Angela Day
What makes plants green is a substance called chlorophyll.
The darker green the vegetable, the more it contains.
Chlorophyll is a phyto-nutrient that oxygenates and detoxifies the blood. Rich in enzymes and high in amino acids, it is an antioxidant which alkalises the body and is anti-inflammatory.
Most of us never eat the daily recommended amount and most mothers are desperate to get their children to eat their daily vegetables, at least one which should be green.
Cooking them in a tasty way will go a long way to enticing your family to consume more.
Don’t discount greens. Like herbs, they can be added to any vegetable dish, adding heaps of flavour as well as nutritional value.
There are lots of tasty ways to include greens in your repertoire - they can be made into soups, added to salads, stews, stir-fries and even put into smoothies.
One of my favourite ways of adding lots of greens to my diet is to include them in a frittata - there can be no more nutritious combination to give your body a valuable boost of nutrients.
Bacon, olive and caper spinach
Serves 4
Ingredients
30g butter
30ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
125g bacon, chopped
15ml capers
8 green olives, pitted and chopped
200g spinach, washed and chopped
salt and pepper
Method
Heat the butter and olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and bacon for five minutes.
Add the capers and olives and fry for a further five minutes.
Stir in the chopped spinach and fry until just wilted.
Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Marmalade-glazed green beans
Serves 4
Ingredients
280g green beans, trimmed
5ml salt
125ml orange marmalade
30ml soy sauce
5ml sriracha sauce
60ml flaked almonds, toasted
Method
Bring water to the boil and add the green beans and salt.
Cook for five minutes or until the green beans are just tender. Strain the beans and place in ice water.
Meanwhile in a small pot, combine the marmalade, soy and sriracha sauce and cook on low for five minutes until melted.
Drain the beans into a bowl, pour over the marmalade sauce and mix together well.
Place on a serving dish and scatter the toasted almonds over.
Stir-fried greens
Serves 6
30ml olive oil
10ml chopped garlic
10ml chopped ginger
1 bunch of spring onions, sliced diagonally
1 green pepper, sliced
125g sugar snap peas, halved diagonally
200g baby pak choi, sliced
45ml oyster sauce
30ml soy sauce
15ml fish sauce
45ml sweet chilli sauce
5ml sesame sauce
Method
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until hot and fry the garlic, ginger, spring onions, green pepper and sugar snap peas for two minutes. Add the pak choi.
In a jug, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour into the wok and stir fry until the pak choi is just wilted.
Season with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of noodles if desired.
Broccoli with butter bean dressing
Serves 4
Ingredients
400g tenderstem broccoli
30ml olive oil
15ml lemon juice
salt and pepper
Butter bean dressing
400g tin of butter beans, drained
1 garlic clove, crushed
60ml olive oil
15ml lemon juice
30ml white wine vinegar
a pinch of chilli flakes
125ml fresh parsley
60ml chopped chives
salt and pepper
Method
Boil the broccoli in salted water for five minutes, until just tender, then plunge into ice water. Drain well and pour over the oil and lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a processor and blend until smooth. Check for seasoning. Pour over the cooked broccoli.
Baby marrow, broccoli and goat’s cheese frittata
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
30ml olive oil
250g baby marrow, grated
300g broccoli, cut in small florets
1 clove of garlic, crushed
8 eggs
250ml cream
salt and pepper
250ml grated cheddar cheese
100g goat’s cheese
Method
Heat the oil in an oven-proof frying pan and fry the baby marrow, broccoli and garlic for about 5 minutes.
In a jug, whisk together the eggs and cream until well blended. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour over the vegetables in the pan. Scatter over the grated cheese and dot with the goat's cheese.
Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, then pop under the grill until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least five minutes before loosening and sliding from the pan.
Serve hot or cold.
ANGELA DAY
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.
* For household queries, recipes and tips, call The Angela Day Helpline at 011 836 7181 from 8.30am to 12.30pm weekdays, or e-mail Janice at [email protected].
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