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!)
Lindsey
June 19, 2012 at 9:22 amI love swiss chard lightly sauteed with orange juice and cranberries.
Amanda
June 19, 2012 at 9:23 amMy favorite leafy green lately has been kale. I use it in soups, add it to green smoothies, and enjoy it as a side dish sauteed with a little olive oil and garlic.
neca
June 19, 2012 at 9:29 amI love using raw collard greens as wraps for sandwich fillings. I have to say, your chick pea salad is a staple!
Sonya Feinberg
June 19, 2012 at 9:30 amdinosaur kale or rapini brocolli (really any green) sauteed with mashed potatoes in garlic, and hot pepper spice.
Carolyn Bonifacio
June 19, 2012 at 9:32 amMy favorite green is baby spinach. I love making a spinach salad with strawberries, red onion and some pine nuts, drizzled with balsamic!
Berneda Rivard
June 19, 2012 at 9:32 amSpinach is my all time favorite. I use it in a lot of my meals. I either saute or put it in the microwave for a minute and it goes under some cooked brown rice, a piece of grilled chicken with roasted pine nuts and feta cheese. Another recipe it is great for is it goes under some cooked angle hair pasta that is mixed with olive oil, garlic, s&p, lemon juice and lemon peel, a piece of grilled salmon. All yummy!
Susan
June 19, 2012 at 9:33 amLove Kale raw in salads – found a great recipe with green olives and chopped dates.
Joy
June 19, 2012 at 9:34 amMy favorite is spinach…I eat it everyday in my morning smoothie!
Lisa
June 19, 2012 at 9:35 amKale is my perennial favorite green. I basically throw it into everything I cook as a delicious and healthy filler. I haven’t made a pasta dish without throwing in a whole bunch of steamed kale in ages! Especially with summer coming up, I can’t imagine a tastier way to enjoy kale than with your own delicious pesto recipe, penne, and some fresh tomatoes!
Your photos looks gorgeous!
Georgeta
June 19, 2012 at 9:43 amCrunchy baby bok choy in a salad, as well as kale in veggie and bean stews. Hoping to receive the book and try out new recipes. Gorgeous pictures!
Radhika
June 19, 2012 at 9:44 amI love how some greens, like dandelion greens and broccoli rabe are deliciously bitter. Currently, we like to eat dandelion greens cooked in a (south) Indian way – heat some oil and add a tsp of mustard seeds, one broken dried red chile, few fenugreek seeds, and a few split black lentils (if you have them) and allow to darken/sputter. Add about 1/4 cup moong beans which have been soaked in water for about half hour. Cover and cook till the beans are almost done. Add chopped greens, salt, a pinch of turmeric powder. Cover and cook till done. Finally, add about a Tbsp of grated coconut (fresh or frozen and thawed). Stir and serve.
I enjoyed reading some of ways others like their greens. Oh, and I would love to win the book!
Terese
June 19, 2012 at 9:48 amI love kale and white bean soup! Always looking for new ways to prepare our greens!
Dara L.
June 19, 2012 at 9:49 amCollards from my garden. Washed, chopped, and massaged with light dressing: lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, tahini.
Natalie Wright
June 19, 2012 at 9:58 amI love Brussels Sprouts! They taste amazing sauteed with coconut butter and italian spices.
Dawn
June 19, 2012 at 9:59 amI love kale. It has a lovely perfume, taste, and texture. I like best to prepare it simply. I bring a bit of water to simmer with slices of lemon submerged in it along with a couple of teaspoons of chopped garlic. Then I steam the kale with that lemon-garlic water. So delicious!!!
I would love this book!
Laura
June 19, 2012 at 10:02 amKale! – I like to put (lots and lots of it) in potato soup right before I serve it so the kale is bright green and crisp!
Haley
June 19, 2012 at 10:02 amMy fave leafy green is spinach. I like to wilt it in the pan with a little garlic. Yum!.. not to mention I feel like Popeye =)
kiri
June 19, 2012 at 10:05 amI love raw kale salads, massaged in a little olive oil and lemon juice. So very filling!
Baltimore
June 19, 2012 at 10:05 amWow I too love kale. I like to both saute it with garlic and a tiny bit olive oil and mushrooms and zucchini or add it into soups and stews for added texture and bulk. I also love raw baby spinach and arugula which I eat almost everyday as salad for lunch. I just add 1/2 lemon juice and 1 tsp olive oil and then top with hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds and chick peas or any other beans I may have on hand. This book would be very hand as I would love to expand my green repertoire in the kitchen. Like turnip, mustard, and even beet greens which I currently stay away from due to bad experiences. Thanks!
