Eat Your Greens!

When I'm craving my greens, I take notice that my body needs the dense nourishment of leafy vegetables. Spinach is loaded with Vitamins A,C,D and K, calcium, magnesium,folic acid and iron. Along with being a vitamin powerhouse, the phytochemicals in kale have been found to have a protective effect against breast, cervical and colon cancer. Kale, being high in sulphur, helps the body detox from other diseases too.

My Greek ancestors well into their eighties and nineties, while appearing somewhat shriveled from the hot sun like wrinkled prunes, had the agility of mountain goats trekking up those rocky, crumbly slopes in search of wild leaves and shoots. OK, I'm daydreaming, but I'm sure there is at least a kernel of truth to that.

The Mediterranean diet, the one patterned from the Island of Crete is credited for the longevity and health of its people. Liberal doses of fruity olive oil, barley rusks, beans and legumes, whole grains, small amounts and bits of cheese, meat and fish, thick whole milk yogurt, and an abundance of fruits and vegetables comprise this diet. Bitter greens in particular have healing properties for the body and when in season they wind up in the stew pot or a salad with olive oil, lemon juice and herbs. Wine in moderation, a drizzle of wild honey here and there and celebrations with lively Greek music and dancing keep people happy, fit and full of life. Oopa!

A small shot of liquorice flavored ouzo warms the throat and the body. When poured over ice the liquor turns cloudy. Oopa, Oopa...but I digress.(Watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding, then you'll understand).

Greens. Wild greens back in the day were not as squeaky clean as we are used to now. Small amounts of dirt and bacteria actually acted as medicine on the intestines. I'm guessing that they were used to a little crunch of grit and sand.

The religious fasting of the Greek Orthodox faith requires followers to eat vegetarian for long stretches at a time especially during Lent. Maybe this 'cleanse' contributes to longevity and health. I would bet on that, in fact.

Spinach and rice is the quintessential comfort food. It's what I enjoyed as a child while other children were eating their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I put my own spin on a marvelous recipe I found in Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian cookbook, with the addition of dark 'dinosaur' kale and raisins. The raisins plump up in the tart sauce, sweet bursts of flavor in unctuous, tender greens. The kale, considered a superfood, is a great chewy contrast to the soft spinach.

Spinach With Rice

1 big bunch fresh organic spinach, leaves and stems left whole
1 bunch organic dinosaur kale, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds of spinach and kale in total, I prefer to use more spinach than kale)
6 scallions cut crosswise into fine rings all the way up
3 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt
3 rounded T white rice (I used jasmine but Italian risotto rice would work here too)
1 1/2 T dried dill
2 heaping T raisins
The juice of a lemon

Trim the spinach ends and soak leaves with stems in a big bowl of water. Wash in several changes of water to remove sand and dirt. Drain. Trim ends off kale, wash well and drain. Chop kale into shreds.

Pour 2 cups of water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add scallions, olive oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, rice, dill and raisins to the pot. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for about 12 minutes, or until the rice is done and the liquid in the pot is reduced to a little thick sauce. Put in kale and allow to cook with the lid on for about five minutes. Remove lid, stir and add the spinach with another 1/2 tsp. of salt. Raise the heat and stir until the spinach wilts. Lower the heat to medium-low again, stir and cook for about five minutes. Add the lemon juice and a drizzle of more olive oil if desired.

This recipe can be adapted. Feel free to use other available greens like collards, Swiss chard, cabbage and so on. I prefer to use spinach in the mix because this is the flavor I crave from way back.

I serve the greens with a big pot of stewed gigande beans. Yum! A little feta cheese doesn't hurt either.

This is the kind of food that keeps me healthy and happy.