Who Knew Greens Could Taste so Good?

I'm serious about the title to this entry. I'm not a greens eater. Never grew up eating greens. I know some of you are now asking yourselves what kind of mother I had. Kind of funny actually because my mother is a very healthy cook. However, now that I'm older (and I'd like to think I have an up-and-coming sophisticated palate), I am trying new foods with gusto. When one of our volunteers, Lauren, decided to showcase greens a few weeks ago, I was all for it.

Greens are in season during the spring and fall when the weather is a little bit cooler. You can make this recipe with greens from the farmers’ market, the fresh produce aisle, or from bagged greens. We recently combined two different recipes and a touch of our own flair to make a fabulous greens dish. During class we didn’t use a recipe, but we estimated ingredient quantities below. I hope the flavors will blend as well as they did the first time, so all you professed greens haters will have a change of mind.

Ideally we would use local fresh greens as an inexpensive and sustainable practice. However, we decided to go with the bagged version for the sake of saving time in class.

Here is our "test kitchen" recipe for Sweet and Savory Cooking Greens:

1 9oz bag spinach*
1 16oz bag kale*
1 16oz bag collard greens*
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
3 small apples, diced
½ cup of Crasins
Salt to taste

1. Bring approximately 2 quarts of water to a boil in a dutch oven or soup pot.
2. Add kale and collard greens to boiling water and cook for approximately 20 minutes or to your preferred doneness.
3. While greens are cooking, cut and sauté onion in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add spinach to onion and cook until wilted.
5. Drain kale and collard greens from water.
6. In a large bowl, mix cooked greens, spinach, onion, apples, apple cider vinegar, and Crasins.
7. Stir well. Serve and enjoy!

*Any combination of greens will work well. Additionally, non-packaged greens may be used; chop and wash before cooking.