Stephanie here…

Last spring, I wrote an post entitled: You Aren’t Throwing Those Out, Are You? at my old blogdom. I’m reprinting it here:

Beet Greens! That’s what I’m asking about. Don’t throw out those beautiful greens at the top of your beets. Look at this beautiful dish:

These are so easy to put together. Grab your cast iron skillet and get going.

Sauteed Beet Greens with Onions
1 T Olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, or whatever your favorite is.
Bunch of beet greens (washed and shake dry)
1 small onion (I like to slice mine really thin on a mandoline that my mom-in-law gave me. Thanks mom!)
plop of minced garlic (I like a lot)
salt pepper

Warm the oil in the skillet over medium/high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and greens and saute lightly (just until the greens turn a lovely bright green and wilt a bit, they should be nice and tender at that point) in the pan. Salt and pepper to taste and eat!

Note: I think I popped a bit of mizuna in with that batch of greens in the photo. Last week, these greens made a killer topper to a bison burger. YUM.

Greens are poppin’ up everywhere. Get some and eat them up. Greens are so good for you. Why? I’m glad you asked:

• They are incredibly rich in nutrients, concentrated in vitamins and minerals. Greens vary as to which concentrations they contain, but look at one cup of Collards for example: vitamin K -1045% of RDA, vitamin A-308.3%, vitamin C-57.6%, folate-44.1%, manganese-41.5%, calcium-26.6%. and fiber-21.2%. There is more, of course, but these are the main whopper reasons to eat Collards.
•  They are rich in carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin which contribute to good eye health. Superfoodsrx.com has this to say about the carotenoids:
  

  Spinach is packed with these important carotenoids that the eye uses like a sunscreen to absorb high energy light before it can damage the cells in the eye. Kale and broccoli are also good sources of these important carotenoids. AND… The powerful antioxidants in the SuperFoods help to protect the retina and lens by absorbing and controlling free radicals.

• A number of studies have shown an inverse relationship between spinach consumption and almost every type of cancer. Spinach, and it’s cousin superfoods, the greens, are full of anti-cancer agents. (Source)
• Also, spinach and its sidekicks (GREENS) also promote cardiovascular heath. The vitamin C, beta-carotene and other nutrients in spinach work together to prevent oxidized cholesterol from building up in the blood vessel walls. We can’t forget about the fabulous folate in spinach. Folate is an important contributor to heart health as it works, along with B6 and betaine, to lower serum levels of the dangerous amino acid homocysteine. We are learning more every day about the dangers of homocysteine and its association with heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and age-related cognitive decline. Finally, we can’t forget to mention the potassium and magnesium in spinach which also make significant contributions to heart health. Both work to lower blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. (Source)
• Plus, they taste good. You knew I’d say that.