Leafy Greens Cooking Tips and Savory Recipes - The Holistic Chef (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to cook leafy greens? ›

Research has shown that sautéing vegetables in olive oil, including leafy greens, is recommended over boiling or deep frying to preserve nutrients in vegetables without adding too many calories.

Acidity can really bring a pleasant flavor out of bitter greens. If they're being used for a salad, it's good to add a vinaigrette with plenty of acidity to brighten it up. If you are sauteing, add some vinegar or citrus to the greens to finish them off.

Cook: Boil or Steam: Steam greens in a colander or steamer basket over simmering water. Boil washed and chopped greens in salted water. Sauté: In a pan over medium-highheat, add 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Prepare the collard greens bath by filling your kitchen sink with cool water and adding vinegar and salt. Place the collard greens into the prepared water bath and swish them around several times, scrubbing them to help loosen up any dirt. Let the collard greens soak for 15-20 minutes, giving them a scrub midway.

Add Natural Sweeteners

Natural sweeteners like honey can make drinking your greens a more pleasant experience. Consider warming it just a bit prior to mixing so it's easier to shake up. Other tasty alternatives include stevia, monk fruit, maple syrup, and agave.

Many recipes just have you chopping the greens and adding them to the frying pan with a little bacon and fat. If those greens are REALLY bitter and tough, that is not enough to help make those greens taste good. So, blanching in a little hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute can really help.

Spices mask bitter flavors, so don't be shy.

Add some spicy peppers or powders to your cooking, or sprinkle some onto your dishes for a little bit of extra heat. Black pepper can be a great option, along with cayenne, red pepper, paprika, and chili powder.

The most important thing to remember: It's all about cooking on a high temperature for a short period of time. The longer vegetables are exposed to heat (boiling water, in particular), the more nutrients they lose, the more discoloured they become and the more soggy they end up.

Boil the carrots and butternut squash first for aprox 8 minutes, then add in the parsnips and swede and cook all together for another 5 minutes. Drain, and place in a shallow roasting tray with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast for 20 – 30 minutes till golden and crisp.

How to cook green leafy vegetables without losing nutrients? ›

Use minimal water: Steaming, sautéing, or microwaving with a small amount of water preserves nutrients better than boiling. Cut into uniform pieces: This ensures even cooking and minimizes nutrient loss. Cook quickly: Overcooking can deplete nutrients, so aim for al dente textures.

Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw, Liu says. At least, that is, if they're boiled or steamed.

According to Food Revolution Network, “Steaming spinach has been shown to cut the oxalic acid by 5-53%. Steaming also allows the spinach to retain its folate content, a B-vitamin that helps your body produce DNA.” There are a few more reasons to eat your spinach cooked.

Water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are often lost during these cooking methods. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70%. Choosing cooking methods that reduce the time that vegetables are exposed to heat can reduce nutrient loss.