Accessibility Links
Weekdays at 2pm
Food
Dark Leafy Greens
Your Mom was right! Eating greens is a good idea and Chef Joanne Lusted couldn't agree more. She stopped by with armloads of dark, leafy green vegetables and shared amazing facts. All of these ingredients are superfoods and you'll feel great when you incorporate them into your daily diet.
These greens are high in vitamins A, C, D and K. They have anti-aging properties, heart-health properties, cancer-fighting abilities AND they are super great for your skin!
To help them go down smoothly...Jo shared some amazing recipes.
Spicy Parmesan Kale Chips
To change things up, substitute fresh collard greens for the kale, and increase the cooking time by a few minutes as needed.
Ingredients
1 head fresh kale, rinsed and dried
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast to make them vegan)
1/4 tsp each cayenne pepper and sea salt
Preheat oven to 300F.
Remove thick stems from the center of leaves, and tear leaves into 2 1/2" pieces. In a large mixing bowl, toss kale pieces well with olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper and sea salt until evenly coated.
Arrange leaves in a single layer on two parchment lined baking sheets. Leaves may overlap slightly.
Bake chips for about 15 minutes, until leaves are crispy and cheese is golden brown. Check leaves for doneness once every 2 minutes after 12 minutes of cooking, remove any crisp chips each time, spread out remaining chips, and return the tray to the oven until all chips are done.
Allow chips to cool to room temperature and enjoy. Chips may be stored in a sealable bag or container in a cool, dark place.
Hot Swiss Chard and Artichoke Dip
Makes about 2 ½ cups
Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups coarsely chopped swiss chard leaves
Pinch sea salt
1 cup shredded skim milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
pinches each black and cayenne pepper
1/2 cup canned chopped artichoke hearts, drained well
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cooking in batches if necessary, add garlic and Swiss Chard; cook for 1-2 minutes until just wilted. Season with a pinch of salt and transfer to a colander to drain excess water. Cool to room temperature.
Combine shredded mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined. Using a spatula, scrape cheese mixture into a large mixing bowl, and stir in cooked Swiss Chard and artichoke hearts.
Transfer dip into a shallow oven-proof dish and place dish onto a baking tray. Heat in oven for 15 minutes until hot and bubbling. Serve with baked tortilla chips, crackers, an vegetable crudités for dipping.
Collard Greens Wraps
Serves 4
Collard greens make a great healthy alternative to a flour tortilla or lettuce wrap.
Ingredients
4 large collard leaves, stems trimmed and discarded (or 8 small)
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tbsp vinaigrette dressing
½ cup hummus
½ large carrot, julienne
¼ English cucumber, julienne
½ medium red pepper, julienne
½ small red onion, julienne
2 cups sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, broccoli, or your favourite)
½ cup low-fat feta cheese
Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Blanch collard leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds. Carefully remove leaves and refresh in a bowl of ice water. Drain on a paper towel lined tray and pat gently with paper towel to dry completely. Cut a small 2" long incision into thick base of steam, ¾ of the way through. This will help the stem bend when you roll it.
Spread leaves out in a single layer on cutting board or counter. Mix quinoa with vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, mix carrot, cucumber, red pepper, and red onion together. Smear ¼ of hummus evenly onto center of each collard wrap. Top each wrap with ¼ each quinoa, vegetable mixture, sprouts and feta. Roll each collard wrap to enclose filling.
- Kale
- Swiss Chard
- Bok Choy
- Dandelion Greens
- Rapini
- Collards
These greens are high in vitamins A, C, D and K. They have anti-aging properties, heart-health properties, cancer-fighting abilities AND they are super great for your skin!
To help them go down smoothly...Jo shared some amazing recipes.
Spicy Parmesan Kale Chips
To change things up, substitute fresh collard greens for the kale, and increase the cooking time by a few minutes as needed.
Ingredients
1 head fresh kale, rinsed and dried
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast to make them vegan)
1/4 tsp each cayenne pepper and sea salt
Preheat oven to 300F.
Remove thick stems from the center of leaves, and tear leaves into 2 1/2" pieces. In a large mixing bowl, toss kale pieces well with olive oil, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, cayenne pepper and sea salt until evenly coated.
Arrange leaves in a single layer on two parchment lined baking sheets. Leaves may overlap slightly.
Bake chips for about 15 minutes, until leaves are crispy and cheese is golden brown. Check leaves for doneness once every 2 minutes after 12 minutes of cooking, remove any crisp chips each time, spread out remaining chips, and return the tray to the oven until all chips are done.
Allow chips to cool to room temperature and enjoy. Chips may be stored in a sealable bag or container in a cool, dark place.
Hot Swiss Chard and Artichoke Dip
Makes about 2 ½ cups
Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups coarsely chopped swiss chard leaves
Pinch sea salt
1 cup shredded skim milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/3 cup low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
pinches each black and cayenne pepper
1/2 cup canned chopped artichoke hearts, drained well
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cooking in batches if necessary, add garlic and Swiss Chard; cook for 1-2 minutes until just wilted. Season with a pinch of salt and transfer to a colander to drain excess water. Cool to room temperature.
Combine shredded mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined. Using a spatula, scrape cheese mixture into a large mixing bowl, and stir in cooked Swiss Chard and artichoke hearts.
Transfer dip into a shallow oven-proof dish and place dish onto a baking tray. Heat in oven for 15 minutes until hot and bubbling. Serve with baked tortilla chips, crackers, an vegetable crudités for dipping.
Collard Greens Wraps
Serves 4
Collard greens make a great healthy alternative to a flour tortilla or lettuce wrap.
Ingredients
4 large collard leaves, stems trimmed and discarded (or 8 small)
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tbsp vinaigrette dressing
½ cup hummus
½ large carrot, julienne
¼ English cucumber, julienne
½ medium red pepper, julienne
½ small red onion, julienne
2 cups sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, broccoli, or your favourite)
½ cup low-fat feta cheese
Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Blanch collard leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds. Carefully remove leaves and refresh in a bowl of ice water. Drain on a paper towel lined tray and pat gently with paper towel to dry completely. Cut a small 2" long incision into thick base of steam, ¾ of the way through. This will help the stem bend when you roll it.
Spread leaves out in a single layer on cutting board or counter. Mix quinoa with vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, mix carrot, cucumber, red pepper, and red onion together. Smear ¼ of hummus evenly onto center of each collard wrap. Top each wrap with ¼ each quinoa, vegetable mixture, sprouts and feta. Roll each collard wrap to enclose filling.
