I've been watching lots of food documentaries lately (more on these later), which has left me thinking how I feel toward leafy greens. All the documentaries say to eat lots of leafy greens.
Leafy greens,
leafy greens,
leafy greens,
they say.
Since I was a child, I have professed to despise, dramatically choke on, and loudly loathe anything green and leafy. I don't know if I did it to obnoxiously fight the I'm-a-girl-so-I'll-have-a-salad-please stereotype or to make it known that I just think of other ways to eat healthily...ways that do not involve salad.
Here's where the confession comes: I love salad now.
I don't know that I have ever said that statement out loud (and, technically, I still haven't...). But it's true; I even crave leafy greens sometimes. Now my love for salad did not come from trying hard to like it because I thought I should. Quite the opposite, really.
On a picnic blanket at our neighborhood park, sometime during last summer,
salad snuck up on me.
The secret up its sleeve?
Crispy, golden roasted potatoes, lightly steamed asparagus, and a delicate yet flavorful dressing.
It was Karli's potato lover's salad and I was hooked.
Since that summer day, I have incorporated leafy greens more often into my kitchen experiments and have been pleasantly surprised at the results. If you have ever struggled or are now struggling to embrace the salad, I suggest you try my tried-and-true tips for a good plate of leafy greens:
1. Toss them with lots of the vegetables that you love
2. Use crisp, fresh greens (I've had the best luck with red- and green-leaf lettuce)
3. Find a couple of favorite dressings and stick to them (try Brianna's poppy seed dressing or French-style vinaigrette)
I'm always hungry for more tips!
How do you eat your leafy greens?
Potato-Lover's Salad
With help from Karli
6 new potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 bunch asparagus spears cut into thirds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 cups leafy greens
Dressing:
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive-oil mayonnaise
freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss potatoes, broccoli, and asparagus with olive oil, salt, and paprika. Arrange in thin layer on foil-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the green veggies when tender and set aside to cool. If the potatoes are not crispy enough for your liking, increase oven temperature and broil the potatoes until tender and golden.
While veggies are roasting, tear the leafy greens into bite-sized pieces and prepare the dressing.
Toss all elements together and enjoy!