Leafy Greens Washington DC

Eating Green

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By Lindsey Galloway

Craving salads this time of year—but tired of the same old bowl of greens? Move over, iceberg: These leafy greens will transform your next salad and help you get your recommended daily veggie intake. San Francisco-based chef and nutrition consultant Grace Avila shares her favorite preparations and pairings for the following eight super-greens.

Romaine
If you’re looking to make the switch from iceberg, this mild-flavored lettuce will deliver the satisfying crunch you crave along with eight times more vitamin A and six times more vitamin C than its light green counterpart. These leaves also provide higher levels of potassium and folic acid than other types of lettuce.

Salad Savvy: Pair this lettuce with a mustard vinaigrette to pep up the mild flavor. Toss in hard-boiled eggs, grape tomatoes, and boiled red potatoes for a French-style salad that’ll complement most dishes.

Beyond a Bowl of Greens: Top a veggie pizza with chopped romaine immediately after cooking for an extra layer of flavor (and nutrients!).

Arugula
A member of the mustard family, arugula has a pungent, peppery flavor. Along with nutrients like vitamin C and beta-carotene, arugula offers more omega-3s than other greens, providing about 47 mg in 1 ounce of uncooked leaves. Bonus: Arugula was prized as an aphrodisiac among ancient Romans and Egyptians.

Salad Savvy: Try a creamy yogurt-based dressing to cut arugula’s strong flavor. Mix 1 cup yogurt with 1/2 cup lemon juice and 2 tablespoons honey.

Beyond a Bowl of Greens: In late fall, when basil begins to fade and frost-tolerant arugula still soldiers on, make a peppery pesto by mixing arugula leaves with olive oil, walnuts, garlic cloves, and Parmesan cheese.

Watercress
Like other members of the all-important cruciferous vegetable family, delicate watercress is packed with enzymes known as isothiocyanates, which have been shown to prevent cancer. One recent study even showed a 23 percent decrease in DNA damage to white blood cells—an early indicator of whole-body cancer risk—after two months of eating a cereal bowl full of watercress each day.

Salad Savvy: Tone down the spicy-herb quality of watercress with a sweet dressing. Mix 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. (Add 2 teaspoons honey for more sweetness.)

Beyond a Bowl of Greens: Puree the leaves with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a pungent, herby dressing for other greens.

Kale
Gram for gram, kale contains more nutrients than most other greens combined. Just 1 cup delivers twice your daily requirement of vitamin A and nearly seven times the recommended amount of vitamin K, an essential for bone and blood health. Kale also carries a hefty load of calcium, copper, and manganese, all three of which help ward off bone loss and help the body absorb iron.

Salad Savvy: Most chefs steer clear of serving this tough green raw, but chopping it into thin strips and massaging them with vinegar an...

Author: Lindsey Galloway

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