Spring Greens with Lemon
June 07, 2009
Now with all the colorful abundance of summer it may seem a bit funny to be offering spring greens as a tasty treat, but the fact is there is nothing more cooling than greens.
Collard greens, kale, cucumbers, chard….these should all be regular friends at summer meals. For a lighter green, let’s take a new look at the classic spring salad mix. As Daverick says, simplicity is the key to enjoying fresh spring greens, and I couldn’t agree more.
There is such a variety of flavor that can arise from each clever little green in every spring mix. Although most of us usually enjoy our salad greens fresh from the refrigerator and raw, I would like to invite you to try something a little different. Steamed salad greens. Despite what you might think, it can actually be harder on the body to digest cold foods as opposed to room temp or slightly cooked ones. Eating cold foods or chugging down that glass of cold ice water can in fact generate heat and after that first instant of refreshment passes may even leave you feeling tired.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s certainly great value in the enzymes we get from raw foods, but tonight try something different with that spring salad mix and see how it treats you…
1 pound spring greens
6 tablespoons olive oil (or flax is good too!!)
6 tablespoons lemon juice
20 parts sesame seeds
1 part sea salt
Roughly shred the spring mix and steam until just tender. This only takes a minute so watch closely. In a bowl, combine olive oil and lemon juice and set aside. Using a skillet, toast the sesame seeds with the salt. This happens quickly too, as soon as you smell the aroma of sesame they should be done. You can then use a mortar and pestle to grind the sesame seeds (this is called Gomasio), or you can leave them whole- which ever you prefer.
Serve the greens pouring on lemon olive oil dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Enjoy!!
According to Chinese Medicine, these leafy greens are cooling, nourishing to the blood and beneficial for the liver. The salt and sesame seeds add a yin building aspect to the meal by directing the action towards the kidney. The lemon enhances the cooling quality of the greens and aids digestion by stimulating the flow of saliva. The olive oil is considered neutral in thermal nature, supports the function of the liver and is beneficial to the heart.
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