Thank you for the overwhelming response to this giveaway! A winner has been chosen–scroll down to the end of the post for details.
Instead of one recipe today, how about an entire book? Because I took the photos for Wild About Greens, Nava Atlas’ brilliant new cookbook, her editor was kind enough to send me several copies, and I would like to pass two of those books on to a couple of my faithful readers. So look below for details on how you can enter to win.
But first, some photos of the book:
When you take photos for a book, you never know how they’ll look; the designers crop them to fit their layout and design and sometimes even flip them so that they are mirror images of the way you actually shot them. The designers of Wild About Greens did a fantastic job of editing my photos, making them look better than I ever expected.
My photos are in a color insert in the middle of the book, but Nava’s lovely illustrations grace almost every page. One of my favorite sections is the introduction to leafy greens which gives information on 18 different types of greens.
But my very favorite page? That would have to be the title page!
For more information about the book, as well as the recipe for Nava’s Three Potato Salad with Arugula, see my earlier post.
If you would like a chance to win your own copy of Wild About Greens, all you have to do is leave a comment below telling me your favorite leafy green vegetable and how you like to prepare it. The contest will close at noon Central time on Wednesday, June 20, when I will pick a winner at random. Check back here to see if you’ve won. But wait! For a second chance to win, check my Facebook page, where I’m running a second contest simultaneously. Leave a comment on the Wild About Greens post there, and I’ll select a winner at random from those entries, too.
Update: The contest is now over. The winning comment, selected by Random.org, is number 425, by Sheila, who wrote, “I love baby bok choy stir ‘fried’ with veggie broth with shiitake mushrooms and other veggies over brown rice. Sometimes I thicken the sauce with a corn starch slurry for a thicker coating over my rice.” Congratulations, Sheila! Baby bok choy is one of my favorites, too.
Thank you for all your comments, especially for the cooking suggestions. I could cook greens all year using your ideas!
If you entered in the Facebook giveaway, be sure to check my Facebook page for the winner.
Thank you!
(This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, a few pennies on each dollar goes to support my work on this site. Thank you!)
Jody Cline
I love to put Kale in my morning smoothie. Great to walk out the door knowing I’ve already gotten a full serving of greens!
Laura Carpenter
Hi Susan, the book looks great! Our family favorite (and go-to green right now) is roasted brussel sprouts. We try not do cook with a lot of oil so I baked them with a little pepper and drizzle on basalmic vinegar. My 20 month old daughter loves to peel off the leaves and eat them one-by-one. 🙂
Tina
Now thus is my 2nd support to my new life style. Thanks
Outdoorgrrl
My mom has been asking for years how to cook chard. I keep telling her, but I think she needs a “recipe.” I would love to win a copy of this book for her!
Jenn Sebestyen
I JUST used some yummy fresh kale from my garden in a delicious kale smoothie. Yum!
martha
Kale! In stir fry, in sweet potato and black bean enchiladas, and in lots of other things 🙂
Gloria Huerta
I am writing about a leafy green that is probably not in the book, a leafy green that is native to the Hispanic culture, and is usually seen as a weed by all others, as it is available in North America. It is Purslane, or in Spanish – Verdolagas. I enjoy making verdolagas as a filling for chiles rellenos, tacos or burritos, or just as a side dish or a main dish, served on a bed or whole grains, whether it be brown rice or quinoa. They are very easy to cook with. You can lightly steam them to add to a warm salad with maiz, frijoles and salsa verde. Just ask any Mexican … verdolagas is the easiest leafy green veggieweed to grow and eat.
Nutrition facts: Purslane is very low in calories (just 16 kcal/100g) and fats; but is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Its leave contain more Omega-3 fatty acids (α-linolenic acid) than any other leafy vegetable plant. 100 grams of fresh purslane leaves provides about 350 mg of α-linolenic acid.
