So, between the broken toe and the chicken pox, you can see we are eating a LOT of dark, leafy greens. I thought I’d share with you my very favorite recipe. It works just as well with collards, kale, spinach, mustard greens or anything else in the greens family, and leaves them slurpfully delicious!

Coconut Greens
1 pound organic dark, leafy greens of your choice
sea salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small organic yellow onion, diced
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pepper to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil while you stem and roughly chop the greens. Toss the greens in and cook about 5 minutes and drain. Set aside. In the same pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the reserved greens, coconut milk and lemon juice (I don’t measure this, I just squeeze half a lemon into the pot) stir well and simmer. The greens will be tender in about 5-7 minutes, but I like to let it cook until the coconut milk gets really thick and boiled down. Serve with the knowledge that you are feeding yourself some of the healthiest food on the planet!
I also like to make this by sauteeing the onions first, stemming and chopping the greens while they cook. I wait until they are chopped to wash them and toss them in the skillet with the onions. The water that adheres to them after washing is just enough for cooking, but you could also dry them and toss a tablespoon of homemade stock in the pan. Cooked covered on medium, they are ready for the next step in about 5 minutes. This method leaves the greens slightly firmer than boiling them, and the “green” flavor is slightly stronger. Another super-yummifying option is to substitute saved, strained bacon fat for the coconut oil (reduce the salt at the end). Oh man, is that good!
For another way to use kale that’s even more kid-friendly, check out my Green Smoothie recipe.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted this week by Cheeseslave.
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3 comments
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February 3, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Christy
This sounds heavenly and perfect for my son who has milk allergies. We will be having this soon!
February 4, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Heidi
Hi – I’m new to your blog, new to Nourishing Traditions & real food, and new to Nashville. I’m just wondering where you buy (or would recommend buying) your greens. The recipe looks delicious, and I’d really like to try it. Thanks!
February 4, 2010 at 4:15 pm
localnourishment
Welcome, Heidi! There are a couple places I can recommend. If you are in downtown or on the near east side, you should drop by The Turnip Truck. They have a good assortment of in-season and local produce (as well as some from more distant sources). If you are south of the city, I highly recommend the Franklin Farmer’s Market. It runs 9 to noon on Saturdays until April when they will extend the hours. When you’re there, you’ll probably see Delvin Farms. They have scrumptious greens!
If you’re on the west side, I can’t really help you, other than to send you to Local Harvest. I just don’t get out that way. In a pinch, there are usually pretty tasty greens at Whole Foods Market either in Franklin or Green Hills.