Dark Leafy green vegetables are an incredible superfood. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber. Studies have shown that increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables may help prevent certain diseases.
Benefits of consuming more dark leafy greens can include:
- Support for bone health
- Support for optimal brain function
- Gut health support
- Help for balancing blood sugar levels
- Immune System support
Recipes to Increase Your Greens Intake
There are countless ways to get more greens in your dietary regimen, including juicing, raw salads, and cooked. Whichever way you choose, you can be sure that you will be upgrading your nutrition. Here are a few simple recipes to keep you going.
Cabbage Stir Fry1
Toss together in a bowl
- ½ medium cabbage shredded or sliced thin
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped very fine
Heat electric fry pan to 400º, add ¾ cup water, and steam the vegetables in it, covered, for 5 minutes. Add:
- ¾ cup Walnut Wheat Crumbles
- 2 tbs. Bragg Liquid Aminos
- ¼ tsp. onion salt
- ¼ tsp. garlic salt
- ¼ cup water
Steam till vegetables are barely tender.
Serves 8
Walnut Wheat Crumbles2
An excellent meat substitute. Use in lasagna, chili, stuffed zucchini, on tacos, or in any that calls for hamburger or vegetarian burger.
Blend in blender until creamy:
- 1 cup walnut pieces or pecan meal
- 1 cup water
Add and blend:
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¾ tsp. celery salt
- 1 ¼ tsp. garlic salt
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. onion salt
Pour the mixture into a 2-quart saucepan. Add:
- 2 ½ cups water
Bring to boil. Add:
- 2 cups bulgur wheat
Return to a boil. Lower heat to the lowest setting and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool till thick. Pour evenly onto 2 nonstick cookie sheets. Bake at 200º F for 3 ½ hours or till completely dehydrated, fluffing or crumbling the mixture every hour with a fork. Turn off the oven and let the crumbles cool thoroughly. Put them into an airtight container—they keep for weeks.
Kale Salad3
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbs. Bragg Liquid Aminos
- 1/3 cup water
- ½ tsp. garlic powder or 1 large clove, pressed
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 7 cups fresh, raw kale, finely chopped
- 4 scallions, chopped
- ½ cup black olives, sliced
- 1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
Steps
- Combine first five ingredients in a jar and shake to make the dressing.
- Toss kale, olives, and scallions in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to mix. Allow to marinate about an hour or overnight.
- Just before serving, add the sunflower seeds and red bell pepper.
Makes 8 cups
Fresh Collard Greens4
Ingredients
- 10 fresh collards
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- Bakon yeast (optional)
Steps
- Wash and chop desired amount of collards and place in a large saucepan with about 1 ½ inches of water in bottom of pan.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or less, just until tender. It will depend on how tender the greens are.
- Add seasonings. For those who enjoy a bacon-like seasoning, Bakon yeast, which is dried torula yeast with a hickory smoke flavor, can be added.
- Serve with lemon juice, if desired.
Makes 6 servings
Steamed Kale5
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale—about 12 medium stems (collard greens may be cooked in the same way)
- 1 cup water
- 1 clove garlic (or ¼ tsp. garlic powder)
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tbs. Bragg Liquid Aminos
Steps
- Strip kale off the stems.
- Place water in a medium-sized saucepan and add the garlic and seasonings; then the kale.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve with Simple Mayonnaise.
Chard or Spinach6
Chard and spinach require only 5 to 10 minutes’ cooking time. For chard, follow same directions as for kale, except after stripping leafy parts off the stems of red or white chard, use the stems by cutting in ½ slices.
Reduce water to ½ cup and simmer sliced stems for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the leaves in smaller pieces and then add them to the simmering stems and cook for 5 more minutes.
Simple Mayonnaise7
- 12-ounce box MoriNu Silken Soft Tofu or ½ brick regular tofu plus ¾ cup water
- 1 cup raw cashew nuts
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 ½ tbs. honey (or 2 of sugar)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. onion powder (be sure it is the fine powder, not granulated onion)
- Place all ingredients in blender, and blend for at least 1 minute until silky smooth. Chill to thicken.
Makes 3 cups.
Garlic Bok Choy8
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive, but grapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil blend works just great)
- 1 small onion or shallot, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 bulbs of Shanghai or baby bok choy, quartered and washed well
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pan or wok over medium heat, cook onion in oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes), do not overcook the garlic as burnt garlic tastes bitter.
- Add quartered bok choy and a splash of the vegetable broth (just to start steaming the bok choy and keep the garlic from burning). Stir fry the bok choy until the tops are wilted. If you like your bok choy super tender, continue cooking until bulb-part is soft.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining vegetable broth and cornstarch to make a slurry. Once the bok choy has cooked to your liking, add the slurry to the pan and stir immediately to coat the greens in sauce. Once thickened, remove from heat and season with salt to taste. If you're using unsalted vegetable broth, you may need to add some salt.
Consuming more dark leafy vegetables is easy, inexpensive and may be one of the simplest ways to improve your health and well-being. To get the powerful health benefits that greens offer, be sure to include a wide variety of leafy greens to your diet. Enjoy!
Sources:
- Tasty Vegan Delights, Gloria and Debbi Puffer, p. 52, 2001, Review and Herald Publishing Association
- Ibid, p. 40
- Amazing Health Cookbook, Barbara Watson, p.. 73, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2012.
- Ibid, p. 98
- 7 Secrets Cookbook, Neva & Jim Brackett, p. 51, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2006.
- Ibid, p. 51
- Ibid, p. 57
- https://thevietvegan.com/garlic-bok-choy/
Photo by: Mor Shani