An excellent source of Vitamin A, (1320 IU/100 g, provides 44% of RDA) Vitamin A is a known powerful natural antioxidant and is essential for vision, vitamin C, and some B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine and carotenoids, as well as dietary minerals, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and manganese. (Excerpted from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/purslane.html)
Here is my recipe: http://veganisthelife.blogspot.com/2010/07/los-famosos-chiles-rellenos.html
Chessie
I tried cooking purslane in a recipe once and wasn’t impressed. I would probably like it better raw, in a salad. Susan, is this one in the book?
Maggie
Gloria, I was delighted to see that I was not the only one that eats Purslane! Our family has been enjoying this “weed” for years. I only use it raw in a salad, and didn’t know that one can cook with it. I wonder if cooking it diminishes some of its nutrients. It grows in my garden and I treat it as a volunteer veggie. I let some of it go to seed, and always have an abundant supply. Thanks for your comments and links.
lori black
spinach…it goes with everything! Lemon or garlic or in salads or in sandwiches it’s so good for you and good with almost everything!
Jewel Stam
Wait…I have to pick ONE green and ONE way I prepare it? That is tough because our household is also wild about greens! I guess I will have to choose kale. And one of my favorite ways to prepare it is in a tomato sauce with black-eyed peas! (but we also drink it in smoothies, juice it, saute it…and more :))))
Amy
my favorite leafy green is red russian kale…..favorite way to prepare it,
saute 1 onion and garlic in evo, once garlic is golden add kale, saute until tender
in bowl combine 1/2 to 2/3 cup of tahini, approx. 4 tbls of soy sauce, and about 1/4 cup of water (measurements approx). you want the sauce to be thin, and a light brown in color
serve kale over rice of choice, drizzle with sauce, add baked tofu if you like, and sprinkle with walnuts for a nice crunch
Mary Gail
I love kale and spinach! My favorite morning shake is kale, spinach, a banana, soy milk and a bit of peanut butter. Gets me going in the mornings!
Joyce
Romaine lettuce, cut up with tons of veggies on top and an simple dressing of white balsamic
Cindy LaFrance
Hi Susan,
Greens! My favorite! I am a missionary in Costa Rica and we have many of the greens here that grow in the states such as spinach, mustard greens and chard. However, we do not have kale and collards, which are my favorites! 🙁 Perhaps they will be grown here someday!
We do have a green that we grow in our yard. I don’t know if you have it there or not… perhaps in the south. It is called Mexican Tree Spinach or Chaya. It grows on large bushes/trees and supposedly has more nutrients than any green.
It has to be cooked. I like to put it into soups or to saute it with onions, tvp and a little liquid smoke, so it has that southern greens taste!
Would love to win a copy of “Wild about Greens”!
We love your site and use many of your recipes!
Thanks,
Cindy
Brenda
That’s an easy one. Kale, and I like it best in your kale and tofu scramble. I’m planning to make that tonight.
Jennifer
My favorite leafy green is arugula. I can never get enough of it. I’ve never cooked it though. I put it on hummus and tomato sandwiches, veggie burgers, salads, etc. I also like to wrap it with avocado in vegan “sushi” (I always use quinoa instead of rice).
Elissa Nesheim
I love kale and swiss chard… cookin it up with olive oil, salt and chipotle pepper flakes is a yummy breakfast for me.
Donna
I love all types of leafy greens, raw in a salad or sautéed with some flavorful spices!
Elizabeh k
My favorite leafy green is kale! I like my kale baked, I wash the leaves and pull off the hard stems, pat dry, toss with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes on a baking sheet. The kale tastes awesome with the garlic powder, and has a nice crispy texture.
MichelleM
Kale Chips…never can enough of them!
Tina
I love spinach wilted wilted with garlic and mushrooms.
Carri
i love romaine used as a boat & filled with hummus or baba ganoush, & then a little of all the raw veggies i can find in the kitchen. no need for dressing, the flavor is over the top! i feel amazing after this kind of light/clean meal!
Danielle Baurer
swiss chard! chard chips or just using it in salad.
