Passporter *Recipe* Challenge - 4/30-5/6 - BONUS QUIZ About This Page:

[TinkerBelz]

The Recipe Challenge Today will be a "Food".....

SIDE DISH: GREEN VEGETABLES

Note the numbers and see if you can guess what these are by the pictures. Answers are below:

#1#2#3#4

#5#6#7#8

#9#10#11#12


Here's a small but not comprehensive list:

Kale
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Peas
Bell Peppers
Hot Peppers
Green Beans
Greens (as in turnip, mustard etc.)
Cabbage
Salad Greens
Spinach
Brussel Sprouts

Whether raw or cooked, alone or mixed all in, let's see your Green Veggie Side Dishes. Butter and salt - not included! LOL

Information and Facts about Green Veggies

When nutritionists recommend that you increase your intake of green vegetables, generally they are referring to the deep green ones. The deeper the green, the more nutritious. Broccoli and spinach, for example, contain more beta carotene (a potent anti-oxidant and precursor to vitamin A) and more vitamin C then the lighter green vegetables such as string beans.

All greens offer good nutritional value. However, try to include a variety of greens in everyone's diet in your family. Just green beans, or just broccoli will cause you to miss out on some of the great nutrition of the other greens. Make a point of including a deep green vegetable at least three times a week. The other greens you can add here and there, as you please, to round out your variety and add interest to your diet. Below I have listed several green vegetables that you may want to consider adding to your family's diet:

Green peas are legumes, just like dried peas, except that they are eaten in their immature state. They won't give you the same nutritional value of dark green vegetables, but they have nutritional powers all their own. To start with, they have more than twice the protein of most vegetables. On top of that, they have loads of fiber, are a good vegetable source of iron and provide some vitamin C. To serve them to babies as finger food, cook until tender, then squash a little with a fork to make them easier to chew and to help prevent them from being a choking hazard.

Green peppers are good source of beta carotene and vitamin C, but its more mature cousin, the red pepper, is an even better source. One pepper will meet a day's needs for vitamin A and supply more than 150 percent of your need for vitamin C. Sweet peppers are a favorite finger food with most toddlers.

Salad greens, not the pale and nutrient devoid iceberg, but the deeper green leaf lettuces, romaine, radicchio, endive, chicory and arugula, are good sources of beta-carotene. Again, the darker the color of the salad green, the more nutritious it is. Some also contain vitamin C. It won't be long before your toddler can handle some salad that has been cut into pieces small enough to eat and sprinkled with a light dressing.

Spinach is loaded with vitamins and minerals. It is also very high in fiber. It is an excellent source of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, and served raw it is a good source of vitamin C. Overcook it and you lose most of that vitamin. Little children may like some fresh, young spinach mixed into their salad. Chopped spinach added to vegetable soups at the end of the cooking will taste great. (Soup is a great toddler food and can hold a wonderful variety of nutrient dense, kid pleasing foods.)
Summer squash is a good nutrition choice, but it does not have as much to offer as the other greens mentioned. Deep orange winter squash has much more to offer in terms of nutrition.

Broccoli is probably the most nutritious of all the green vegetables. Calorie for calorie, broccoli gives you more nutrition than any other vegetable. Broccoli is especially high in vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium and fiber. It is also a good source of chromium. Broccoli belongs to the cabbage family, know as cruciferous vegetables, which are associated with lower rates of cancer, probably due to the indoles and isothiocyanates in it. Broccoli is a fun finger food for kids. For little ones, cook it until it is easy to chew, but not overcooked. Chill it a little, and serve it with a sauce to dip it in. Older kids may prefer eating it raw with a fat-free dip. A cream of broccoli soup, or any green soup, is also a kid pleasing way to serve greens. Although some of the vitamin C may be destroyed in the cooking process, the beta-carotene will still be strong, as will lots of the other important nutrients and cancer fighting chemicals.

Cabbage, like broccoli, is also a cruciferous vegetable and also contains some cancer-fighting compounds. Cabbage also contains some fiber and vitamin C. Two types of cabbage -- bok choy and savoy -- provide beta-carotene, and bok choy contains calcium. Savoy is probably the most nutritious member of the cabbage family.