Vee Elle
June 19, 2012 at 10:13 ammy favorite green veggie would be the avocado – i recently discovered a yummy recipe for avocado frosting to go on top of my yummy vegan cupcakes as well as a delicious avocado hummus.
Rachel
June 19, 2012 at 10:16 amTough call…either kale in a massaged kale salad or collard leaves used as a wrap. Yum!
Sharon
June 19, 2012 at 10:18 amSpinach is the green I use most at this time but I would like to try more recipes with kale.
Aisling Doherty
June 19, 2012 at 10:19 amKale is my absolute favourite, especially Cavolo Nero! My favourite way to eat it is very simple – lightly steamed, with a drizzle of apple cider vinegar, tamari and nooch. Delicious!
Almiel
June 19, 2012 at 10:19 amFirst, I want to warn all the people who use the same green everyday! You can get a toxic build up if you don’t vary your greens! Just look up alkaloids on the web. With that said I like Engine 2 kale and avocado salad, and I like arugula in salads and sandwiches.
Rachel S.
June 19, 2012 at 10:20 amThat IS a tough one, since I haven’t met a green I didn’t like, prepared in one way or another…But I would probably have to say kale. Sometimes my body just seems to crave kale…especially in soups. One of my favorite soups is a “kale, carrot and wakame (sea vegetable) stew” with white beans and lima beans that I got from vegetarian times. Delicious sea “leafy greens” plus traditional “beans and greens!”
Crystal
June 19, 2012 at 10:20 amI like fresh spinach salad with blueberries, sliced strawberries, and slivered almonds. A blueberry vinaigrette makes it a just perfect summer salad! 🙂
ermom
June 19, 2012 at 10:23 amRed leaf lettuce is always on my shopping list. It adds beauty and nutrition to all my salads.
skubitwo
June 19, 2012 at 10:23 amred russian kale is my favorite leafy green, and collards.
shamelessly, right now, my favorite recipe for kale is your curried kale and chickpeas, but i toast the chickpeas a bit before adding them, and peanut butter goes very well with garam masala.
my next favorite is to mix the kale and collards as a substitute for spinach in my MIL’s greek spinach dish because it’s such a basic recipe and works really well with frozen.
amy
June 19, 2012 at 10:23 ami love arugula under evrything from pasta to thai to chinese or soup, arugula can go with anything! what a beautiful cookbook!
amy
Cindy
June 19, 2012 at 10:36 amKALE! love it sautéed with good olive oil, garlic, a splash of unfiltered apple cider vinegar and veggie broth. Mmmm. And a Field Roast Italian sausage thrown in puts it over the top.
Crystal
June 19, 2012 at 10:36 amI love lightly steamed collards with garlic and lemon. Nothing better than bright green, crunchy greens!
Julie
June 19, 2012 at 10:37 amI love kale – I prepare it as a salad with a peanut butter/honey dressing. Yum!
Maria C
June 19, 2012 at 10:37 amI would absolutely LOVE a copy of Wild About Greens! My fave is RAPINI! I chop up tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms and add some water to a pan and cook it. Adding more herbs as desired and a bit of evoo! MMMMM!
Emily
June 19, 2012 at 10:38 amKale is my favorite! I like to saute it up with olive oil (or veg broth), garlic, onion and Bragg’s. Simple yet YUM!
Thomasin
June 19, 2012 at 10:41 amLovely! Makes my mouth water, just thinking about the lovely greens. I’m a kale fan, and usually pop them in a pot with onion and water and add a bit of tabasco. Quick and easy and delicious. Mmmm.
Christine
June 19, 2012 at 10:42 amCurrently it is the fresh lettuce from my garden and next week the kale should be coming in, so then it will be the kale!
Salads are the beat in the hot weather we are having right now.
Julie
June 19, 2012 at 10:44 amWe grow red and yellow swiss chard in your front yard. We walk right out the front door and cut some leaves nearly every evening for dinner. We tear up the leaves and add them to our daily “romaine lettuce and whatever else is in the refrigerator” salad. We also steam the chard in the microwave like spinach and add a tiny bit of rice vinegar when serving. In addition we add the chard to lasagnas, soups and homemade pizza. We love chard!! This looks like a lovely cookbook and the pictures and illustrations are inviting.
liv
June 19, 2012 at 10:46 amturns out, i really like chard best. i add it to pretty much everything but my favorite preparation is a quick saute with shallots and a mustard-y vinaigrette.
Angela
June 19, 2012 at 10:46 amLately, my fave green has been arugula. I like to scramble tofu with onions and red pepper and serve it over raw arugula. The leaves wilt just slightly, and it’s delicious!!
Nora
June 19, 2012 at 10:47 amI still love steamed kale with peanut sauce.