DBGreen
Great that Nava has been writing more vegan cookbooks. This one looks great. Favorite green leafy vegetable is romaine and I add pumpkin butter to the spine and add julienne veggies like carrots and red peppers and roll it up like a burrito. Got that idea from Chef Al!
wendy (healthy girl's kitchen)
How do I love greens? Let me count the ways . . . favorite? It’s too hard to pick! But I am loving this kale salad right now where the kale is actually cooked first. It’s got spelt berries, black lentils, avocado, roasted turnips and green beans in it. And a chia chive vinaigrette. Yum.
Christine
Kale mallung! So surprising, simple, and delicious!
Karen Hill
Love greens…especially like to use them as wraps!
Jenna
I love kale and I often make a green smoothie for breakfast with kale from my garden! 1 banana, handful of kale, peanut butter, some ice and nut or soy milk…
Lisa
I love this book… I looked at it in B and N and now I want our libary to buy it.. I love all greens .. kalechips… kale with beans and brown rice and swiss chard with apple cider vinegar and sweet potatoes steamed.. just slices… all delicious. thanks for hosting.
Ann
Kale… fresh from the Farmer’s Market, water-sauteed with onions and mushrooms and served up with a splash of Balsamic vinegar and a dab of sweet relish. Mmmmmm… Add a side of pinto beans and I’m in heaven. I could eat it almost every day and never get tired of it.
Autumn White
This looks so exciting. The photos look amazing!
Autumn White
Collard greens are my favorite! Baby bok choy too!
Em
I love collard green wraps.
I boil some water in a frying pan-take the larger leaves from a bunch and saute it for about a minute on each side.
I then cut the inner part of the stem off and then I take my filling-hummus and etc or tofu salad or the possibilities are limitless and roll them up. Yum.
Meagan Thompson
Curly kale! Aside from chili, my favorite thing to do with kale is roast it. I chop it roughly and toss with chickpeas, diced red/yellow/orange pepper, whole garlic cloves, onion slices, lemon zest and olive oil. I preheat my oven to 425 (with my cast iron skillet in it), then roast it all for about 25 minutes. When it comes out, I squeeze in the juice from my zested lemon and toss in some diced tomato or halved cherry tomatoes, coarse kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. It’s great to serve with leftover grains or flat bread.
Kristen
I LOVE adding kale to my lentil soup! Lentils, onions, carrots, and kale in a veggie broth with lots of lemon squeezed over the top. Yum!
LeAnn Baker
I am entering to win the Wild About Dreams cookbook.
My favorite greens are spinach and I love them in salad.
Sabrina Butkera
Kale! I keep it simple by sauteeing with garlic and olive oil, then adding some vegetable broth and steaming for 5 minutes. I add a splash of red wine vinegar and some salt and pepper when it’s done.
Kerri
Kale Chips!
Carol Ware
I wish I knew more about how to fix green leafy veggies. I use mostly spinach in spinach and tofu lasagna and spinach enchiladas. I love them both!
Annie Fernback
Kale is my favorite. For an ancient, ancient dish with a modern taste:
Heat some olive oil in a pan at low-med heat. Stir around the kale until slightly wilted. Remove onto a paper towel or clean cloth. Put in a bowl. Toss with raisins and bacon bits (most are soy).
Add pine nuts or soy mozza if you wish. Smoked tofu is good with this too.
Nikki
Good old green leaf lettuce. chopped up for a salad. Dressing = fresh squeezed OJ with some apple cider vinegar and various spices (depending on the taste I want, ie: onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, curry, cayenne, dill, etc), sometimes a bit of mustard, and some Herbamare sea salt. For extra indulgence add some cooked rice (wild rice being my favorite).
Jessica Cordes
This book looks great! So many creative ways to make greens. I love putting spinach in smoothies or salads. Also really am into Arugula lately…it’s good on everything from burgers to topping pizza. I love to add a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon to pretty much any green..raw or steamed. I’d love to learn more creative ways to enjoy these yummy, nutrition-packed greens!