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

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  • flyingwrite
    flyingwrite Posts: 264
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    My favorite greens recipe is called "Gratineed Swiss Chard". Take any similar green (kale, especially dinosaur, spinach, etc) and boil it, press all the water out and stick it in an oven safe dish. Sprinkle a little bit of Olive Oil and Parmesan cheese over top: (1-2 T of cheese) depending on how many greens you have. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts. SO good. No, this isn't a salad, but I like my leafy greens cooked. This makes an awesome side dish. Good luck!
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    One word: "Cheese"
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    I make salade nicoise out of hearts of romaine by adding tuna, olives, homemade vinaigrette, hard boiled egg, and tomatoes. Other greens, like chard and mustard, can be added to soup, especially soups with a tomato based broth. I especially like cooked greens with cheese and olives, in omelettes, and other main dishes. It isn't low fat, but it is a way to add a serving or two of green vegetables to a meal. By the time you add a salad, some tomatoes, or soup, or a veggie side dish, you've eaten most of your recommended vegetable matter (and I say that with a shudder) for the day.

    P.S. Greens all taste horribly bitter to me, and I can taste them in smoothies. Cheese, olives, tomatoes, and creamy/eggy casseroles tame the bitterness.
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
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    Maybe just make a point to try out a new veggie in your salad each week?

    Here's a link for summer salad ideas. Modify recipes as needed to keep it healthy and something you will enjoy. http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/cool-summer-salads-00400000046866/ :smile:
  • shutupandlift13
    shutupandlift13 Posts: 727 Member
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    Don't eat them?

    Find other vegetables you do enjoy eating. The only one I really eat is spinach and that's pretty rare... and its usually sauteed in some type of fat with garlic and then stuffed into chicken breast, pork chops or burgers with cheese.
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
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    I've been into taco salads lately. Just take some left over taco meat, scoop it over romain lettuce and then top with favorite taco toppings like sour cream, salsa and shredded cheese!
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
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    I like spinach because its mild tasing, but i dont like kale or anything bitter.

    spinach tastes good with lemon on it.

    asparagus - dont overcook it ,, if you grill it or steam it ,, it looks pretty. and tastes good.

    mix any leafy greens ina soup or stew.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    Can I ask why you are wanting to add other leafy greens to your diet? Is it to boost Vitamin A? Fiber? Because you've been told to eat more greens?

    Vitamin A. Romaine lettuce is an excellent source. As is green leaf. If you have a salad made with 2 cups or either, you've hit your daily goal.

    What I do to take these from "ugh" to "meh" is to add all the other veggies that I love. Red bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, diced onion, herbs like cilantro, radishes, some blanched beets, avocado, green beans, edamame, etc.......

    If you don't like kale, chard, or dandelion greens, don't add it to your diet. Get your nutrition through the hundreds of other fruits and veggies you love.

    Then use BoltHouse Farms yogurt based dressings.
  • GetNew81
    GetNew81 Posts: 26
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    I don't have any one specific goal in mind. I've read that they are filling and they often have nutrients the body needs. So I just figured if they are nutritious and help with weight loss then I should probably be eating them.
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Special Sauce...need some?
  • amye004
    amye004 Posts: 32
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    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
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    Chop them and add to casseroles, stews, soups, pasta sauces, etc.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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    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
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    Add fruit to your salad :)
    Spinach, Strawberries, and Sugar Free Raspberry Vinaigrette.
    Yummmm
  • BryKate
    BryKate Posts: 74 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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.

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