TrayS Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Yesterday I got my first CSA box (yay!) and a winter box it is - FULL of greens of all kinds. Included are a TON of lettuce/mixed salad greens. I will make some salad when family comes over on Saturday but otherwise it's just my husband and I, and eating salad causes him digestive issues. So I either need to eat salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next several days, or figure out how to incorporate them into cooked meals so that my husband can help me eat them. I would like to actually use them, as opposed to giving them away and buying other stuff, since I am making an effort to eat seasonally. Sooo any advice for consuming a lot of greens is appreciated, particularly non-salad ideas for all the salad I have! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyWar Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 If there's baby spinach or arugula, you could sautee as a side dish or put in broth/soups. Pretty jealous that you can get a CSA box in winter, here in NJ my farm is frozen solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 If you have hardier greens, I would certainly add them to soups, sauces--like if you did a tomato pasta-esque sauce you could add some of the greens in just as you serve it. You can certainly do a quick saute or perhaps a wilted salad with them? I have sauted lettuce before and they can be rather tasty--specially with a bacon/mustard warm dressing. The greens would cook down and seem like less. I am so jealous you got all those yummy greens!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30DownBy30 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Sometimes I put my protein (e.g. steak, chicken sausage, whatever) on a bed of greens. That way every forkful is a nice balanced bite, and I don't feel like I'm eating an entire side of boring arugula, and I don't need to dress it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 You didn't say what kind of greens, but since it's winter, I am going to assume it isn't butter lettuce. I rinse and steam saute a ton of greens every week. They shrink to nothing. Then I use them in soups, egg scrambles, saute in ghee or even eat them cold with coconut aminos. Delish. I think you could even freeze them after blanching them, but I have not tried that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb0426 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 You could make a pseudo-pesto with heartier greens. You can then store it in the refrigerator and top chicken, fish, etc. No cheese, of course! Eat up buttercup . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrayS Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Thanks for all the ideas! There are all kinds, you name it it was probably in my box. And actually a lot of lettuce so I guess it's time to get experimental with that. I am intrigued by the pesto idea, that I will try for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrayS Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 And yeah I probably need quotes around the word "winter" here in San Diego. When I did CSA before we got a lot of greens/squash in winter and more fruit in the summer. It's fun to watch the produce change with the "seasons". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon Simpson Thumann Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 You can dry them, pulse them in the food processor and then add them into quick soups or a daily cup of broth. it sounds weird but the idea intrigued me and I will be trying this as soon as my dehydrator arrives. My plan is to dry kale then mix with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and use it in my daily cup of broth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 You can dry them, pulse them in the food processor and then add them into quick soups or a daily cup of broth. it sounds weird but the idea intrigued me and I will be trying this as soon as my dehydrator arrives. My plan is to dry kale then mix with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder and use it in my daily cup of broth. Sharon I love that idea. I even have a perfect jar to keep the greenie powder in. Oooo....speaking of greenies, I may slip some to my dog Olivia with her yogurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon Simpson Thumann Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Onion and garlic are bad for dogs but it's a good idea to give them greens. Parsley is good for them, I like to mix it in with their food, which I make myself. I roast a whole chicken and feed some to them everyday with peas/carrots, parsley and sweet potato. Do your research, if you haven't already about what kind of greens you can give to dogs. I am wondering and I will definitely be looking it up, if plain broth would be good for my babies, like it is for us. Something to think about and research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Sharon, yes broth is very good for them as is kale, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. My vet is huge on veggies for pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpinSpin Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I had a golden retriever/golden lab mix who was crazy nuts for raw carrots--you would think she was part rabbit with all the carrots that pup would eat! I also had a doberman and a mastif who were big carrot and pea fans--cooked though. I would also make non onion and garlic bone broth for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I had a golden retriever/golden lab mix who was crazy nuts for raw carrots--you would think she was part rabbit with all the carrots that pup would eat! I also had a doberman and a mastif who were big carrot and pea fans--cooked though. I would also make non onion and garlic bone broth for them. Oh definitely add carrots to the good list. I also forgot to say