Greens are one of my favourite things to grow. As an American with Southern roots, I love a good pot of collards made with pork, cooked low and slow. As a gardener, I experiment with all sorts of greens each year. This summer’s garden has Bright Light’s Swiss Chard, Lacinto Kale, Georgia Southern Collards and Spinach. I also love Mustard greens and have enjoyed many Asian varietals from Ujamaa Seeds in past years. Frankly, I typically end up with more of a harvest that is needed by the demand at my house.

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, and wonder how to prepare greens to entice the eaters in your world, read on. I have some suggestions and a formal recipe for what’s sure to become a new favourite!

Easy Ways to Enjoys Greens:

1. The easiest way I know to enjoy tender greens (like spinach and chard) is to chop clean, dry leaves into fine strips and use them as a salad. In the heat of Summer, this is a lovely, way to enjoy a sliced tomato with just salt, olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar (or your favourite dressing).
2. Brazilian Style work best for tougher greens like kale or collards. Again, start with clean, dry leaves with the tough rib removed from the centre with some kitchen scissors. Stack the leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut into 1/4 inch slices (which will yield a BUNCH of strips). Fry them quickly in hot oil, with some garlic and chili flakes. Add salt to taste and serve. They are great as a side dish for grilled steaks and also make a great vegetarian/vegan dish when served with beans and rice.
3. Soups and Stews! Add a handful of sliced greens to almost any soup or stew for a healthy way to add colour, flavour and nutrients  to your meal.

How to Prepare Greens My FAVOURITE Way:

After a trip to Europe a few years back, I fell in LOVE with an Indian preparation and worked hard to mimic the dish. I’ll share the recipe below. Our first stop was London and let’s face it, England isn’t exactly known for their culinary prowess. We did; however,  have amazing fish & chips with mushy peas on our first evening. It was a funky little dive suggested by our cab driver and was very good. Honestly, this is where my expectations for good eats started and stopped. I wasn’t too worried. Paris was squarely on my radar.

We were staying in Islington but made our way to Restaurant Dishoom in nearby King’s Cross for dinner on our second evening. It was a Wednesday night around 8 and we waited around 45 minutes for our table. I thought that was a good sign. The bar was lovely and the cocktails creative. To make a long story short, Dishoom served the BEST Indian food that has ever crossed my lips. The samosas were amazing. Malcolm had lamb. Franky, a potato curry. Mom some sort of cunning tagine. But what we LOVED best were the Indian-style greens.

I asked our waiter how the greens were dressed. He gave me a partial description and I’ve played with them a bit. Below is my interpretation. Served with a generous bowl of steamed Basmati rice, this makes a lovely vegetarian meal. A little spicy and a lot tangy. Perfect.

Nod to Dishoom’s Indian Greens

serves 4

Ingredients

6 cups steamed Basmati rice

2 crowns fresh organic broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup water

8 ounce package organic baby spinach (or whatever greens you have handy)

1/2 pound fresh organic snow peas, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon lal mirch (Indian chili powder or substitute cayenne pepper)

2 Tablespoons Garam Masala

1/3 cup Ghee or clarified butter

juice of two limes

Directions

In a large skillet, steam the broccoli over medium heat with a 1/2 cup of water. After 4-5 minutes, add the snow peas and drizzle with half of the butter. Cook for another minute or two, reducing the heat to low.

Transfer veggies to large bowl and immediately add spinach. Toss spinach with hot veggies to wilt.

Sprinkle the Garam Masala, chili powder, remaining butter and lime juice and toss well coat.

Divide the steamed rice among four plates and top with generous spoonfuls of greens.