Tag: losing weight

• So we’ve decided to raise the bar on our salad bar…
• And learned that as far as nutrition goes, iceberg lettuce is at the bottom of the totem pole…
• But what leafy green is out there lurking at the local grocery store or farmer’s market?
• Below is a list of several varieties that you could use instead…

Arugula

• Also called…rocket, Italian cress, Mediterranean rocket, rugola, rugula, roquette, rucola
• Leaves…small, flat, frilly-edged leaves
• Most Common Uses…salads, wraps, sandwiches, pasta, risotto, and Italian dishes like pesto
• Nutrition…especially high in vitamin K
• Originated…the Mediterranean
• Taste…distinct peppery taste and aroma

Butterhead Lettuce

• Also called…butter lettuce, Boston, bibb (limestone)
• Leaves…soft and smooth like buttee

Cos Lettuce

• Leaves…dark green, long, narrow
• Taste…..sweet and tangy
• Texture…crispy and crunchy texture

Cress

• Leaves…tough, fibrous stem and small green leaves
• Taste…peppery taste
• Varieties…watercress, upland cress, curly cress, and land cress

Endive

• Color…off-white center with loose, lacy, dark green outer leaves which curl at the tips
• Leaves..loose, lacy, dark green outer leaves which curl at the tips
• Taste…slightly bitter
• Uses…salads and soups

Dandelion Greens

• Leaves…the green leaves from the so-thought-of “weeds” in your yard…stiff leaves with pointy, fine “teeth.”
• Taste…sharp bitter flavor
• Uses…a classic French bistro salad, salads with roasted beets

Endive

• Leaves…unique oval shape
• Texture…soft and satiny
• Taste…slightly bitter
• Uses…scooplike shape makes for serving small appetizers

Escarole

• Color…various shades of green
• Head…loose, elongated heads
• Leaves…broad, wavy leaves with smooth edges
• Other Names…Batavian endive, scarole, broad-leaved endive
• Taste…darker green leaves are lightly bitter and spicy; but the paler interior leaves are milder
• Uses…soups and beans…popular in Italian cuisine.

Frisee

• Color…pale green
• Leaves…feathery leaves tinged with yellow and green
• Other Names…curly endive, chicory, chicory endive, curly chicory
• Taste…bitter

Iceberg

• Leaves…tightly packed leaves on dense, heavy heads
• Water Content…contains more water than most other leafy greens

Kale

• Nutritional Value…high in fiber
• Taste…earthy, slightly grassy taste
• Uses…salads, soups, pasta, and smoothies
• Varieties…include curly, baby, and lacinato

Lacinato Kale (a.k.a. Dino Kale)

• Other Names…Tuscan kale or black kale
• Leaves…very dark blue-green or black-green leaves
• Taste…earthy and  nutty flavor

Leaf Lettuce 

• Color…can be either green or red
• Leaves…large, frilly-edged
• Taste…mildly sweet and delicate taste
• Uses…sandwiches, burgers, popular lining for hors d’oeuvres platters

Mâche

• Other Names…Field salad, lamb’s lettuce, corn salad, field lettuce, fetticus
• Taste…mild and slightly sweet flavor
• Leaves…very small
• Notes…expensive, very delicate, will bruise easily

Mizuna

• Leaves…petite elongated leaves with spiky edges similar to miniature oak leaves
• Origin…Japan
• Other Names…Japanese greens, spider mustard, xue cai, kyona, potherb mustard, and California Peppergrass
• Taste…peppery

Oak Leaf Lettuce

• Color…reddish-purple
• Leaves…very similar to leaf lettuce, but with more of an oak leaf shape
• Taste…super-mellow, sweet

Radicchio

• Color…burgundy-red leaves with white ribs
• Other Names…Chioggia, red chicory, red leaf chicory, red Italian chicory
• Taste…mildly bitter with a subtle spicy undertone
• Texture…quite firm but still tender
• Uses…in salads, as a cooked vegetable, and grilled or roasted and mixed with other grilled vegetables

Romaine

• Nutritional Value…particularly rich in folic acid and vitamin K
• Taste..light, almost grassy taste
• Texture…a satisfying crunch
• Uses..Caesar salads, wraps

Spinach

• Color…dark green leaves
• Leaves…smooth, sturdy, deep green
• Taste…mild, lightly herbal
• Uses…salads, wraps, and smoothies

Sweet Potato Greens

• Taste…lovely, almost sweet flavor with no discernible bitterness
• Uses…soups or stews

Tatsoi

• Leaves…small and rounded much like little spoons, hence its other name, spoon cabbage
• Other Names…Tat soi, spoon cabbage, rosette bok choy
• Taste…mildly peppery and sweet, with only the faintest hint of cabbage flavor.