Health, Life, and Balance
Check out this piece I wrote for Mamiverse. Mamiverse is a newly launched site for Latina moms and daughters. In this article, I talk about my love affair with Greens and wonder why they are so freakin’ ABSENT from the typical Latina/o diet. The buck stops here! When future historians look back at this time, they will know me as a Latina who changed the Latina/o culinary landscape and made it greener. Join me!
You can read the article by clicking here.
I’ve received baby bok choy in the my CSA share for the past two weeks. Baby bok choy is high in vitamins A and C and helps protect against cancer and reduces high blood pressure. It has a high-water content, so use quick-cooking methods for best results. This is a tender veggie that is great in stir fries. I have also eaten it raw using it as a substitute for cabbage in coleslaw- keep it fresh and skip the mayo!
As of last year, kale and I have become the very best of friends. This curly vegetable contains more calcium and iron than almost any of its peers. It’s also a great source of Vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene. My favorite way to enjoy kale is by blending a bunch of leaves in a fruit smoothie (delicious! just try it) or raw, marinated in olive oil with vinegar and herbs. I even eat it as a side dish for breakfast. Kale is also great lightly steamed and seasoned, or in your favorite soup. I will testify that since I began consuming kale in mass quantities, I have truly become a better human being. Kale for world peace!
This week I bought fresh collard greens from the Greenmarket. Collards are super-nutritious, high in Vitamins K, A, C, manganese, folate, calcium and fiber. The problem is collards are traditionally overcooked, depreciating all the vitamin goodness inside these wonderful greens. I chopped the collards into ribbons, then chopped them in half again and added them during the last 5 minutes of cooking my lentil soup. Delicious! Collard Greens will have to have a sequel in ‘The New Green” series, I want to make a good veggie version of this African-American staple.
This week’s featured green is red chard. After washing and de-stemming, I sliced the chard into ribbons and steamed for 5 minutes. It was very easy to prepare-I just added olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Red chard is packed with Vitamins A & C. One night I served it with a vegan eggplant parmesan and the next night over a brown rice + veggie stir fry. Yum!
This week I bought a big bunch of arugula. According to “Greens Glorious Greens!” by Johnna Albi & Catherine Walthers, arugula is one of the most nutritious greens. It leads the pack in calcium content and is also rich in vitamin C and beta-carotene. Most folks associate calcium with dairy, but you can get a good supply of it from greens as well. I sauteed the arugula in olive oil, with lots of minced garlic and some chili powder. It took 5 minutes to prepare! I also added some leaves to a bean burrito. Arugula has a kick to it, so heads up & enjoy! If you have a favorite arugula recipe, please send it along.