Green With Envy

Warning:  If your garden isn't giving you copious amounts of greens yet, you might not want to view this post.  You'll be green with envy.

In just one week we've gone from having only frozen vegetables to a cornocopia of greens. 

From the garden:  asparagus, sorrel, spinach and lettuce.
From the neighbors:  THREE bushels of kale!!!!
From the CSA:  More kale, frisee, more spinach, and more lettuce.

Sometimes, like today, I'm having kale for three meals and I love it.  The joy I get from spring greens is definitely one of my favorite reasons to each seasonally.  I just don't think I could get this excited about lettuce if I had it all winter long. 

Here are just some of the ways we've been enjoying our bounty.

Spinach Salad with Double Seed Dressing (Adapted from Simply in Season)

Start with 4 c. spinach (washed, dried and torn)

Then add any of the following:

1 c. fresh fruit (strawberries) or dried fruit (craisins)

cooked egg

green onions

bacon bits

feta cheese

almonds

 

Top with  Dressing:  In a jelly jar shake together 1/4 c. honey, 2 T sesame seeds, 1 T poppy seeds, 1/4 c. balsalmic vinegar or lemon juice, 1/4 c. olive oil, salt and pepper

 

Bitter Greens Salad with Hot Dressing (Adapted from Simply in Season)

As soon as Soccer Boy saw that this involved bacon he took over and made this salad with very little help from me. 

 

Wash, dry and chop 8 cups of bitter greens (endive, frissee, dandelions, etc.)

 

In a small bowl mix 1/4 c. lemon juice, 1/4 c. honey, 1/8 t. salt, 1/2 c. water or evaporated milk

 

For a vegetarian version add 2 T. olive oil to a skillet and heat slightly.  For a meat version cook 4 slices of bacon - remove the bacon when crispy, but leave the drippings in the pan.  Add  1 T of flour (white - not whole wheat) to the grease.  Then add lemon juice mixture.  Cook until thickened.  Turn off the skillet and gently toss your greens with the dressing.  They will wilt slightly.  Top with hard cooked egg and bacon if desired.

 Sorrel Rhubarb Crisp (Adapted from Simply in Season)

Both kids were delighted with the concept of having vegetables for dessert - a nice twist on getting your greens.

In a large saucepan combine 4 c. chopped rhubarb, 2 cups slices sorrel, 1 c. sugar and 1 t. vanilla.  Cook on medium about 5 min.

Mix together 1/4 c. water and 3 T cornstarch.  Add this to the rhubarb mixture and cook until thickened.

In another bowl stir together 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. flax meal, 1 1/2 c. rolled oats, 3/4 c. brown sugar, 3/4 c. oil or butter, 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 t. cinnamon and 1/2 chopped walnuts.

Put half of the dry mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.  Cover with sorrel mixture.  Then top with remaining dry mix.  Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Cheesy Kale and Potato Casserole

This was great on a cold and rainy night.  It warmed the house up and warmed us from the inside out.  Good comfort food - and a great way to use the last of the potatoes.  I think it would be good with sweet potatoes as well.

Cook and mash about 4 cups of potatoes.  Add 3/4 c. buttermilk, 1 egg, 1/4 t. dill weed, 1 t. onion powder, 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. of pepper.

Saute 1 lb. of kale then add to potato mixture.  Add 1/2 c. of cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 min.

 

I've eaten the Kale Salad almost every day for lunch.  I vary it - sometimes using Craisins and pecans, sometimes walnuts and raisins, and sometimes olives and dates.  It's good to be addicted to something so good for me. 

 

We've also eaten Kale Chips, Confetti Kale, Savory Kale and tomorrow we're having Peanut Greens featuring - you guessed it - Kale. 

 

For breakfast we've been making smoothies with kale, frozen peaches, and a banana.  It's a gorgeous green - and the taste (suprisingly) is very smooth, rich and creamy.  I drank a whole quart this morning, and could easily have been happy with more.

 

The girl has even been tolerating all of our kale eating.  I guess she's just glad that spring is here.  Hope the greens are growing for you in your corner of the world.