Hey CrossFitters!
Sending out Happy Birthday wishes to Shannon, the coolest, CrossFittin?est (yes, I just made that word up) momma-to-be that I know!
Another week gone by already! It seems like we jumped from spring storms to FULL summer, 92 degrees today? WHAT?
And can I say: I?m very proud of my fellow gym-mates who ?represented? CrossFit Bartlett downtown, while fitly filling sandbags to protect our city!
;>
;> I wish I could have joined y?all.
Those of you who know me know that I?m a Yankee. I grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a few miles from Lake Superior (not the end of the world, but you can see it from there). Anyways, when I first moved down here, to attend Christian Brothers University, I said I?d try all ?Southern? food at least once. So about my third or fourth day at school, I spooned some cafeteria turnip greens onto my plate. EwwwEwwwEwww and BLECH, they were nasty! I decided then and there that I did NOT like greens.
Fast forward 20-something years?and I start eating Paleo, and checking my nutrition, and I keep finding Paleo-friendly recipes for greens, and greens are easy to grow, and so very good for you, so I decided to
bite the bullet and try them again?this is the recipe I started with, and SURPRISE! I love them. I?ve tried this particular recipe with kale, collards, turnip greens and spinach. I actually like the turnips greens the best and kale second. I tweaked the original recipe a bit, and for the non-foodies out there, I?m giving in depth cleaning instructions, because, as I learned the hard way, if you don?t thoroughly clean your greens, they can be a pretty gritty eating experience. So, without further ado-
Not Yo? Mama?s Greens
2 small or 1 large bunch of turnip greens (small leaves are always better, and more tender than big, so pick the bunches with the smallest ones) You can also sub any other fresh green (spinach, collards, swiss chard, beet tops, kale etc)
? – ? cup canned coconut milk
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Wash. Sounds simple, right? Well, if you don?t thoroughly wash your greens, you will find dirt and sand between your teeth, and that, my friends is GROSS. So, fill a large bowl with cold water, take a handful of greens (hold them by their stems like a bouquet of flowers) and sink them in the water, plunge them up and down a couple of times, set them aside in a colander, repeat a handful at a time with the remaining greens. When you?ve done them all, do them all again, twice. Consider this a ?3 rounds for time? WOD. J When your greens are clean, the water in the bowl will be clean. If you still see dirt, mud or sand in the bottom of the bowl, keep plunging. This sounds labor intensive, but in truth, it only takes about 5-7 minutes or so to do. You don?t have to dry or drain the greens, the clinging water helps to steam them later.
2. De-stem. Still holding the bunches like a bouquet, cut off the thickest part of the stems (usually about 2-3 inches off will do it)
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3. Chiffonade. This is a foodie way of saying ?chop the greens?.?If you don?t know how, check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiffonade. You don?t have to ?roll? the leaves, just scrunch them up and slice approximately ?? wide ribbons. If you are really short of time, you can skip this step. Whole leaves work just fine.
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4. Wilt. Heat a large skillet to medium-high;
add a tablespoon of coconut oil, as soon as it melts, throw in about half the greens and stir. They will start to wilt (shrink down) immediately. Stir for a minute then add the remaining greens. Stir well and then cover. As they wilt the greens will undergo a dramatic color change, from bright to dark. You may need to add a few
tablespoons of water, if the pan gets too dry. I usually turn the heat down to low and let them simmer for about 20-30 minutes while I?m preparing other parts of my meal. The smaller the leaves, the quicker they will get tender.
5. Cream. First, turn up the heat to medium, remove the cover and allow any remaining water to evaporate. Pour in the coconut milk and stir well.
6. Season. Add the cinnamon, cumin and coriander. Stir, smell, enjoy. Taste, add salt and pepper as desired. This is a slightly bitter, slightly sweet, very fragrant dish that goes well with grilled meat. As you can see here, I served it with grilled chops and chicken thighs. De-Lish!
