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

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to cook leafy greens? ›

To cook green leafy vegetables without losing nutrients: Use minimal water and cook for a short time. Opt for gentle cooking methods like steaming or sautéing over high heat. Keep the skins on and add a splash of acid to preserve nutrients.

Sautéing greens in oil with lots of garlic and/or onions works well to counteract the bitterness of mildly bitter greens. Counterbalancing with acid, salt and strong flavors. A bitter salad green like arugula (rocket, rucola) demands a rather strong tasting dressing.

Some of the most nutritious greens include spinach, kale, romaine, watercress, and arugula (see "Salad greens by the numbers"). They are rich in a combination of vitamins A, C, and K; several B vitamins (including folate); and potassium. But some greens aren't nutrient powerhouses.

Why is lettuce healthy? There are five different categories of lettuce: loose-leaf, cos/romaine, butterhead, crisphead, and asparagus-stem lettuce. Romaine lettuce and lettuce greens are the most nutritious types of lettuce.

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.

Let the greens soak for 20-30 minutes, giving them a good scrub midway. The vinegar and salt will help loosen & remove any dirt, grit and bring out any bugs hiding in the greens. Drain the water and soak again in plain water (1-2 times) if the water is dirty and gritty.

Spinach. Spinach was Popeye's green of choice for good reason—it is substantially higher than the powerhouse kale in calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin K, and folate. It also has a mild flavor that makes it easy to pair with a variety of fruits and vegetables or to blend up in smoothies.

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.

Are leafy greens healthier cooked or raw? ›

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.

For maximum vitamin retention, use quick-cooking methods that do not include water, such as sauteing, stir-frying or blanching, to reduce the amount of nutrients lost from cooking.”