Kitchen Corner: Eat Your Greens!

“Eating greens is a special treat. It makes long ears and great, big, feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat.” Well, Thumper, you’re pretty cute and all, but we think you’re wrong about greens.

Many of us have probably resolved to eat more leafy greens. Why wouldn’t you? They’re full of fibre, rich in iron, and high in vitamins.

Sadly, including greens in your diet on the daily can feel like a chore as opposed to a pleasure. Check out these exciting ways to turn greens into a special treat. (No guarantees on the ears or the feet though.)

Parmesan Kale Chips

Greens masquerading as a favourite guilty snack food? Oh yeah! These moreish kale chips are crunchy and flavourful, while still ensuring you get all the seemingly hundreds of kale-o-riffic benefits, like vitamin K, C, and A, and calcium. All that, and they’re a snap to make too.

Garden Sushi Rolls

Instead of salty seaweed, try using hardy collard leaves to wrap sushi rolls. This recipe explains how to roll sushi to perfection, and even offers a cauliflower “rice” alternative as an added nutritional bonus.

Collard greens are a good source of protein, fibre, and folate, along with a generous vitamin boost.

Swiss Chard Egg Skillet

Sneaking greens into Sunday brunch can be challenging. This hearty egg skillet combines the sweetness of onion and garlic with filling rutabaga and wilted chard. All topped with delicious soft-cooked eggs, which make a creamy sauce when you cut into it. Yum.

Aside from a hefty dollop of folate, zinc, and fibre, Swiss chard is high in antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, key players in maintaining good eye health.

Green Machine Protein Hummus

What better way to disguise boring spinach, than to blitz it into submission and throw it in delicious hummus? This particular hummus has the added bonus of protein-rich edamame and omega-packed hemp hearts.

Spinach has been overshadowed by kale in the last few years, but this old favourite still holds its own in the nutrient stakes. Zinc, vitamins A, K, C, and E, calcium, iron … all good stuff. Get dippin’.