Mushroom & Greens Warm Salad
Every year, when we turn the Calendar to January it seems that everyone makes a pretty serious effort to make healthier choices! Unfortunately, but the time we make it to February many of us fall back into our old habits. I am going to state right here, right now – that this is going to be the year that we stick with those healthy choices!!
Now, don’t get me wrong – sticking with healthy choices doesn’t mean we are cutting out cupcakes or cookies or bacon or cheese or all the other rich & amazing (and not always healthy) food you come here to see, it just means that we are going to be adding (and keeping) a lot more healthy rich greens and nutrient-filled foods to our daily lives.
We rang in 2014 with my Aunt & Uncle in California. They always strive to make really healthy choices (so they don’t feel guilty indulging in delicious bread and amazing cheeses as an occasional, wonderful happy hour). My Aunt (who is an absolutely amazing cook who loves to take classes and always learn) said they have cut most starch out of their normal meal rotation. Instead of having a rice, they will add another veggie-filled side to their plate. Every dish she created used a different assortment of vegetables and spices and was just as fun and tasty as the one before! Although these greens were not a recipe from her kitchen, I think she would approve & I was surely inspired by everything we ate with them.
I ate these greens as a delicious light dinner and it was just perfect. It would serve at least two if you serve it as the only side with a soup or some sort of protein (alongside a hearty stew or maybe a roast chicken). If you have some other sides I can see this bringing a smile to four people! Feel free to sub in your favorite type of greens as well!
- 6 – 10 cloves garlic, based on your taste
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 8 oz mushrooms (sliced to about 1/4 thick)
- 3 cups OR 1 bunch OR 1 bag greens (I used about 2 cups turnip greens and 1 cup mustard greens – kale would be great in here too)
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- Heat a LARGE Skillet with some Olive Oil & toss your garlic in there and stir every once in a while until it just starts to brown up – about 3 -5 minutes. Add in your mustard and pepper flakes and continue to cook another minute or two.
- Throw all of your Mushrooms into the skillet and cook them until they release much of their water and start to brown (about 5 minutes), stirring every once in a while.
- Add in as much of your greens as you can fit in. Once they start to cook down, mix well and add more of the greens. Continue to repeat until you have added all of your greens and it is cooked down perfectly.
- Serve hot with a grind of fresh salt and pepper right on top.
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… Do you strive to make healthy choices in the new year, and do you succeed in continuing those choices all year long?