GOING GREEN-Eating for Less

It’s comforting to know that the community at large has joined the chorus of all those moms who at some point or the other impaled the steamed broccoli on their kids’ plate with a fork and hollered at their family dinners: “Eat your vegetables!” Eating more vegetables and greens for a healthy life is no longer a fad, nor does it need an apology. With repeated cautions in the recent news about red meat consumption perpetuating cardiovascular disease, more men and women are seriously veering towards a healthier palate and a healthy platter of vegetables.

'Going green' is not just the sign of the times, but a strong reminder to eat one serving a day of greens and leafy vegetables, which include chard, spinach, collard, kale, turnip and mustard greens, and other varieties of greens you will find in the vegetable section of the grocery store or farmers’ market you frequent. My pavlovian response kicks up a notch just looking at the incredible stacks of green while my mind instantly scans through my archives to check for hitherto unused recipes. Ultimately, I tend to settle for the standard favorite for the entire spectrum of greens.

Cooking the Greens

Sauté bunches of washed, dried, and coarsely cut greens in a tablespoon of oil in a heated wok. Add crushed garlic, a sliced green chili, a pinch of turmeric, and salt to taste. Briskly stir the greens on high heat until the excess water is released leaving the greens moist and glazed. Remove from heat and serve with warm rice, tortillas, or noodles. You can garnish the sautéed greens with thinly sliced and browned onions, or toasted almonds. Alternatively, serve the sautéed greens over stir-fried tofu in soy sauce.

A Pinch of Turmeric

Washing the greens well is extremely important since the even the most carefully picked vegetables reveal traces of mud adhering to the leaves or roots, in case of fresh homegrown greens. I remember watching my mother and grandmother wash spinach over and over until the water dousing the greens ran clean into the kitchen sink. In addition to following this tradition, I also add one essential ingredient when cooking all vegetables, and especially greens: Turmeric.
This yellow finely-powdered spice commonly sold at any Indian grocery store and nowadays, at some of the supermarkets, contains antioxidants and acts as an antiseptic. Only a pinch is necessary. Any more than a pinch will result in a bitter taste and mask the natural flavor of the greens.