15-Minute All-Greens Soup

Serves: 4

¼ cup olive oil plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup snow peas, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
½ bunch loosely-packed kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup loosely-packed fresh parsley or basil
About 2 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water (NOTE: Add more or less liquid to reach your desired consistency.)
Salt and pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Prepare a large bowl with ice water. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the zucchini, celery and snow peas until fork-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Dunk into the prepared ice water bowl; drain and pat dry. Blanch the kale, spinach and parsley until bright green, about 45 seconds; drain and pat dry, then squeeze out any extra liquid. Place the onion mixture and half of the blanched vegetables and parsley in a blender; process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Return to the pot, stir in the broth, remaining vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper; cook over medium heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Author's comments:
When I make this soup, I use whatever green vegetables and herbs I have in my fridge’s vegetable drawer. I’ve used kale, asparagus, green beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, spinach, zucchini, celery, basil, parsley, cilantro. The list goes on and on, really. Please improvise with this recipe. The only ingredient you’ll need to adjust is the broth. Just add enough liquid until you reach your desired consistency. If I have any leftovers and I’m feeling decadent, I’ll melt in some shredded cheddar in the last few minutes of cooking.

But the beauty of blanching goes beyond the superficial. Blanching only takes a few minutes at most and will actually save you time in the long run. After blanching, all you need to do is blend the vegetables with a few more ingredients  and cook the soup on the stovetop just until heated through.
So what is blanching exactly? All it means is that you’re going to bring a large pot of water to a boil, add vegetables and cook until bright green and fork-tender, then you’ll dunk them into a big bowl of ice water and drain.
from Silvana's Kitchen 
http://www.silvanaskitchen.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-greens-soup/ 

Lemon Arugula & Mizuna

1 bunch Arugula
1 bunch Mizuna or Mustard Greens

Juice of 1 lemon
Dash onion powder
Dash garlic powder
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Wash and tear up Arugula & Mizuna. Toss with remaining ingredients.

From Grindstone Farm CSA in Polaski, New York

Sesame Pasta Salad with Mizuna

2 cups mizuna leaves (or other mustard greens), washed and stemmed
1 carrot
1 red pepper [optional-out of season] cored and seeded
1/4 cups scallions, thinly sliced
1 8-oz package udon noodles
2 tablespoons light sesame oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice (optional)
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Chop mizuna into pieces about 1 inch long. Shred carrot. Slice the scallions on a diagonal. Thinly slice red pepper. Boil large pot of water and cook udon noodles according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water until totally cooled. Drain again. Place pasta in a large mixing bowl and toss with vegetables. Mix in oils, ginger juice, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.

From Featherstone Farm CSA, Rushford, Minnesota

Turnip Greens

Serves 4

1/2 lb fresh turnip greens (or other braising greens)
4 cups water
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small yellow onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the greens and boil for 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and set aside. Put the bacon and onion in a large skillet. Stirring constantly, cook over medium-low heat until the onion turns translucent and the bacon is slightly crisp, about 6 minutes. Add the greens. Still stirring, cook for about 5 minutes more or until tender and wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

From One United Harvest

Cannellini Beans & Wilted Greens

Serves 6 to 8

2 cups dried cannellini beans
Bouquet garni: celery, thyme, parsley, bay leaf
1 onion
1 carrot
6 cups water or chicken stock
Salt and pepper
1 large bunch turnip greens, mustard greens, chard or kale
6 cloves garlic
5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil

Soak the beans overnight. The next day drain them and put them into a heavy-bottomed pot with the bouquet garni. Add the onion and carrot, peeled. Cover with water or stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. Cook the beans until very tender, from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age of the beans and how long they were soaked. Salt the beans generously once they start to soften. When fully cooked, remove from the heat.

While the beans are cooking, trim and chop the greens.

Finely chop the garlic cloves and gently sauté them in the olive oil with the rosemary, about 1 minute. Add the beans and about 1 cup of their cooking liquid, and simmer about 5 minutes, until some of the beans have crumbled apart. Add the greens to the beans, and stew together, uncovered, until the greens are wilted and tender. Add more of the bean liquid, if needed, to keep the vegetables moist and a little soupy. Taste for seasoning and grind in some pepper. Serve with extra-virgin olive oil drizzled over the surface.

This makes an excellent side dish with roasted or grilled poultry.
It is also a fine sauce for a sturdy pasta, like penne. When the beans are tender, roughly mash about half of them, to thicken the sauce, and then stir in the cooked pasta. Add a little more bean liquid if the mixture is too thick.

From Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

Fresh Herb Salad with Edible Flower and Mustard-Dill Dressing

Serves 6

Organic edible flowers are perfect for this, and can include:
nasturtiums, daylilies, pansies, pinks, borage, roses, or flowers from any culinary herb (such as chives).

1 small butterhead lettuce
1 cup baby arugula leaves
1 cup fresh purslane or baby spinach or tat soi
1 cup watercress leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup snipped fresh Italian parsley (flat leaves)
1/2 cup sorrel leaves
1/2 cup baby mustard greens or collard greens
1/3 cup snipped fresh chives
1/4 cup snipped fresh chervil
2 Tbs. snipped fresh dill
1/2-1 cup edible flowers

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dill seed
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash and gently dry butterhead lettuce, all herbal greens and edible flowers. Tear apart lettuce and any large-leafed herbs. Toss together all greens except flowers in a large salad bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour
over herb salad and gently toss until well coated. Garnish with
edible flowers and serve immediately.

From Delicious Living Magazine

Carolina Kale

submitted by Margery Prazar; from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Serves 4 to 6

1 ½ lbs. kale, collards, chard, beet greens, or mustard greens
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes and their juice
1 cup minced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 tsp. salt
ground black pepper to taste

Wash the greens. Remove the large stems and any discolored leaves. Stack the leaves and slice them crosswise in 1/8 inch strips.

Combine the tomatoes, onions, cumin, garlic, tabasco, and salt in a saucepan, cover, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the greens, cover, and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the greens are tender. Add pepper to taste and serve.

Serve separately as a side dish, or put over brown rice.