Easy-to-eat greens

It’s a cliche, but it can be hard to get around to eating greens. We can find ourselves eating a lot of veg overall, but it’s often the same small group of vegetables, particularly brightly coloured nightshades. It can be difficult to know how to fit greens into our food comfortably.

Green are a vital part of the picture when we’re trying to reduce inflammation and increase certain nutrients in our diet like zinc, iron, folate and vitamin C, as well as protein.

They also play a huge role in helping us to maintain our gut mcirobiome health, which improves our resilience to autoimmune flares.

I think we often forget that green plant foods, including herbs such as parsley, are high in protein too.

I think it’s all about how we prep the greens that helps them to slip into dishes, enhancing flavour without being chewy, bitter or overwhelming.

So here are three recipes that are really enjoyable to eat…

Miso greens pasta (adapted from a Meera Sodha recipe)

Feeds 4, takes 20 mins

I like recipes that use a combination of ingredients that makes my mind boggle because I can’t work out what they will taste like! This dish may not sound like it could be tasty and universally acceptable to all family members, but it is easy to eat and has been very successful over the years.

You will need a blender.

Ingredients

60g unsalted (plant) butter

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

100g broccoli

400g cavalo nero (or other similar greens such as kale)

2 1/2 tbsp white miso paste

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g (gluten free) pasta

Method

Melt the butter in a large pot on a medium heat. Once bubbling, add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli flakes and fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. The garlic should start to smell like garlic bread.

Add the broccoli, cavil nero and 250ml of water, stir (not easy at this point), cover and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 8-10 mins, stirring regularly, until the greens have wilted and become soft.

Scrape all the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, add the miso and olive oil, and blend to a smooth sauce. Add a little water if necessary to get the sauce to a consistency you like.

Now cook the pasta.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain, then add back to the pan along with the green sauce. Season to taste and serve.

Persian herb stew (adapted from a Meera Sodha recipe)

Feeds 4, takes 40 mins

Again, reading the ingredients list, it can be hard for us to understand how a recipe consisting three quarters of greens could work. I think this recipe is a good example of the how the cooking process can create magic from the ingredients.

It might not look appealing to some, but it is really easy to eat. It makes for a soothing, light meal when you feel in need of nurturing, but you don’t feel like chewing your way through a mountain of veg.

The kidney beans add to the protein in the greens, making this a really high protein dish.

The dried limes and the kasoori methi (fried fenugreek leaves) can be found in Middle Eastern and Indian shops or ordered online.

You will need a blender.

Ingredients

330g rice, eg basmati

200g fresh flat-leaf parsley

200g fresh coriander

200g baby spinach

6 tbsp olive oil

2 small to medium brown onions, finely chopped

3 small Leeds (300g)

1 tbsp kasoori methi

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

4 dried Iranian limes

2 x 400g of kidney beans, drained

2 tbsp lime juice

Method

Rinse the rice and leave to soak for a little. This help it to cook evenly (as well as more quickly) and helps us to digest it more easily.

Put the oil into a large casserole pot or saucepan. Once hot, add the onions and leeks and cook gently for around 12 minutes, until soft and pearlescent.

Remove and discard any thick or woody stalks from the herbs, then roughly chop. Add to a blender and whizz until super fine. You may need to do this in batches.

Once the onions and leeks are soft, add the blended greens to the pan, along with the kasoori methi. Cook for around 15 minutes until the mix comes together in soft clumps.

Stir in a pinch of salt and the spices. Add the dried limes and kidney beans and stir to combine. Pour over 750ml of water and the lime juice. Mix again, bring to the boil, then simmer, stirring regularly, for around 15 minutes until thick and stew-like.

Meanwhile cook the rice, then drain and leave to rest until the stew is ready.

Remove the limes from the stew and serve on top of the rice.

Lebanese Tabouleh

Feeds 4 as a side, takes 25 minutes

Tabouleh is found in many eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. The exact recipe varies between cultures.

I like the Lebanese and Syrian versions because the dish is comprised of 90% parsley, which I find both amazing and extremely tasty!

Parsley is extremely high in B6, vitamin A, iron and folate, which are key nutrients in autoimmunity. Parsley and fonio provide a good level of protein, and this dish works well as part of a mezze alongside other dishes such as falafel and humus, which are very high in protein.

Some people like to fill a (gluten free) pitta with tabouleh, falafel and humus for a quick lunch, having made the tabouleh in advance.

Most versions tend to use bulgar wheat, but I use fonio here so that the recipe is gluten free, as many people with autoimmune conditions can struggle with gluten.

Fonio is an ancient grain rich in minerals and is as easy to cook as couscous. I tend to use the Biona brand as some other fonio brands have a strong aftertaste.

Parsley and mint are a great combination. The mint lifts the other flavours, without necessarily being discernible itself.

Ïngredients

50g Biona fonio

1 lemon, juiced

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

200g parsley

30g mint

4 spring onions

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Cook the fonio according to the instructions on the packet (this should take around 5 minutes). Leave to cool a little.

Rinse the herbs and pat dry, but try to keep them as a bunch as this will make them easier to chop.

Trim and discard the lower parsley stems, then finely chop the rest. The finer you can chop these, the better they will taste. It works best when you bunch the parsley as tightly as possible, then make fine cross-chopping cuts.

You may want to find a YouTube video on chopping parsley if you are not sure of the best technique!

Pick and thinly slide the mint leaves by stacking and rolling them into a cigar shape first. This helps to prevent the mint bruising and turning brown and bitter.

Finely chop the spring onions and tomatoes.

Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl, including the fonio. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and season. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes, then serve.

For more recipes, and to learn the fundamentals of how to help your autoimmune condition through food and lifestyle changes, have a look at my on demand course: The Four Part Plan.