‘Best Green Eats Ever’: Book Review
A book review for leafy green lovers.
I’m always looking for ways to add more greens to my diet. Greens, including lettuces, dark leafy greens, and cruciferous greens are rich in minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium as well as antioxidants and fiber. For those of us that believe that food is medicine, greens are a wonderdrug.
“Best Green Eats Ever,” by Katrine Van Wyk, is a gorgeous handheld guide to all things green. Katrine is a holistic health coach and nutrition consultant with a good eye for nourishing recipes. The book defines various lettuces and dark leafy greens as well as wild greens and herbs while including all the health benefits of each. It lays out how to stock your kitchen with the right tools along with fridge and pantry staples from ghee to raw sauerkraut and apple cider vinegar. The book even outlines which fruits and vegetables should go in the refrigerator and which are best stored on the counter.
This would be an ideal cookbook to guide you through a cleanse because every recipe is 100 percent clean eating. Or if you were trying to amp up your diet and add more cancer-fighting antioxidants, I would add in a recipe or two a week. If you’re looking for salad ideas to take your lunch to work, this book has tons like Arugula, Lentil, Goat Cheese, and Crispy Apple Salad or the Grilled Caesar Salad–yum!
Katrine includes a fascinating section on the energetics of food. For example, turnips are grown in the ground, so they have a grounding effect, keeping us calm and focused, while leafy green vegetables reach out toward the sky and make us feel uplifted and energized. She also included a section on Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.
The recipes are simple and they don’t require a ton of preparation or ingredients. Examples include the Raw Green Soup or the Warm Beet and Walnut Salad. As part of the book review, I decided to try the Vegan Cheesy Kale Chips recipe. Yum.
Vegan Cheesy Kale Chips
1 bunch kale, stems removed, ripped into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. high quality sea salt
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
Method
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Toss all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, making sure each leaf is coated with oil and nutritional yeast.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the kale chips are crispy. Toss several times to ensure all the kale gets equally baked. Let chips cool before serving.
When summer hits, I’ll be making the Green Lemon Sorbet and the Frozen Green Juice Popsicles. If you’re looking for a way to eat healthy but you have trouble coming up with new ideas, this cookbook is a good place to start.
Related on Organic Authority
Hawaiian Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Potato, Coconut and Leafy Greens
Make a Wilted Greens Salad While It’s Still Too Cold for Raw Greens
Classic Southern Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Peas Recipe
Image: Courtesy of Katrine Can Wyk
