<p>Speaking of EVOO brought to mind Rachael Ray whose show I attended two weeks ago when Rocco DiSpirito promoted his new cookbook, Now Eat This! Although I haven’t yet perused it (given to all audience members), it sounds like it’ll be full of healthy ways to prepare unhealthy favorites.</p>
<p>I love to eat Rapini - [Rapini</a> - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapini]Rapini”>Rapini - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Discard the tough lowest stems, steam, serve with sausage and beans (similar to above recipes), or alone w/some salt. The other day I put some of my leftover steamed rapini into a pan, turned up the heat, broke an egg into the center, scrambled the egg in place, and ate that for breakfast. Yum!</p>
<p>Rapini, which we call broccoli rabe, is also good boiled, then sauteed with oil, red pepper, garlic, and a splash of lemon juice. A classic dish is orecchiette with rabe - add lots of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.</p>
<p>I went through most of my life thinking I hated greens, although I ate spinach dishes fairly often. A couple of years ago I decided to give them a chance after reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma–and it turns out I love them. Who knew?</p>
<p>Agree with shrinkrap and Hanna that Swiss chard is the best one to start with. One of my favorite dishes in the universe these days is a Greek stew of lentils and chard. Another new family favorite is a peasant minestrone from Bernard Clayton’s “Book of Soups & Stews” with kale, chard, and cabbage as well as beans and other good stuff. Great winter food.</p>
<p>chard and kale are my favorites; I never developed a taste for the stronger ones like mustard or turnip greens.</p>
<p>Finely cut greens can be used in shepherds pie. That’s where I “hide” my kids’ least favorite greens.
I like leek soup with lentils, potatoes and carrots.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great suggestions!
I am bringing this thread up again as the time of the year is right and many greens will be abundant soon.
We had bok choy yesterday and I loved it.
Still can’t eat collard greens - too strong of a taste.
Never had rapini - will have to investigate. It looks a little bit like chinese broccoli I had once at a restaurant.</p>
<p>I am attending a cooking class hosted by a local trattoria’s chef.
One week we made some dishes using sous-vide method of cooking.
Besides salmon, he did some asparagus and zuccini. This was absolutely the best asparagus and zuccini I have ever had, the only additives were olive oil, salt and pepper.</p>
<p>[The</a> 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating - Well Blog - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/the-11-best-foods-you-arent-eating/]The”>The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating - The New York Times)</p>
<p>I am making red cabbage, onions and sunflower seeds salad for dinner tonight :)</p>
<p>Yummm! Can I eat at your house tonight ? ;)</p>
<p>Sure 
Dinner will be served at 5:30</p>
<p>Kelowna - thanks! Too bad I can’t make it. Maybe some other time. :)</p>
<p>Check you TJ’s - I bought a huge bag of chopped “Southern Greens”. I’ll be making the pine nuts and ham leafy greens dish tonight.</p>
<p>Sadly, no TJ in my state :(</p>
<p>What a fantastic thread - thank you Kelowna for launching it!</p>
<p>Reading many of these recipes just makes my mouth water. Is there something about turning 50 that makes us crave deep green leaf vegetables?</p>
<p>I am clearly not the calibre of cook of many of you. But here goes with my simplistic attempts to satisfy my craving for the deep greens -</p>
<p>First, just always have good organic prewashed lettuces on hand AND prewashed organic spinach - then use them half and half in virtually every salad. When I don’t add the spinach, my family now seems to miss it.</p>
<p>Second, when I just want a ton of good spinach I usually will go to the trouble of blanching it. My crude method is to heat a tea kettle, get the water really hot but not boiling, then pour the steaming water over spinach in a colander. That wilts it. Then I snip the lumps of damp spinach a bit with kitchen shears. Then get a nice fry pan hot and heat up some good olive oil plus a dollop of good butter (love Mt. Tam butter from Fresh Market). Then throw in the wilted spinach just before the rest of the dinner is ready to go, get it nice and shiny green in all the good oil and butter, then a sprinkle of salt. Yum.</p>
