a couple of days, it freezes well too!

 

More quick ways to add green to your meals: add sliced avocado to your salad, soup, or sandwich. Pan fry some green beans with garlic and olive oil and throw them on your salad (hot veggies on top of cool greens are wonderful). Grill some asparagus! Ok, this is my springtime treat and one of the quick and delicious ways to enjoy asparagus.

 

 

Heat up your grill to medium high.

Line a sheet pan with foil. Break off the woody ends of the asparagus (they’ll break where it needs to instead of where you might cut them).

Lay them in the pan and drizzle generously with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Use your tongs to lay them in the opposite direction of your grill grates so you don’t lose any. Turn once if you have time, but they only need to cook a couple of minutes on the fire to get a little char.

Put them back in the oil/vinegar on the sheet pan and toss. Eat with anything (I always lose a few to my stomach before they get on a plate)!

 

Are you ready to eat more green? What are your favorite ways to eat green? Please share in the comments below!