leave the onion and garlic out of the stock for the dogger muffs. Thanks for catching that spin. My brother gave Olivia a tiny taste of abalone while we were in San Diego. She did not leave his side after that. The girl has a millionaire's taste buds on a paupers pocketbook. :0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Christensen Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 And here I thought I'd be cool and say dry them to sprinkle in soups, etc. but Sharon beat me to it LOL! I have a friend who dries every bit of extra greens from her garden and uses them in soup mixes, as a seasoning, and sometimes even takes them like you would Barley Green or other dried greens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomme Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I adore sauteed spinach at breakfast time! Put a few handfuls (or more!) in your pan before or after you cook your eggs (ghee or coconut oil is good) and cook until wilted to the degree you like. Sprinkle on some salt and you've gotten in a ton of greens before midday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I had this problem with an overabundance of lettuces that I thought were too delicate to wilt (I usually wilt or roast spinach, kale, beet greens, etc.). I ended up going ahead and trying out the wilting technique, just waaaaaay more briefly - and it totally worked. I mean, it took like a few seconds at the end of cooking time to pile a bunch of that lettuce on top of whatever I was cooking and steam it. And it tasted really good. I was surprised. (I mention this too because it might help your husband down some salad greens - I'm with him, I don't, err, respond especially well to them - but very slightly wilted at the end of a cooking process - who knew? Totally worked.) If you end up drying and using for soup mixes, add me to your christmas list for next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomme Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 AmyS -- my mom was recently telling me tales from when she worked at a convent (just worked there! She's not even Catholic) in the '70s and how some of the nuns loooooved to make lettuce soup -- i.e. putting the first lettuce of the year that came out of the garden into chicken broth. So there is culinary precedent for this sort of thing, apparently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyS Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 AmyS -- my mom was recently telling me tales from when she worked at a convent (just worked there! She's not even Catholic) in the '70s and how some of the nuns loooooved to make lettuce soup -- i.e. putting the first lettuce of the year that came out of the garden into chicken broth. So there is culinary precedent for this sort of thing, apparently! Yeah, I think it occurred to me because I had eaten a rather delicious lettuce soup in Mexico in the late 80s. Clearly the broth was made and the lettuce was added just before serving. I've never had anything quite like it again, but it did inspire me to try a brief and gentle wilting of the more delicate greens, and lo and behold, I liked it! (Also, err, digested it better.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoodles Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 When my mum's spinach harvest is a bit - overabundant - she just quickly sautés it until it's wilted and then freezes it in portions. Not sure what greens you have tho (falling asleep so can't read all the posts haha)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenderbender Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Some of the heartier ones ala bok choy, napa cabbage,kale ( or anything like that ) makes great Kim chee.... I do a quick cheat and easy marinade with cider vinegar,salt, and ground hot red peppers.... Boil and pour over greens, seal In a ball jar... Three days and viola. I know it doesn't ferment but its tasty.... I do it at work when we get in a pinch ( sales dept never gets me menus on time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaela Elmore Cogswell Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 great ideas.... also you could make a chimicurri sauce for steaks. Generally they call for cilanto or parsley leaves, but I've used carrot greens before and just about any green should work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlin Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 romaine and radicchio are fantastic grilled or broiled. the side exposed to the heat gets really nice and caramelized. i've wanted to try this recipe forever but just haven't gotten around to it yet: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/grilled-romaine-recipe/index.html i'd have to find something to sub the cheese now though. maybe carmelized onions? i also once had a fantastic soup made from grilled lettuce. i thought i'd maybe heard the server incorrectly, but it was definitely a grilled lettuce soup, and it was phenomenal. this looks like a good clone recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/romaine-lettuce-soup-recipe/index.html you would just need to find a substitute for the heavy cream, or wait until after your w30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrayS Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Love all the ideas, thanks everyone! I will definitely be revisiting this thread. I'm sure there are a few more months of abundant greens in my immediate future. On Sat I made the pesto (had never occurred to me I could use lettuce for this!) and made a delicious salad and have been eating them together, delicious! Side note - I am in the phase of weird dreams... The night I made the pesto I dreamt of being buried alive in lettuce, and spinning a wheel that pointed to various varieties of lettuce. Bizarre... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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