<p>When DH is traveling and DS is at college, DD and I - vegetarians at heart - will make this, then prepare a small shaped pasta, toss it with the spinach and maybe diced tomatoes, garlic, and great northern white beans. Sounds weird but is actually really tasty. If I’m saintly and use whole grain pasta, it’s just off the chart nutritionally.</p>
<p>Really like Kale but find that it takes too long usually to prepare - guess the best approach is in soup broths?</p>
<p>Finally, when we make our one-per-year trip to South Carolina, I order “greens” at every dinner.</p>
<p>Okay, that’s it for me, waiting for more terrific ideas on this.</p>
<p>If it hasn’t been mentioned, try fennel. Roast it. Cut it up and put in a pan and it creates a deep, rich flavor that is magnificent with pasta or rice. </p>
<p>Try celery root. Peel and grate or chop in a machine. Add some flavoring and binder, meaning mayonnaise and mustard, maybe some hot sauce, some citrus. If you add a lot and maybe some cream then you have a traditional Dutch / N. French dish.</p>
<p>Speaking of fennel and celery root… Try this recipe - it does not have leafy greens, but it is a delicious way to have more veggies:</p>
<p>[Recipe:</a> Roasted Roots With Fennel and Apple | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2010244587_holidayroastedveg11.html]Recipe:”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2010244587_holidayroastedveg11.html)</p>
<p>Yummm!!</p>
<p>I am VERY familiar with celery root, I use it in many, many dishes.
But never had fennel, fresh that is, as I am familiar with seeds. Will have to try that recipe Bunsen.
I made spinach today, ready for tomorrow morning - breakfast will be spinach and poached eggs. I love spinach, but my kids will eat it only by a teaspoon. Unless it is fresh and in the salad, but I like blanched and almost pureed - is it just me?</p>
<p>Sewhappy - have you tried bok choy? I really like it!</p>
<p>What about barbecue season? Last year I tried to marinate lots of fresh veggies, but they were to heavy on oil in the end -some veggies absorb oil like sponges 
How do you do your vegetables on the grill?
This is really my focus this summer as I find we (as a family) eat way too much meat in the summer. It is so easy - marinate and grill. Buy some sausages and grill them. And so on…
It is so bad for us, yet we do it because it is easy, fast, and tasty 
I know that I have to do better this summer. DH is on board, DD13 is on board as well, but there is this big 15 year old boy that craves good food (read meat) every day! How to satisfy all of them?
I know that leafy greens do not do well on a barbecue ;), do you have any recipes for healthy summer grilling? </p>
<p>Oh, wanted to recommend a book - Food Is Your Best Medicine by Henrey G. Bieler
Old book but still available.</p>
<p>Tonight for dinner I made catfish marinated in lemon, ginger and soy sauce and then bathed in sesame seeds and fried. Red cabbage salad that I mentioned above. DH LOVED it, kids liked it OK. Next time I will have to try chicken is sesame seeds.</p>
<p>Bok choy for lunch tomorrow.
Do you know any spectacular recipes using bok choy?</p>
<p>I love grilled hearts of romaine. Cut the hearts in half length wise, spray with a little cooking oil and char on the grill.</p>
<p>Here’s a Chinese slaw that you can make with bok choy or napa cabbage. </p>
<p>Large head napa cabbage or bunch of bok choy
salt
sugar
1/2 inch of ginger, peeled and minced
scallion, chopped fine
2 T. vegetable oil (peanut oil preferably)
soy sauce
sesame oil
Shred the cabbage very fine, sprinkle with salt (a good amount, at least a teaspoon or two). Let sit for about a half hour. Squeeze and drain out the water (most of the salt will go with it too). Sprinkle with 1 teaspoons of sugar, place ginger and scallions on top. Heat the oil until hot (smokes), then pour over the ginger. It will sizzle. Add soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, toss, and serve.</p>
<p>cartera, that’s how we make a grilled caesar salad. Delicious!</p>
<p>When I get lazy (most days), and if I have other leftovers available:</p>
<p>I use kale, mustard, or other leafy stuff to make a leaf wrap. </p>
<p>Then I smoke it.</p>