How do I turn leafy greens from "ugh" to "meh"?

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Replies

  • amye004
    amye004 Posts: 32
    Heated pan, olive oil, minced garlic. Add greens, saute til wilted.

    I do the same but add a squeeze of lemon. Makes Kale super tasty!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Chop them and add to casseroles, stews, soups, pasta sauces, etc.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    For most of my life, I never ate leafy greens. I don't enjoy eating them, but I need to add more into my diet to reach my goals.

    Right now, whenever I have a salad, it's usually hearts of romaine, a few cherry tomatoes and a homemade white wine vinaigrette (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/white-wine-vinaigrette-10000001608782/index.html). The dressing is nice but as a whole, it's a boring salad. I also eat spinach the same way. Again, very boring.

    Do any of you have recommendations of recipes, cookbooks or blogs that can help me find ways of making leafy greens, well, at least palatable? I would really appreciate the help.

    Thanks.

    I have a large (canning jar sized) green smoothie every day. They always have spinach and kale in them, and then I try to add one more veggie, like collard greens or a cucumber. The fruit I add totally hides the flavor of the greens :)
  • SarahRose35
    SarahRose35 Posts: 127 Member
    Add fruit to your salad :)
    Spinach, Strawberries, and Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette.
    Yummmm
  • BryKate
    BryKate Posts: 74 Member
    shove 'em in a smoothie and you won't even taste them!! One of my favourite post workout smoothies is:

    1 scoop vanilla whey
    handful of strawberries + raspberries
    1/2 banana
    handful of spinach
    Apart from making the smoothie a not so pretty colour you honestly can't even taste the spinach.
  • Sprinkelss
    Sprinkelss Posts: 40 Member
    Try a couple vegan blogs....I learned how to use kale from being vegan for 9 years! My favorite way is to take kale, put some salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon on it and then MASSAGE with your hands...yes massage. You will be surprised how soft it becomes.

    Also my morning ritual is bacon, so I make bacon for breakfast for lunch usually another meat and I add the spinach into the bacon grease and BAM they are tasty! (I am obviously no longer vegan...)

    Books:
    http://www.amazon.com/Wild-About-Greens-Delectable-Collards/dp/1402785887

    I own and Love this book:
    http://www.amazon.com/Color-Vegan-Antioxidant-Rich-Fiber-Packed-Color-Intense/dp/1592334393/ref=pd_sim_b_67

    Anything By Isa is wonderful but this one is PACKED full of great homemade salads and dressings:
    http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373912340&sr=1-1&keywords=appetite+for+reduction

    And her website (which has a salad RIGHT on the front:
    http://www.theppk.com/

    Kale Chips will change your life:
    http://www.gardenbetty.com/2011/02/krispy-kale-chips/

    Oh She Glows is a great healthy blog:
    http://ohsheglows.com/

    Beet & Kale Salad (I have made this before and it was SOOO good!!)
    http://www.marthastewart.com/904221/beet-and-kale-salad-goat-cheese
  • endoftheside
    endoftheside Posts: 568 Member
    You can add a surprisingly large amount of greens into a crock pot soup/stew and have them shrink into barely anything...much easier to get down the hatch that way, and the flavor tends to mellow as well or at least be masked by the other ingredients.

    Lightly sauteeing them as suggested by previous posters also shrinks the quantity into manageable proportions.

    I also top darn near anything (flatbread pizza, potatoes, nachoes, etc.) with a cup or two of baby spinach or other leafy greens, and that helps me get some greens in without having to eat a whole salad.

    If I "have" to eat a salad, I much prefer it with some flavorful cheese and a few nicely seasoned croutons.
  • smiley245
    smiley245 Posts: 420 Member
    I add nuts or cheese and a bit of fruit to my salad
    Nothing like mixed greens, with feta, olives and lots of tomatoes/onions. Or..Spinach with red onions and strawberries...Or diced apples and walnuts maybe a little Parmesan.

    A variety of tasty dressings makes things interesting as well, balsamic, raspberry, greek, a squeeze of lemon, can take a bland salad to something a little more delicious.

    Oh and bacon...always room for real bacon on a salad:P
  • kaseyAnne425
    kaseyAnne425 Posts: 230
    I usually do romaine lettuce and baby spinach when I have salads with veggies. I had steamed veggies at a restaurant once that had black pepper and a little bit of garlic powder on them, so good!
  • trijoe
    trijoe Posts: 729 Member
    I don't understand why you're stopping at "meh". It sounds defeatist to me. Why not shoot for "OH HELL YEAH!"? That's so much more enjoyable than "meh".

    2 words: Spinach omelet. OH HELL YEAH!

    Scramble up a couple of eggs, or use some egg beaters. Then get them cooking in a skillet. In a separate skillet, saute some baby spinach (baby spinach is so much milder than regular spinach), some halved grape tomatoes, a slice or two of bacon, and if you're in the mood to go crazy, maybe a mushroom or two. Place that, with some nice cheese (my personal favorite is aged gouda), in the middle of your eggs, fold it over, and voila! Spinach deliciousness!!! Another trick is to mix the sautéed goodies in with the scrambled eggs, and bake them. Crustless quiche! OH HELL YEAH!

    I hope this helps. I eat eggs n spinach of some sort or another all the time. My eye doctor always comments when he's looking at my retinas how he can tell I eat a lot of leafy greens.
  • missbis
    missbis Posts: 116 Member
    I just had to laugh at the title of this post! :laugh: At least you're being realistic in your expectations.

    I added blueberries and Gorgonzola to my salad today, which typically includes spring mix, almond slivers, and turkey/chicken breast.
  • dctexas65
    dctexas65 Posts: 22 Member
    I am not a leafy green fan but here are some of the tips I use to help me:
    1. Just use a handful of greens
    2. Cut greens up in really small pieces
    3. Load with stuff you love: cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados, seeds, cheese, sour cream, salsa, all veggies, some fruits
    whatever you like and cut it up in small pieces as well.
    you really wont notice the greens
  • sirius951
    sirius951 Posts: 10 Member
    Heated pan, olive oil, minced garlic. Add greens, saute til wilted.
    Maybe add a scattering of crispy diced bacon/chopped walnuts and a bit of Philadelphia light on top of hot greens so it melts in a bit. Phwoarr! X:bigsmile:
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
    Pour hot sauce all over it. I like really spicy hot sauce, but Siracha tastes good on darn near everything, and it is delicious. I ahve yet to meet someone who doesn't like Siracha.
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,641 Member
    Wrap bacon around them.

    OMGbacon_zps5443b848.png

    A little bacon, or some nuts, or some cheese, or some fruit ....... not everything, or the calorie-count starts going WAY up !
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    maybe put some more stuff in the salad...yeah...lettuce or greens and tomatoes would get pretty flippin' boring. I'd personally suggest throwing some poultry, meat or fish in there and getting some protein first of all. Then some colorful veggies like sweet peppers...maybe some radish or something. Add some cucumber and a few kalamata olives...maybe a little goat cheese. I would just want to shoot myself in the head just eating lettuce and tomatoes...there's just not enough nutrition there.

    ^^This

    There are so many things you can do with salad. What foods do you like? Add protein, fruits, more veggies, nuts or seeds, tortilla strips or some other crunchy topping. Bacon spinach salad. Eggs. Cheeses. Find a better dressing if that one bores you. Lots of ways to mix it up.

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