Winter Greens Full Of Vitamins, Nutrients

For one of the most nutritious dining choices of the year, try the vegetables of winter. Dark, green leafy vegetables, such as collard greens and kale, are abundant and inexpensive - and they’re an excellent source of beta carotene.

This meatless recipe for Winter Greens takes advantage of the nourishing benefits of these vegetables, which are both members of the cabbage family. Collards have a slightly bitter flavor; kale is sweeter. When cooked together, their flavors enhance each other.

Both vegetables have been prized for centuries in the cooking of Africa, Northern Europe and the American South because they are filling, delicious and low in fat. They are also loaded with vitamins A and C, folic acid, calcium, iron and dietary fiber.

Most traditional recipes for greens call for slowly stewing them with salt pork, ham hocks or other fatty cuts of meat. This version contains no meat and, therefore, very little fat and no cholesterol.

However, Winter Greens still are best if simmered slowly. This recipe takes 1-1/2 hours of cooking, but the highly-flavored results are worth the time.

Winter Greens

1 bunch kale (about 9 cups)

1 bunch collard greens (about 9 cups)

5 cups water

1 large onion, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)

3 cloves garlic, crushed through a press (about 1-1/2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

3 red-skin potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Fill a sink or large bowl with cold water. Submerge the kale and collard greens in the water and swish around to dislodge any sand and grit. Empty sink or bowl and repeat washing two more times to thoroughly clean leaves.

Strip the leaves off the tough stems. Discard the stems and roughly chop the leaves; you should have about 18 cups of raw greens.

Place the water in a large kettle and add the greens, onion, garlic, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the diced potatoes and simmer 30 minutes longer. Season with the cider vinegar and serve warm with the cooking liquid, called “pot liquor.”

Yield: 10 ( cup) servings.

Note: All greens smell strongly during the initial stages of cooking. However, the smell diminishes and the flavor increases with continued cooking.

Nutrition information per serving: 103 calories, 4 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 0.6 grams fat (5 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 278 milligrams sodium.

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