Utica Greens made with Kale

[Clipper]

Will. You eat a lot of kale. Have you ever tried making Utica style greens with cherry peppers, sausage, and garlic, like is normally made with escarole? If so, how did it come out? I seldom see any fresh escarole down here in the South.

Since we last discussed kale on here, I have developed a slight liking for the stuff and have eaten it several times simply steamed like spinach with a splash of vinegar on it. The secret to it all was your stating that one must remove the stems and major veins, leaving only the tender leaves. It has yet to become a regular on our table, but I saw it on sale last night at Aldi's and am considering trying to make Italian style Utica greens with it. When I prepare escarole Utica style I deviate a bit from the normal recipe and add 1/4 inch thick slices of Italian sausage. I once was making it and found that I didn't have any cherry peppers, so I sliced a couple of jalapenos and tossed them in, seeds and all. Wow, now put some serious bounce in my step and fire in my belly, haha.

[Deleted]

No haven't tried that but I may have to switch back to kale again since I also like spinach and that is high in purines so bad for gout. Other problem is I can't find sweet cherry peppers. I can no longer eat the hot peppers it will cause major problems with GI tract.

Come to think of it i do make spinach and Italian sausage with some tomato puree simmered together. I will have to experiment. Thanks for idea

[Clipper]

I will have to try the kale Utica greens myself and get back to you. I have to replenish my supply of fresh garlic and hot cherry peppers. I am a bit surprised that you can't find the sweet variety there with all the people that like to make chicken riggies. I imagine that some folks opt for the sweet cherry peppers rather than the hot ones in that dish. Just about every market I shop at here has the sweet AND the hot next to each other on the shelf. Kathy made a batch of sauce recently and used up all the garlic. I will report back when I have tried the dish.

[kit]

Clipper, to be strictly authentic, the word "kale" shouldn't be used in the same sentence as "Utica Greens".
They'd be 'greens' to be sure, but not the original Utica greens. It would be like putting mozzarella cheese and mushrooms on tomato pie and serving it hot. It might be delicious, but wouldn't be authentic tomato pie.

However, working with kale seems a bit easier than working with escarole and it sounds like a delicious and relatively easy dish to prepare. If you do make some Clipper, and it's as delicious as it sounds, please post your technique so we can all enjoy it. I'd love to try it.

[Deleted]

I always soak my escarole for 30 minutes or so in real cold water in kitchen sink. I do that twice to make sure any dirt is out and sometimes three time's. Also if the bunch is limp they spring back. First I cut them ribbon style with large knife and soak them that way for I find it easier to just grab a handful and shake it when placing in pot to boil.

[Clipper]

Yes Will. I do the same thing, except after soaking in cold water I use a salad spinner to spin the water and any remaining dirt out of them before cooking. We have an ice maker on our refrigerator so it is easy to grab a scoop of ice to toss in the water when soaking the greens. It amazes me how well limp greens spring back when tossed in ice water. The size of the leaves depends on whether I cut them smaller or toss them in whole.

I absolutely love greens. I buy beet greens, spinach, chard, and now an occasional bunch of kale. I like them steamed with a bit of butter added when serving, or a dash of good quality vinegar, and I also like them sautéd in butter or olive oil with garlic and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Utica style greens are my absolute favorite but I don't make them often because Kathy doesn't care for them and won't eat them if I put the hot cherry peppers in them.

[Deleted]

I like vinegar on them too. I also add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar in the bowl to my lentil stew .

I'm with Kathy on the hot peppers.

[Clipper]

I have both red wine vinegar and cider vinegar. Balsamic is a bit strong to put on greens straight from the bottle and undiluted.

[Clipper]

I tried the kale cooked like Utica greens. It tasted nothing like it would if made with escarole. I didn't like it at all. I guess I will use kale steamed or sautéed by itself, or in soup. I did like it that way and will occasionally eat it for it's outstanding nutritional value, but my "go to" greens will continue to be spinach, chard, beet greens, creasy greens ( a southern green related to water cress), and occasional batch of collard greens. (not crazy about those either.)

I am going to go back to planting a sizeable garden again this coming summer now that I have new knees and have gotten rid of the afib so I can breathe in the hot weather. I plan on growing plenty of greens along with all the normal staples such as tomatoes, cukes, beets, and squash.
I will reserve my desire for Utica style greens for when I am in Utica this summer. In the mean time I have a large jar of hot cherry peppers that I will have to use up in salads.

[kit]

There are many variations of "greens" depending on one's particular taste, price range, and available prep time. Cavallo's in New Hartford has 3 different kinds - all made with escarole. There are the plain greens cooked with basically just garlic and chicken stock (which go well with vinegar)... then there are greens with a few more items added... and then there are the "Greens Cavallo" that have the peppers, prosciutto, cheese and potatoes as well. They're the most expensive, but they're all delicious.

