Even though, as I write this, we're in the middle of an April blizzard, I know that salad green season is right around the corner. Spring turns every backyard into a salad bar with nettles, dandelion, and my very favorite, lambs' quarters, there for the picking. But I have a confession to make. Even though I'm a (mostly) vegetarian, I don't like salads. Very occasionally, I'll find a salad that speaks to me, but for the most part I always feel unsatisfied after eating what essentially amounts to a big bowl of leaves.
I like to justify my salad aversion by saying I'm living in accordance with traditional Chinese medicinal teachings, which assert that all food should always be cooked before eating. I know this concept opposes what so many of us have been taught, which is that raw food has more vitality and cooking destroys vitamins in vegetables. From a TCM point of view however, it is taxing for the digestive system to process cold or raw food, and for those of us whose constitution tends towards energy deficiency, we may not be able to adequately break down and absorb food that hasn't been cooked first. Cooking basically begins the process of digestion in the pan - warming the food to body temperature, breaking it down and unlocking all the goodness so our body can absorb it without expending precious Qi.
This article in Scientific American confirms some of what TCM doctors have been saying for thousands of years: cooking vegetables breaks down their cell walls, making many of the vitamins within them easier for our bodies' to absorb. However, there is a trade-off in some cases; while it tends to boost the bioavailability of some good things, like lycopene in tomatoes and beta carotene in carrots, cooking can lower veggies' levels of some vitamins, like vitamin C. The conclusion? A mixture of cooked and raw fruits and veggies in your diet increases your chances of getting the full spectrum of nutrients from your food.
Well, I know from experience that raw greens - shall we say - "disagree with me," and I've had many patients report the same thing. I also just don't find them palatable, and ultimately the trick to eating more vegetables is to find ways to prepare them that make them appealing to you.
So I've done some experimenting over the years and here are:
Steam them: Kale, chard, and other varieties of greens that are tough or bitter in their raw form become sublime when you steam them just for a minute or two. It's quick and rounds out any fish or meat dish better than potatoes (nutritionally, anyway), or you can serve them with rice and call it a (light) meal. Our favorite way to prepare them is this:
1. In a deep frying pan with a lid, saute a clove of minced garlic in a little sesame oil for about a minute
2.Turn off the heat and add a little water, enough to fill the pan to a depth of about one finger breadth, and bring to a boil
3 Add your greens, broken up into bite-sized pieces of course, and cover. Lower the heat to a simmer and steam for 2-5 minutes, until the leaves are bright green and just wilted.
4. Meanwhile, combine 1 T soy sauce, 1 t brown sugar or honey, 1 t rice or balsamic vinegar, and a good pinch of sesame seeds or any other ground nuts (they're even better toasted)
5.
Make a pesto: I don't know what the actual rules are regarding pesto, but as far as I'm concerned "pesto" consists of the following: any green leaves, nuts, and oil blended into a paste. Basil + pine nuts + parmesan and olive oil is most traditional, but any time I have some salad leaves that are getting to be a little past their prime, I make a pesto with whatever's lying around. Then you can add a wallop of concentrated greens to virtually anything - I made this and spread it on frozen pizza last night:
- 2 C spinach leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 C almonds
- 2 T parmesan, grated
- 1 t lemon juice
- Approx. 2 T olive oil
Combine the first five ingredients in a blender or food processor, slowly adding olive oil until everything is blended to a fine paste. Add salt to taste.
Add them to pasta: Dandelion greens, arugula, and spinach are fabulous mixed into red sauce - just add to the sauce in the last minute or two of cooking. Beet greens and chard are yummy with cheesy pasta dishes. You can steam them separately and then toss them together with the pasta and sauce.
Make a soup: There are lots of unexpected soups that either include greens or give them a starring role. Sweet pea and romaine soup is one of my favorites for spring - it's super elegant and lively. Bok choi, eggs, and green onions come together with soy sauce and other pantry staples to make an easy egg-drop soup. Beans and greens are made for each other - this Italian white bean soup with mustard greens sounds awesome.
Juice 'em: I'm not a big "juicer" (you know, that whole aversion to cold, raw food thing), but I'm coming around on smoothies. You need vitamin C and B12 to absorb iron, which I'm perpetually struggling to get into my body. I like this powdered stuff: Perfect Food Raw Organic. It turns any juice or smoothie into a "Green Superfood" and is the best way I've found to get your greens at breakfast. I know other people love wheatgrass juice, kale juice, etc. It's a great way to supplement your diet and get those vitamins you lose with cooking, but remember you also lose fiber when you make straight-up juice.
