ire up Your greens! Suffering from salad fatigue? Bring your lettuces in from the cold they take on a new, exciting life when introduced to a little flavor-enhancing heat. So hit the grill (and the stove top, and the oven) with these hearty recipes. By Cheryl Sternman Rule // Photographs by Zach Desart Chard Breakfast Skillet with Egg, Onion, and Tomato 1¼ cups quartered cherry tomatoes 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 2 large bunches Swiss chard or rainbow chard 2 cups chopped yellow onion 3 Tbsp extravirgin olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced ½ tsp sea salt ½ tsp freshly ground 4 large eggs 1/ In a small bowl, toss cherry tomatoes with vinegar. Set aside. 2/ Remove chard leaves from stems. Chop leaves, place in a large bowl of cool water, and swirl to rinse. Transfer to a colander, allowing a bit of water to remain on leaves. Rinse, dry, and thinly slice stems. 3/ In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, sauté chard stems and onion in olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add chard leaves, salt, and pepper. Turn heat to high and toss with tongs until leaves wilt. 4/ Using the back of a spoon, make four indents, or nests, in chard. Crack 1 egg into each nest. Cover the skillet, reduce heat slightly, and cook until yolks are medium-set, about 4 minutes. 5/ Add cherry tomatoes and vinegar to skillet, then serve. Makes 4 servings Per serving: 240 cal, 16 g fat (3 g sat), 17 g carbs, 640 mg sodium, 5 g fiber, 11 g protein 134 womenshealthmag.com / April 2013
Chard Chard is mild and multitalented. Instead of ditching the stalks, slice and sauté them until tender. Wrap the leaves around fillings such as rice or polenta, or wilt in a pan and splash with vinegar. You can clean, cut, and blanch the leaves a day ahead, then season and cook later.
Grilled Romaine with Oranges, Blue Cheese, and Orange Vinaigrette VINaIGRette ¼ cup fresh orange juice (from 2 oranges) ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar ½ tsp honey ⅛ tsp sea salt ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper salad 2 medium oranges 2 heads romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise Sea salt and ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese 1/ Preheat grill for cooking over direct high heat (450 F to 550 F). 2/ To make vinaigrette, whisk orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Set aside. 3/ With a knife, peel oranges, remove pith, and cut wedges free. Set aside. 4/ lay romaine halves on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides with vinaigrette. (Reserve remaining vinaigrette.) Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, to taste. Place on the grill, cut sides down. grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until charred and marked, flipping once. Transfer to a serving platter. 5/ Sprinkle orange wedges and blue cheese over romaine. Drizzle salad with reserved vinaigrette and serve any extra on the side. Finish with fresh black pepper, to taste. MakeS 4 ServingS Per serving: 250 cal, 17 g fat (3.5 g sat), 21 g carbs, 240 mg sodium, 8 g fiber, 6 g protein romaine Romaine, best known for its starring role in the classic Caesar salad, is sturdy enough to hold its own on the grill. Choose heads with tightly bundled tips and remove any limp outer leaves before cooking. When grilling, work quickly and pay close attention to the leaves color. Once both sides are charred, remove immediately to keep the lettuce crisp.
Escarole A cousin of endive and radicchio, escarole could pass for plain old lettuce on grocery-store shelves. But its slightly bitter edge sets it apart from the bunch. Escarole Soup with Fennel, Navy Beans, and Mini Meatballs Meatballs 8 oz mild Italian pork sausage, in bulk (otherwise, remove from casings) 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil soup ½ yellow onion, chopped 1 bulb fennel, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 8 cups (packed) chopped escarole 1 can (15 oz) navy beans, rinsed and drained 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth ½ tsp freshly ground 6 tsp olive oil 1/ Form sausage into 30 teaspoonsize balls. In a soup pot, brown meatballs in olive oil for 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove to a plate. 2/ Sauté onion and fennel in the drippings for 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add escarole, reserving a handful. Increase heat to medium-high and toss for 2 minutes, until leaves wilt. 3/ Return meatballs to the pot. Add beans, broth, pepper, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in reserved escarole. Divide among bowls and drizzle each with olive oil. Makes 6 servings Per serving: 280 cal, 16 g fat (4 g sat), 23 g carbs, 760 mg sodium, 7 g fiber, 14 g protein april 2013 / womenshealthmag.com 137
Bok Choy With its juicy stalks and pretty leaves, this Chinese cabbage makes a perfect backdrop for Asian flavors like ginger, garlic, and soy. Baby bok choy was born to be steamed, braised, or stir-fried. Larger varieties can be shredded crosswise with a knife before cooking, for daintier pieces. Serve right away or the stalks may lose their crunch. Baby Bok Choy with Shiitake Mushrooms and Red Bell Peppers SAUCE 5 tsp low-sodium soy sauce 1 tsp roasted sesame oil ¾ tsp cornstarch ½ tsp sugar STIR-FRY 1 Tbsp (packed) peeled, minced fresh ginger 2 tsp minced garlic 1 Tbsp peanut oil 8 cups sliced baby bok choy (from 3 heads) 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms 1 cup sliced red bell pepper 2 tsp roasted sesame seeds 1/ Whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and sugar until smooth. Set aside. 2/ In a large wok over high heat, stir-fry ginger and garlic in peanut oil for 1 minute. Add bok choy, mushrooms, and bell pepper, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes. Add the soy mixture, then stir-fry for another minute. 3/ Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings Per serving: 140 cal, 6 g fat (1 g sat), 20 g carbs, 330 mg sodium, 5 g fiber, 5 g protein
1 4 3 2 Food Styling: Jamie Kimm, Prop Styling: Marcus Hay/Pat Bates Kale Chips, Four Ways Follow the basic recipe, choosing one of these flavor combos for veggie chips with bite. It works with mustard greens, chard leaves, and collards too! Preheat oven to 300 F. On a lined baking sheet, space out 1 cup packed, dry kale leaves (stems discarded). Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with seasonings, and massage into leaves. On the top or middle rack, bake for 20 minutes, until crisp, rotating the pan and switching racks (top to middle or vice versa) halfway through baking time. Makes 1 or 2 servings. 1. Lemon 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tsp (packed) lemon zest, scant ⅛ tsp sea salt Per batch: 80 cal, 5 g fat (0.5 g sat), 7 g carbs, 230 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein 2. Smoky 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, ¾ tsp smoked paprika, scant ⅛ tsp sea salt, pinch chipotle pepper Per batch: 80 cal, 5 g fat (0.5 g sat), 7 g carbs, 240 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein 3. Sesame 1 tsp roasted sesame oil, 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds, scant ⅛ tsp sea salt Per batch: 90 cal, 6 g fat (1 g sat), 7 g carbs, 230 mg sodium, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein 4. CHEESY 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup (loosely packed) shredded white cheddar cheese, ⅛ tsp freshly ground Per batch: 190 cal, 14 g fat (6 g sat), 8 g carbs, 220 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 9 g protein n 139