Go green this summer

#Middlebury #Greens

Summer is one of the best seasons to indulge in beautiful, leafy green vegetables. These include the most common varieties seen in grocery stores or farmer’s markets, like spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens or Swiss chard. You also can eat the green, leafy tops of many root vegetables, such as beets, turnips and rutabagas.

Greens should be stored in a perforated bag with a moist paper towel to keep them fresh. They can last up to a week in the refrigerator. To prepare them for use, wash thoroughly on both sides to remove any soil that clings to them. Spinning in a salad spinner or allowing to drip dry removes excess moisture that may be undesirable when eating or cooking. Greens can be eaten fresh in a salad or cooked.

(Depositphotos photo)

There has been some debate about whether greens are more nutritious fresh or cooked. Cooking breaks down the cell walls and releases some of the phytochemicals, like the carotenoids and ferulic acid that are present in the plant, making more of them available to your body.

These compounds are important for good health, making cooked greens a good option. On the other hand, the amount of water-soluble vitamins present in greens – like vitamin C and the B vitamins – decreases with cooking, so fresh also has its advantages. Either way, dark green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin K, which is important in the clotting of blood needed to heal wounds.

Here are some tips from Organic Authority about cleaning and prepping greens before cooking:

• Wash your greens immediately to rid the leaves of pests and dirt. You don’t need a store-bought vegetable spray to properly clean greens. Just fill a kitchen sink or large bowl with warm water and a few tablespoons of vinegar (apple cider or white vinegar are just fine). Submerge your greens in the solution, swoosh them around gently, and shake off excess water.
• Air-dry your rinsed greens on a paper towel or clean hand towel, then wrap them loosely and store in the fridge.
• Remove the hardy stalks, ribs and/or stems just before cooking with greens like Swiss chard, watercress or kale. Either discard the stems, or remove them, finely dice and cook them first with onions or garlic as you would celery.
• Cook your greens fast. Summer greens tend to be much softer and just need a quick flash of heat on the stovetop with just a bit of oil. Stir constantly, as they will wilt, and use right away.
• Try summer greens in place of spinach in your favorite recipes. Purslane, Swiss chard, watercress and arugula all are great substitutions for spinach in most recipes.
• Keep it simple. Summer greens can be enjoyed raw or cooked and have a light flavor that can easily drown in heavy sauces or spices.

This recipe using wilted summer greens puts a flavorful twist on a potato salad.

Wilted Summer Greens With Eggs and Potatoes

4 large eggs
2 ounces sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound tiny potatoes (halved if larger than a pingpong ball)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons honey mustard or whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon honey, agave, stevia or sugar
3 tablespoons white-wine, rice-wine or apple-cider vinegar
4 cups (lightly packed) summer greens, such as Swiss chard, purslane, arugula, watercress, baby romaine and/or mustard greens
2 cups mixed herb leaves, such as parsley, chives and/or chervil

1. Carefully lower eggs into a medium saucepan of boiling water and cook 6 minutes. Drain and transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is starting to render but bacon is not yet crisp, about 4 minutes. Add onion, garlic and potatoes; season with 1 teaspoon of the salt and pepper and the cayenne pepper.
3. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until bacon is crisp and potatoes are cooked and tender when pierced with a fork, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add honey mustard or whole-grain mustard plus honey, agave, stevia or sugar, and 1 tablespoon of white wine, apple cider or rice wine vinegar; toss to coat.
4. Toss greens and herbs in a large bowl, add warm potatoes and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, and remaining vinegar; toss again to coat. Peel and halve eggs and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Arrange eggs over potatoes and greens. Serve immediately.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc., and Angela Shelf Medearis