As I type this, my yard is overflowing with dark green leafy vegetables; they are literally taking over our tiny property. So what’s a girl with a garden to do? Every morning I go outside, bowl and scissors in hand, and harvest greens.
I braise the greens with a bit of garlic and red pepper and eat them with a side of scrambled eggs, starting my day with a glorious Paleo breakfast. If I’m really hungry, I’ll add a side of gluten free bread to this breakfast. Of course we have braised greens for dinner just about every night during this time of year as well. We have to keep up with the garden!
Generally, I harvest 3-4 ounces of greens per person, so in our house, this would be a recipe for one.
For those of you that want to know how many bunches this recipe calls for, I can’t help with that, as my garden does not grow in bunches –I harvest individual leaves directly to a bowl. If you do figure how many bunches this recipe uses leave a comment and let us know. In terms of converting ounces to cups, I’d say that 4 ounces of chopped greens equals about 3 or 4 cups well packed cups.
Cooking tips? Here’s what Renee from the website Kitchen Table Scraps, has to say, “cooking green vegetables too long will turn their color dark and murky and their texture to mush.” So all you gardener/chefs out there, be sure not to overcook your greens.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ounces mixed greens (kale, collard, mustard, or greens of your choice) about 3-4 cups chopped and well packed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
- Add greens stirring to coat with oil
- Stir until greens are barely wilted
- Add garlic, salt and pepper flakes
- Continue stirring until greens are tender
- Serve
This easy side dish is great with any meal; you can try experimenting and adjusting the flavors to come up with other yummy recipes for greens. For basic instructions on how to prepare, wash and store you greens see my McKale post.
Here are some other healthy cooked veggie recipes to help you manage your harvest:
–Broccoli Rabe with Garlic
–Garlic Ginger Bok Choy
–Sautéed Kale
Charlene says
Living in the country, I have the same problem. My husband installed a singl-wire electric fence. It has low voltage so won’t kill critters, but will certainly discourage them from entering your garden. Just remember to unplug it when you venture in there. Trust me, you will only forget once!
Char from Ottawa, Canada.
Cheryl says
Love greens and simple recipes like this to prepare them (usually a mix of kale, turnip greens & parsley, with dandelion greens stirred in after the heat has been turned off to avoid them turning bitter)! My fave way to prepare greens, AND preferred breakfast, is very similar to this, except I cook them in a light chicken broth with lots of garlic, add either fresh or ground ginger (or both) shortly before they are done;then when soft and removed to a bowl, I add a drizzle of flax seed oil, a sprinkle of chopped almonds, and a tablespoon of ground flax seeds. I chose the ingredients originally for their nutritional value but was then very surprised to discover that the flavor of flax seeds (and oil) go extremely well with greens. Really delicious!
BTW, bcz I’ve been on the “body ecology diet” for a few weeks now, I’ve been in search of gluten & dairy-free recipes, and your blog has become my go-to for the some of the best tips and recipes. Thank you so much for your generous help!
Nigel Rose says
Thanks for this simple recipe, I always seem to overcook my veggies. I’m very jealous of your garden, wish I had the time to start one in my backyard in the small space I have. I’ll try these for breakfast, a great way to start the day!
Rachel C says
YUM. I love to eat greens with eggs for breakfast!
The Newlywed Chefs says
These look awesome! What a nice picture!
Ruth @ Ruth's Real Food says
I found that greens go great with turmuric, lemon, and garlic. I also saute the garlic first.
zingara says
my favorite! my mother [from italy] used to cook greens in this manner…except she saute’d the garlic first. we had a garden full of greens every summer, too. these greens were always served w/ hard crusted [soft inside] italian bread, some cheese & sliced tomatoes for a great lunch. wonderful memories…zingara
AnnMarie Deis says
I love to eat braised greens and prepare them similar to how you do. But I really want to know how in the world you manage to grow so much before the stinking rabbits nibble them to nothing! I have tried to chase the rabbit, catch the rabbit, lure him to other stuff, sprinkle cayenne pepper around the garden; he still wants my greens (swiss chard, kale, lettuce, mustard greens). Looks so tasty!!!!! ;)
MARIAN CASEY says
USE BLOODMEAL TO KEEP RABBITS,DEER,SQUIRRILS,CATS, AND RACCOON AWAY FROM YOUR VEGGIES, FLOWERS,ECT. IT WORKS GREAT AND EVERYTHING WILL REALLY GROW WELL BESIDES.
GOOD LUCK,
MAIRBUNNY
Laura says
I had a similar issue, but with groundhogs. They are bigger and hungrier than rabbits…. I would run out of the house to chase them, which of course did not keep them away, but it let me identify their escape routes. I got a Havahart trap and set it up along the most frequent pathways. So far I have caught and removed four groundhogs! I have also caught an awfully lot of stupid cats, squirrels, possums, racoons, birds, and skunks. If you catch a skunk, cover the trap with a sheet or towel to let them out and they will not spray you. It has been a very exciting summer but my garden is finally lush and happy!
Gretchen says
I love eating greens this way. I often eat them Asian-style by adding some ginger and a splash of sesame oil (add oil when done cooking). So good!
Karen says
Hey Elana!
I’m loving the cupcake book. The chocolate banana cupcakes were a huge hit. I sprinkled enjoy life chocolate chips on top and went without frosting and there were no leftovers. People loved them. I love the breakfast muffins. Great muffin that can stand alone as a meal with a cup of tea when I’m in a hurry. As always, thank you for the awsome recipes!!!
Bev Weidner says
I’m sauteing kale with crushed red pepper and garlic as I type!
OH, need to check on it.
Love this!
heronworksJoe McAnn says
I am using kale and some type of chard from the garden. Adding sliced onion when cooking. Also adding in common and sharp sow thistle. The sow thistle in the garden looks way better than the stuff growing by the driveway.