Collard greens are a great source of beta-carotene. The outer leaves usually are more nutritious than the inner leaves. Especially for children, choose greens that are small and young and have smooth, firm leaves. Try cooking them in a small amount of broth until just tender enough to eat. A scrambled egg made with a little added mild shredded cheese and chopped, cooked collard greens would make a yummy lunch dish for a toddler.

Other healthy greens to include are Swiss chard, kale, and brussel sprouts.

INSTRUCTIONS

Just send us your recipe and picture (if you are able) of the finished product to this thread - no later than Sunday 5/6. Give us a little history (if any) on this recipe. Was it easy to make? Where did you get it? and MOST importantly - Did you and your family LIKE IT??

Answers to Quiz

1. Asparagus
2. Broccoli
3. Brussels
4. Cucumbers
5. Cabbage
6. Green Beans
7. Hot Peppers
8. Kale
9. Mustard Greens
10. Peas
11. Spinach
12. Green Bell Peppers - or as in Indiana called MANGOS???? when I heard that I was like WHAT?? aren't mangos a fruit?? Anyways.....

[crystalloubear]

I got them all right in the quiz! Sorry I won't be cooking anything for the rest of the week b/c I am headed to Richmond but I will include my favorite brussel sprout recipe. Its from "Good Deal with Dave Lieberman"

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
Salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3/4 cup chicken broth


Heat vegetable oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add Brussels sprouts and brown all over by shaking the pan often. Season with salt, to taste. Remove Brussels sprouts from pan, reduce heat to medium high and add the butter to melt. Add shallots and saute for a minute or 2. Add the sprouts back in, add the chicken stock, cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for 30 minutes or until sprouts are soft and tender.

[JoanW]

Another of Crystal's recipes:

2 lbs brussel sprouts, removed outer leaf and cut a thin slice off base
1 tbs whole grain mustard
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Place a steamer basket in a large suacepan with a lid, fill with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; add sprouts, cover and cook until easily pierced with a pairing knife - about 10-15 minutes

In a small bowl, combine mustard, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.

Lift basket and transfer sprouts to ice water. Let stand until cooled about 5 minutes. Drain well (I did it up to this point the day before and stored them in a ziploc with a paper towel to absord extra moisture) and cut into quarters. Serve drizzled with vinaigrette

[crystalloubear]

Originally Posted by JoanW

Crystal, where is your recipe for the mustard vinaigrette??? That was to die for!

Just for you Joan


2 lbs brussel sprouts, removed outer leaf and cut a thin slice off base
1 tbs whole grain mustard
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs olive oil
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Place a steamer basket in a large suacepan with a lid, fill with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil; add sprouts, cover and cook until easily pierced with a pairing knife - about 10-15 minutes

In a small bowl, combine mustard, vinegar and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.

Lift basket and transfer sprouts to ice water. Let stand until cooled about 5 minutes. Drain well (I did it up to this point the day before and stored them in a ziploc with a paper towel to absord extra moisture) and cut into quarters. Serve drizzled with vinaigrette

[Teresa]

Asparagus Lauren's Way

Take a bunch of asparagus and break it - bend it, holding onto the ends, and let it break naturally - this is so you'll get the sweetest parts!

par-boil the ends (throw away the thick ends) until bright green.
instantly put into an ice bath to halt cooking.

dump water, and put 2 to 4 Tablespoons into pot. Melt butter, and put in asparagus. toss quickly, and squeeze on juice of half a lemon!
take off heat.

[TinkerBelz]

This week I made Turnip Greens in the Pressure Cooker. I've made them many times in a pot on the stove - that cooks for HOURS. This time, it was MUCH shorter and I got basically the same results. Here's how I did it.

1 HUGE bag of greens - the kind in the lettuce section that are pre-washed.
Ham Hocks or A Nice smokey ham (I used Country Ham pieces)
2 cups of water

I poured two cups of water into the pressure cooker and pressed in the HUGE bag of greens. I cut up the country ham and threw that in and kind of mixed it around with my hands.

I brought the pressure cooker up to pressure and let it cook for 20 minutes. I then did the quick release method and it was done!

The only thing I would do different is NOT use the Country Ham. This is my first experience with it and can I say I just didn't like it. It made the greens taste a bit "funny". I think next time I'd use a couple of Ham Hocks and a chunk of "good smokey ham" - I normally buy a chunk at the Walmart Deli and the brand is "Old Farmer's Ham". It has a low water content and is that drier texutre you get with "real ham".