Conquering Collard Greens and Kale

Somehow, over the course of two and a half weeks, we've ended up with three large bundles of collard greens and Swiss chard in our fridge. It was clear that I had to overcome my apprehension about how to best cook these greens and have everyone like them. Something had to be done.

I know leafy greens cook down to nearly nothing, so I wasn't afraid by the 12-cup pile of washed and chopped greens. The bigger question was how to prepare them. In order to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients of foods I cook, I like to consult George Mateljan's book The World's Healthiest Foods or his Web site, an excellent reference for the nutritional content of all sorts of good-for-you foods and their preparation. George suggested steaming for no more than five minutes. I also used one of his suggestions for preparing collard greens and kale to make them tasty–with very good results, so good in fact, that my husband and I gobbled down the entire amount of greens all by ourselves, even though the amount I prepared could have easily been plenty for four eaters.

Ingredients:

3 large bundles collard greens or kale

1/2 to 1 cup sliced scallions

olive oil

tamari to taste

Preparation:

Wash greens, cut the thick stem out and chop the leaves into bite-size pieces. Bring enough water in a large pot to a roaring boil. Place greens in the steaming basket and place over the boiling water. Cover pot and let greens steam for 5 minutes – and no more!!

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a pan, sauté scallions until lightly softened and add steamed greens, tossing them with the onions until everything is mixed well. Serve immediately as a side dish or as a light meal with a poached egg on top.