What could be prettier than a whole mess of colorful veggies mingling in a cast iron pan?
I like to justify my salad aversion by saying I'm living in accordance with traditional Chinese medicinal teachings, which assert that all food should always be cooked before eating. I know this concept opposes what so many of us have been taught, which is that raw food has more vitality and cooking destroys vitamins in vegetables. From a TCM point of view however, it is taxing for the digestive system to process cold or raw food, and for those of us whose constitution tends towards energy deficiency, we may not be able to adequately break down and absorb food that hasn't been cooked first. Cooking basically begins the process of digestion in the pan - warming the food to body temperature, breaking it down and unlocking all the goodness so our body can absorb it without expending precious Qi.
This article in Scientific American confirms some of what TCM doctors have been saying for thousands of years: cooking vegetables breaks down their cell walls, making many of the vitamins within them easier for our bodies' to absorb. However, there is a trade-off in some cases; while it tends to boost the bioavailability of some good things, like lycopene in tomatoes and beta carotene in carrots, cooking can lower veggies' levels of some vitamins, like vitamin C. The conclusion? A mixture of cooked and raw fruits and veggies in your diet increases your chances of getting the full spectrum of nutrients from your food.
Well, I know from experience that raw greens - shall we say - "disagree with me," and I've had many patients report the same thing. I also just don't find them palatable, and ultimately the trick to eating more vegetables is to find ways to prepare them that make them appealing to you.
So I've done some experimenting over the years and here are:
Five great ways to sneak greens into every meal without settling for just a salad
Steam them: Kale, chard, and other varieties of greens that are tough or bitter in their raw form become sublime when you steam them just for a minute or two. It's quick and rounds out any fish or meat dish better than potatoes (nutritionally, anyway), or you can serve them with rice and call it a (light) meal. Our favorite way to prepare them is this:
1. In a deep frying pan with a lid, saute a clove of minced garlic in a little sesame oil for about a minute
2.Turn off the heat and add a little water, enough to fill the pan to a depth of about one finger breadth, and bring to a boil
3 Add your greens, broken up into bite-sized pieces of course, and cover. Lower the heat to a simmer and steam for 2-5 minutes, until the leaves are bright green and just wilted.
4. Meanwhile, combine 1 T soy sauce, 1 t brown sugar or honey, 1 t rice or balsamic vinegar, and a good pinch of sesame seeds or any other ground nuts (they're even better toasted)
5.
Strain off any excess water that remains and then toss with the soy sauce mixture
Sunny spinach, almond and lemon pesto
Make a pesto: I don't know what the actual rules are regarding pesto, but as far as I'm concerned "pesto" consists of the following: any green leaves, nuts, and oil blended into a paste. Basil + pine nuts + parmesan and olive oil is most traditional, but any time I have some salad leaves that are getting to be a little past their prime, I make a pesto with whatever's lying around. Then you can add a wallop of concentrated greens to virtually anything - I made this and spread it on frozen pizza last night:
- 2 C spinach leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 C almonds
- 2 T parmesan, grated
- 1 t lemon juice
- Approx. 2 T olive oil
Combine the first five ingredients in a blender or food processor, slowly adding olive oil until everything is blended to a fine paste. Add salt to taste.
Add them to pasta: Dandelion greens, arugula, and spinach are fabulous mixed into red sauce - just add to the sauce in the last minute or two of cooking. Beet greens and chard are yummy with cheesy pasta dishes. You can steam them separately and then toss them together with the pasta and sauce.
Don't you feel healthier just looking at it?
Make a soup: There are lots of unexpected soups that either include greens or give them a starring role. Sweet pea and romaine soup is one of my favorites for spring - it's super elegant and lively. Bok choi, eggs, and green onions come together with soy sauce and other pantry staples to make an easy egg-drop soup. Beans and greens are made for each other - this Italian white bean soup with mustard greens sounds awesome.
Juice 'em: I'm not a big "juicer" (you know, that whole aversion to cold, raw food thing), but I'm coming around on smoothies. You need vitamin C and B12 to absorb iron, which I'm perpetually struggling to get into my body. I like this powdered stuff: Perfect Food Raw Organic. It turns any juice or smoothie into a "Green Superfood" and is the best way I've found to get your greens at breakfast. I know other people love wheatgrass juice, kale juice, etc. It's a great way to supplement your diet and get those vitamins you lose with cooking, but remember you also lose fiber when you make straight-up juice.
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