Going with your idea, Clipper, I bought some kale yesterday and made fairly simple greens with them, along with garlic, red pepper flakes, bread crumbs, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chicken stock. Remembering what my girlfriend said to me years ago, I didn't expect that they were going to taste exactly like any dish that I was accustomed to, and they were wonderful. And they're much higher in Vitamins A and C than escarole. I guess it's a matter of whether taste or nutritional value are more important to you.

I've just been diagnosed with early-stage Type-II Diabetes and am going to try making greens with Chicory as well. Chicory is not only very nutritious but it helps in several medical areas that I'm concerned with. I'm looking forward to yet another taste treat.

[Clipper]

Let us know how chicory works out for a steamed or sautéed side dish. I think the only way I have ever had chicory was when it was blended with coffee.

I have also been diagnosed as "borderline diabetic" or "early stage Type II" but so far have been able to keep it under control with dietary changes. The program I took part in at the VA showed me how to simply eat healthier. Since being diagnosed I simply eat foods that are low on the glycemic index scale. Your kale is about the lowest on the scale as it could possibly be, at rating of 2-4. I looked at that the other day on a list of 10 foods that rank low on the glycemic index scale when I was considering making the greens dish with it.

I recently started buying whole grain bread. I knew that whole wheat bread contained the same refined grains as white bread, but I didn't realize that the rye bread that I had developed a liking for also contained the refined grains as opposed to the healthier whole grain. I don't eat much bread anyway, usually only a couple of slices a day. Occasionally I have a sandwich for lunch and one slice of toast for breakfast.

It has become second nature to simply avoid the simple carbs found in sugars and starches, in favor of the complex carbs in my veggies, whole grains, and proteins that I routinely eat now.

I am by no means any sort of a rabid health nut. I like nothing better than to toss caution to the wind every now and then if favor of a good sub or a trip to olive garden for bread sticks and pasta. I am not adverse to having a scoop of ice cream at least once a week in the evening. I just focus on eating healthier MOST of the time. A far better dietary regimen than I used to follow.

Have you found it pretty easy to get into a healthy eating regimen? I have managed to lose the 70+ lbs by eating healthier, but I have not had to go hungry or follow any extreme low calorie diet. I really could not see myself going back to the high carb, high fat, diet I used to eat. I feel so much more energetic and not bogged down and logey like I did when I stuffed myself with the garbage I used to eat. I am not a potato person. When Kathy has a baked potato I often opt for two veggies such as broccoli and a dish of corn or carrots. Sometimes I like boiled cabbage with a splash of vinegar in lieu of a starchy side dish. It has absolutely zip in calories OR nutritional value, but it fills your belly, haha.

So far it has worked to keep my blood sugar in control. Usually about 90-110 if I take it in the morning before a meal, and around 160-170 after eating. If I splurge and go out for pasta or a sugary dessert it will be above 200-220 occasionally, but I try to avoid letting it get that high. I usually check it 2 to 3 times a week unless I am naughty, and then I will check it more often.

[clarencebunsen]

From what I have read the concept of pre-diabetic/diabetic is very arbitrary. For years my labs had a fasting BG of less than 125 and I was told that I was "pre-diabetic." That resulted in me making no changes whatever including accepting that I had a couple toes on each foot which were "tingly" and my hands and feet were increasingly susceptible to cold. Duh, those are both indications of nerve and circulatory damage.

In 2014, I had a lab test which came back with a fasting blood glucose over 125 followed by another a week later. That was the standard for the doc to say, "You are a T2 diabetic." At least that woke me up. Since then I have lost 1/3 of my body mass and 10 inches off my waist.

My diet is different from Clipper's although we both eat a lot of greens. I don't tell anyone what they should do or eat but I can point out a couple web sites which I found interesting reading.

[Clipper]

I would be interested in seeing those websites CB. I am always glad to discover new nutritional info and recipes for healthy eating.

[clarencebunsen]

The first site is one I used a lot when I was first diagnosed. Alot of reading but not many recipies I'm afraid. I haven't been there in awhile. I went back to find the url and found that I have a lot of reading to do, I blame you.

www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/

The second also requires some explanation. When you first go there it will tell you it is a closed group. It is a forum on the Fitbit web site. A couple years ago they had a problem with people who didn't know how to behave on-line. I guess I recognize that problem. So they created a group which could kick people off. Not really exclusive, I think there are 50,000 members even missing the few A-holes.

To seethe forum you first have to create a Fitbit account and then go to the forum and ask to join. Sometime during the day an admin will check in and approve. A Fitbit account is useful if you want to track your input and output calories even if you don't have a Fitbit. When I was tracking, I created an activity for 15 minutes of shoveling snow and for my standard meals.

The forum itself has perhaps a dozen active threads during a day. I am less active than I used to be. I post only few times per week and in the past 6 months I may have created 2 threads. There are some recipe threads there

The link is
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

[kit]

This morning for breakfast I made a 2-egg Giambotta (like a frittata) without toast. Maybe cutting out the toast will help. I used to make a similar one with only 1 egg but had it in a bagel sandwich. I have to start cutting out those carbs. I love lasagna and tonight I'm making one with eggplant slices instead of lasagna pasta. Is this on the right track?