Written by Lisa Grentz, MS, RDN, CD
Some leafy greens like spinach and arugula are best when eaten raw and do not require cooking. Kale can also be eaten raw, but it is generally recommended to lightly cook kale to temper the bitterness or massage it well with some oil to help make it more tender. And always be sure to remove the thick center stem!
Other leafy greens like collard, mustard, Swiss chard, and beet greens are best when served cooked. Common cooking methods include blanching, braising, steaming, or sauteing. Some studies have found increased acceptance of bitter greens when adding a pinch of sea salt to the mix. When cooking greens, you want to retain their color, flavor, and texture.
Leafy greens like spinach and kale can be added to baked goods, like in this green apple muffin recipe.
Green Apple Muffins
5 Medjool dates, pitted and quartered
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup all-natural almond butter
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 big handfuls of fresh kale (about half of a 5-ounce bag), roughly chopped
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. fine sea salt
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1 small (about 5-inch long) zucchini, grated (about ½ cup)
1 granny smith apple, grated (about ½ cup)
1 fuji or gala apple, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch cubes.
Preheat the oven to 375oF. Line muffin tin with silicone baking cups.
Soak dates in a bowl of boiling water for 5 minutes to soften them up.
Put the soaked dates into the blender canister. Add the applesauce, yogurt, almond butter, egg, vanilla, and kale. Blend until the mixture comes together, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, coconut oi, and maple syrup. Blend again until combined, stopping to scrape the sides periodically with a spatula.
Use a paper towel to gently squeeze some of the extra moisture from the grated zucchini and grated apple. Add these ingredients to the mixture and blend until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove blender lid and scrape down sides of the blender canister. Pour batter into a medium bowl then fold diced apple pieces into the batter.
Using a spoon, fill each muffin cup with batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
To make this recipe dairy, egg, and nut free, replace Greek yogurt with plant-based yogurt, replace the egg with a flax egg, and replace the nut butter with seed butter.
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