St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Wearing green will prevent a pinch on the arm but eating green can prevent a pinch at your waistline! There are TONS of great green vegetables. To name a few: broccoli, spinach, green beans, peas, asparagus, brussels sprouts, and cabbage…and the list could go on. The good news is that you can eat large amounts of green veggies for very few calories. One cup is only about 25 calories! Now, that’s a big bang for your (calorie) buck!
This St. Patrick’s Day I’d like to highlight three green superstars--kale, artichokes, and edamame.
Kale: This leafy, green vegetable is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K. It’s also stacked with minerals like potassium, iron, manganese, and calcium. It can be cooked many ways including baked, steamed, and boiled. Check out the recipe for Kale Chips below. You can’t get more festive than that on St. Patty’s Day!
Homemade Kale Chips
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
3 cups fresh kale leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Place kale on a large lightly greased cooking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes; toss gently. Reduce oven temperature to 300F and bake 6 minutes more. Let cool and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Artichokes: This unusual looking veggie is filled with magnesium, folate and potassium. One medium artichoke contains 10 grams of fiber! [Note: We should shoot to eat 25-30 grams of fiber per day]. You may have passed artichokes in your grocery store and thought, “what in the world do I do with those!?” Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FT8iSDxFq0 for help on how to clean and prep your artichoke for baking, steaming, grilling, or boiling. Once you’ve prepared and cooked your artichokes you can add them to soups, salads, or roast them with spices and herbs! Delish!
Grilled Artichokes:
Ingredients
6 artichokes
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preparation
In a large pot, bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the juice of 1 lemon, and artichokes; cover and steam until artichoke bottoms pierce easily, 20 to 40 minutes. Drain artichokes. When cool enough to handle, cut each in half lengthwise and scrape out fuzzy center. In a bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Brush artichokes with garlic mixture and set, cut side down, on a grill over medium heat. Grill, turning once, until lightly brown, 8 to 11 minutes.
Edamame: AKA soybeans or “branched bean”. These little pods make for a fantastic snack or side dish. A ½ cup serving has about 60 calories and they are loaded with protein (about 12 grams/cup), fiber (5.7 grams/cup), and B-vitamins. They are easy to cook and mix well with other veggies. Shelled edamame is a wonderful addition to salads and pastas and it’s a killer addition to succotash. You can find edamame in the freezer section of your grocery store either shelled or in the pod—it’s your choice! Your next snack is waiting…
Steamed Edamame:
Ingredients:
1 package frozen edamame in the pod
Your favorite low-sodium spice blend (I love The Delicious Dietitian spice blends because they have no sodium—check them out at http://www.thedeliciousdietitian.com/lindseylee/).
Preparation:
Place edamame in a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tbsp water. Sprinkle with your favorite, low-sodium spice blend. Cook on high for 2 minutes. Enjoy!
I hope you are a lean, mean, green-eating machine this St. Patrick’s Day!
In the words of one of my favorite bloggers...until next time...."Healthy Eating!"
Lindsey
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