Recipe of the Month — Leslie Gecy

Cooking Leafy Greens-Basic Saute

Ingredients:

1 bunch (about 1 lb.) greens of your choice
1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or 1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated ginger, optional
1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Rinse the greens and cut out the tougher center stem on kale leaves.  Set aside the stalk to use for making vegetable soup broth.  (This step is not necessary for chard, but you will want to chop the stem into small pieces first). Tear the remaining greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces.

Heat  a  large  pan  over  medium  heat. Add  oil, garlic  and ginger.  Cook,  stirring  until fragrant and just starting to turn golden, about 30 to 60 seconds.  Add greens, salt if using and stir to combine.  Cover and cook,  stirring occasionally,  until  greens  are tender  and flavors combine, 3 to 5 minutes.

Variations:

**To further reduce any bitterness in kale, first steam the leaves for 30 seconds to a minute, then saute.
**Squeeze lemon juice on greens just before serving.
**Add 1/4 C fresh orange juice with the greens to steam them.
**Add 1/4 tsp Grade B maple syrup near the end of cooking.
**Add a little more salt to balance the tastes.