Caribbean Flavor: A Big Pot of Greens

A variety of greens are popular in the Caribbean, some of which actually require long cooking. But many greens can be cooked in 10 minutes.

While the Southern US pot of greens is often finished with vinegar, this version uses fresh lime juice and a little allspice for a bright, tropical flavor. Use chard (which is like a sturdier spinach leaf) or cruciferous greens such as kale (the sweetest), mustard or turnip (both of which have a mustardy snap that dissipates during cooking), or collard (which can be slightly bitter) for a hearty dish. Don't throw away the cooking liquid. That "pot liquor" is tasty and delicious.

This is my own interpretation of two tasty-sounding recipes -- Carribean style Greens and Island Collards. If you can't take the heat, leave out the jalapeño.

Caribbean-Inspired Greens

Recipe By: Family Nutritionist

-= Ingredients =-
2 lb Collard Greens ; (or kale, mustard, or turnip)
1/8 pound Bacon ; or other smoked meat
1 cup Onion ; finely chopped
1 small Jalapeno peppers ; (red) stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon Allspice
1 tablespoon Water
1 dash Black pepper ; freshly ground
2 teaspoon Lime juice ; or lemon juice

-= Instructions =-
Wash the greens well in several changes of water. Remove the thick rib from the center of the leaves; chop coarsely.

Chop the bacon into small bits, add to a large pot, and cook 5 minutes. Pour off any excess fat. Sauté onion, pepper, and allspice until softened -- do not brown.

Add the damp greens to the pot. Cover and cook until wilted, about 10 minutes. Add a little additional water, if necessary. Stir often. Drain, if necessary.

Stir in the lime juice and serve.

Serving Size: 0.5 cups; (151g) Calories: 82: Fat(g): 4 (49%of Cals): Sodium (g): 75
Protein: 4g, NetCarbs: 5, K: 239mg
SatFat: 2g, PolyFat: 1g, MonoFat: 2g, Chol: 5mg
TotCarbs: 9g, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 1g

Food Group Serving(s)
DASH: Vegetables: 1.0: Fruits/Juices: 0.0: Dairy: 0.0: Grains: 0.0: Meat/Fish: 0.0: Seeds: 0.0: Fats: 0.9: Sweets: 0.0
USDA: Vegetables: 0.5: Fruits/Juices: 0.0: Dairy: 0.0: Grains: 0.0: Meat/Fish/Seeds: 0.0: Fats: 0.9: Sweets: 0.0

Nutritional information in this post calculated using bigoven. Food Group Servings calculated in EXCEL using http://www.mypyramid.gov/ and DASH diet references

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Blackened Beef with Greens, Red Potatoes, and Rutabaga

Here's the diabetic-friendly version of the Blackened Beef recipe I have been working on. If you use , you can download it.


-= Exported from BigOven =-

Blackened Beef with Greens, Red Potatoes, and Rutabaga

Recipe By: Family Nutritionist
Serving Size: 6
Cuisine: American
Main Ingredient: Beef
Categories: Diabetic, Low Fat, Saute, OnePot Meal, LOW SODIUM, DASH, Main Dish

-= Ingredients =-
1 pound lean top round of beef
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 medium red potatoes ; cut into quarters about 1 inch thick (about 2 cups)
1/2 medium Rutabaga
2 cups Onions ; finely chopped
1 1/2 cups low fat low salt beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic ; minced
2 large carrots ; cut into rounds about 1/4 inch thick (1 cup)
3 cups kale ; stems removed, coarsely torn into pieces

-= Instructions =-
Briefly put the beef in the freezer to freeze partially in preparation for slicing thinly.
Mix the paprika, oregano, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and dry mustard in a small container with a lid and set aside.
Thinly slice the beef across the grain into strips 1/8 inch thick. Sprinkle the strips liberally with the seasoning mix. (Save any leftover seasoning mix to use for other dishes.) Spray the bottom of a large skillet or stockpot with cooking spray and preheat over high heat. Add the meat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, onions, broth, water, and garlic to the skillet. The blackened spices will float to the top of the liquid as it heats. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir in the carrots and lay the kale on top. Cook, covered, until the carrots are tender, about 10 more minutes. Serve from the skillet or transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve with crusty bread for dunking.

Nutritional Summary
Each (1 1/2 cups; 441g) serving contains:
Cals: 258, FatCals: 55, TotFat: 5g
SatFat: 2g, PolyFat: 1g, MonoFat: 2g
Chol: 45mg, Na: 205mg, K: 1228mg
TotCarbs: 30g, Fiber: 6g, Sugars: 8g
NetCarbs: 24g, Protein: 22g

Food Group Serving(s)
DASH: Vegetables: 2.9: Fruits/Juices: 0.0: Dairy: 0.0: Grains: 0.0: Meat/Fish: 0.9: Seeds: 0.0: Fats: 0.0: Sweets: 0.0
USDA: Vegetables: 1.4: Fruits/Juices: 0.0: Dairy: 0.0: Grains: 0.0: Meat/Fish/Seeds: 2.7: Fats: 0.0: Sweets: 0.0

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I corrected this posting to reflect corrections I made to the recipe after making it this evening (17 Jan 2007)

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Adventures of a Family Nutritionist

I have become the nutritionist for my family. And I am am trying to convert old recipes and develop new ones that conform to the DASH diet guidelines, and work out the DASH "exchanges" or "Food Group Servings" for the recipes.

I am using Recipe Management software you can get off the shelf. I have used Mastercook, and I have been working with BigOven lately.

I'll be posting here about my experiences getting recipes INTO my recipe databases, getting them OUT again (printing or sharing electronically), and working with recipes once I have them in the database. If all goes well, you'll see some my recipes posted here.

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