It IS Easy Being Green

Published on July 19, 2013 | in Blog Post By Tom Henkenius |

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Green vegetables and fruits mean everything to me—literally green, as in broccoli, green onions, Granny Smith apples, green seedless grapes, cilantro, bell peppers, cucumbers, and so many more items I simply can’t list right now. Green also has the connotation of fresh, outdoors, natural, sustainable, light, herbaceous, don’t you just love that word?!?! Sure, I use olive oil, I have some butter, cheese is great at times, but now I find myself using day to day less meat, more fish and poultry, and trying to make sure I go for the good stuff that is literally green.

Who knew Brussels’ sprouts could taste so incredibly fantastic?? As a child, I certainly knew I hated them. No way did I want to think of them as baby cabbages, they had a distinctly different taste, not to mention aroma, when cooking. How did our parents cook them?? I really can’t remember… don’t want to remember. I put them in the classification of canned zucchini that was served boiled and gross with no taste whatsoever. So, “save me from Brussels’ sprouts” was my mantra, my plea. Isn’t it incredible how your perceptions change the older you become? Your tastes certainly change, your palate is educated, and that doesn’t mean fancy, high faluting foods—it means Brussels’ sprouts, it means turnip greens, it means for my husband, I will eat something besides iceberg lettuce! He’s learning to love lime in his salad dressing, he is sorta appreciating arugula, and from time to time, he actually says, you haven’t put too much parsley in this dish! This Brussels’ sprouts dish is so incredible, you’ll have the opportunity to change your mind about this particular vegetable, and making it low fat can certainly bring you to a new level of experimentation!

Now to twice baked veggie potatoes—the potato is only the vessel, only the bearer of good things to come. That’s why I sparingly use the potato-butter-sour cream blend of smoothiness to bring forward all the green crunchiness of parsley, green onions, and roasted broccoli in the potato boat, so to speak. If your blend of potato goodness doesn’t need to be completely used, so be it. Get that green goodness in there, and if you can’t get your hands on Gruyere, use some fabulous, nutty, sweet Swiss! Just as delicious, melts perhaps quicker than Gruyere, so watch carefully, it may burn in that oven.

Short dissertation about marinated green bean salad—a Southern classic, I love this recipe I’ve had for years from a dear friend—reminds you of summer all year long—short, fragrant, and lingering on the mind. Makes you happy, tickles the taste buds, holds the promise of good things to come. Spring is just around the corner—enjoy, happy cooking, and see you soon!