Smoothies

One key method that many use to up their green intake is to add greens to smoothies- sometimes you cannot even taste them! However, I find that sometimes greens can make your smoothie bitter or muddy. My solution? Try adding berries and fresh peeled ginger, as well as fresh squeezed lemon or raw dates. Using full fat dairy or non dairy yogurt  also smooths out the bitterness, as does using plain dairy-free milk instead of water. Depending on the combinations of ingredients you use, fresh-squeezed orange juice can also work nicely to balance out the bitterness. 

Pilafs 

We usually just think about rice when it comes to pilaf, however a pilaf can be made with quinoa, millet, buckwheat groats, and many other grain/ or gluten-free seeds and grains. Pillars are a great way to add greens like turnip, radish and mustard to your diet!

Soups

Add any kind of greens to your homemade or pre-bought soup. Be sure the heat is turned off, and the soup is fully cooked, before adding them!

Waffles and Muffins

Spinach is the best green to add to your baked goods because of its mild flavour. My secret? For every single batch of plain waffles or pancakes, add about 2 handfuls of spinach to the batter and whir in a blender to break it down. For chocolate muffins, add 2 large handfuls of spinach to the wet ingredients and whir in a food processor until smooth. Then add this to the dry ingredients.  

On pizza 

Add any raw greens to your pizza right after you add the sauce. Or, add spicy greens like arugula to the top of your hot freshly cooked pizza.

Green pesto 

Almost any greens can be used to make pesto, from broccoli leaves to fennel fronds. Use the same formula as found in my fennel frond or kale pesto found in the “Recipes” section. 

Pasta  

Here’s one final use… slip greens into Mac n cheese! Right at the end, add them to the noodles and sauce while over heat and stir until wilted (I often add beet greens to Mac n cheese). In the case of greens like spinach and arugula, they can be added right as you add the cooked pasta and just prior to serving. For lasagne I add about 3/4 lb (1/3 kg) fresh raw spinach to the middle layer of the lasagne before cooking. 

Bitter greens like mustard greens or kale can be added to the very end of cooking, just right before you add the hot cooked pasta. Just make sure you chop your greens finely so they will cook quickly. 

Breakfast Potatoes/ Hashes

Add a small bunch of finely sliced greens to your breakfast potatoes or hash once the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients are cooked. Stir well to allow the greens to wilt.