G is for Green

GreensEat your greens – it’s one of the simplest ways of improving your health! Forget boiled cabbage and tired lettuce – green vegetables (and fruits) can be tasty and satisfying (as I’ve tried to show in the recipes below), according to Dr Susan Aldridge, HS guest blogger, freelance writer and editor based in London, with an interest in medicine, health, science and food/nutrition.

Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives green plants their colour and it is the most abundant pigment in nature. Research has shown that chlorophyll can prevent the absorption of carcinogens in the diet and is capable of killing cancer cells. Chlorophyll’s intense colour masks the presence of other antioxidant and anti-inflammatory pigments, like carotenoids, in green fruits and vegetables.

Greens are also high in potassium, vitamin C and magnesium and leafy greens are rich in folic acid (the word ‘folic’ means ‘leafy’ in Latin). Finally, greens also low in calories, high in fibre and have a low glycaemic index. So why not challenge yourself to eat something green every day, if you feel your diet could do with a nutrient boost?

CKC juice

Couldn’t be easier and the kiwi adds a touch of sweetness.
Serves one

Two big handfuls of kale
One inch piece of peeled ginger
Two peeled kiwi fruits
One cucumber, chopped into big chunks
Juice everything and drink immediately.

Green Curry
Serves two

Jar of green curry sauce
One tbsp grated ginger
One chopped green chilli
Two cloves crushed garlic
Two heads of pak choi, chopped
Two leeks, finely chopped
One pack tenderstem broccoli, chopped
One green pepper, finely chopped

Stir fry everything for five minutes in coconut oil, add curry sauce, turn down the heat and simmer till tender (about 15 mins). Serve with a ‘healthy’ grain, like red rice, freekeh, amaranth, quinoa…

Super Green Salad
Serves two to four

Assemble as many green ingredients as you can – e.g.

Cooked French beans
Cooked runner beans
Cooked/raw peas
Watercress
Lettuce
Chopped cucumber
Kiwi fruit, sliced
Diced celery
Watercress
Baby kale….
Serve with avocado dressing

For the avocado dressing

One avocado
Two tbsp flax seed oil
Two cloves garlic
One red chilli
Handful of mint leaves
Juice of one lime

Blast the above in a Nutribullet to make a dressing of mayonnaise like consistency. Add more oil or lime juice if it comes out too thick. Scale up as needed to dress the amount of salad greens you have.