I’m pretty sure most people don’t eat enough greens in their diet and typically make it a goal to fix that. I’m not a crazy health nut, but still find myself frequently saying such things to myself in order to balance out all those cookies.
Instead of green side dishes, how about making those leafy greens the star of your meal? Introducing “The Leafy Greens Cookbook,” a new cookbook featuring 100 easy-to-make recipes that unlock the of kale, chard, spinach, bok choy, collard, etc. Enjoy recipes such as Pomegranate-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans, Arugula and Tomato Pizza, Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Beef, and Chicken-Kale Enchiladas.
The cookbook starts out with an introduction on getting to know your greens. There are descriptions of each green used just in case you have never seen, heard of, or tried it before. Then there are 5 more chapters covering salads and soups, appetizers snacks and sides, vegetarian entrees, poultry fish and meat entrees, and juices and smoothies.
First, I had to try one of the green smoothies. I drink a lot of green monster smoothies and was interested in a change. This one made me feel like I was on vacation. Using pineapple, coconut milk and spinach this green pina colada smoothie quickly found a permanent place in my smoothie rotation.
Until now, I had never had a gnudi and I am not sure I have ever heard of them let alone had the chance to try them before. They are dumplings made out of spinach and ricotta – basically it is ravioli filling without the dough on the outside. The recipe description characterized them as “melt-in-your-mouth good” and they were not lying! I nearly ate the entire batch in one sitting. Dangerous little buggers.
Finally, I had to try the arugula salad with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. I’ve never pulverized strawberries before to make a salad dressing, but it was definitely a tasty first time! I went ahead and added some strawberry slices to the salad too because I love salads that are full of fruit. Combined with the orange segments, goat cheese and pecans this salad was ideal.
The next recipe I want to try? Kale and chicken enchiladas. Doesn’t that sounds good? I would’ve made it for this review but I just didn’t have time to make a fourth recipe at the moment. When it gets cooler out I want to try the green pumpkin spice smoothie! I am just not ready for fall flavors yet.
Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy from Beth Cook Publicity. I was not compensated for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
One year ago: No Bake Peanut Butter S’mores Bars
Two years ago: Biscoff Cinnamon Rolls
7 comments
I am always trying to get more greens in my diet. I think it keeps me cold free in the winter. Plus if I eat more greens then I can have more cookies.
This cookbook sounds excellent. I’m familiar with a lot of greens, partly because I’m always curious about new foods, and partly because I’ve been cooking for a very long time. This one sounds like it might be worth the investment, to get some variety into how I fix my veggies (if I can persuade my husband in that direction – his idea of veggies is steamed with butter and salt added). I’m still not sure about green smoothies. I’ve tried one thing with greens in it – a chia breakfast bowl – and it wasn’t that great. Maybe this book would have a green smoothie recipe that would help us to jump onto that boat… :-)
You should try my green monster smoothie. I’ve made it for a bunch of people are they all say they like it (or maybe they don’t want to hurt my feelings, but I like it!). https://www.thespiffycookie.com/2012/01/23/green-monster-spinach-smoothie/
Okay, Erin. I have printed out your recipe and I will try it – with mango, because I’m not a fan of pineapple. I will be adding some protein powder to it (unflavored) so that it meets my requirements for protein levels. I think I’ll have to make something different for my husband the day I try it, because he didn’t care much for the last thing I did with spinach in a smoothie. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Awesome! I actually use mango more frequently than pineapple in it. Hope you enjoy.
We tried the Green Monster today and both of us enjoyed it. You really can’t taste the spinach (a good thing because I have never liked spinach much…). I did add some unflavored protein powder to it. And on mine, I ran out of the vanilla almond milk, so I added some almond/coconut milk – the coconut adds a really nice, though subtle flavor. My husband told me that all he could taste was the banana and peanut butter, and that although the color was a bit weird, that didn’t bother him. So the Green Monster is a winner for sure, and is now in my recipe book to be made periodically. I think we get enough fruits and vegetables as a matter of course because we eat a pretty healthy diet, so we don’t need to add veggies at breakfast, but this smoothie is definitely more than the spinach. Thank you for challenging me! :-)
Yay so glad to hear it!