I have always had the Midwest Pickled Beets which are just OK. When I discovered that I had gallbladder problems, I researched and found that beets really can help. My hubby and I love this beet recipe, although only a couple of my family members like it. They just don't know what tastes good!

BEETS ARE GOOD FOR YOU! Beets and their foliage are good sources of folate, manganese, potassium, fiber, vitamin C, iron, copper, phosphorus, and tryptophan. They have one of the highest sugar contents of all vegetables, but one cup of boiled beets only contains about 75 calories. Betaine and betacyanin, both found in abundance in beets, proffer several health benefits, including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity.

LINDA'S ROASTED BEETS ON SAUTÉED BEET GREENS WITH POACHED EGGS

Ingredients:

4 beets, roasted

4 bunches beet greens

½ sweet yellow onion, roughly chopped

3 – 4 cloves crushed garlic

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar to taste

Salt & Pepper

4 eggs

*Dash hot sauce (Optional)

*Sprouts (optional)

**Hollandaise sauce (Optional: Can make home made or buy packaged Hollandaise sauce.)

Directions:
Cut greens off of the beets leaving about 1” of stem on the beet and scrub the beets. Then chop stems and greens and set aside. Toss beets in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 350° oven until done, about 45 minutes, or you can roast them on the grill. After beets are done remove from oven, cool a little and cut off the root and stems, peel them, then cover and keep warm. Chop right before plating.

In a skillet add olive oil and heat to med high heat. Sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Add beet stems and greens, Balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and sauté until tender. Add dash of hot sauce (optional).

While greens are sautéing, poach four eggs. I use a wok with about a teaspoon of white balsamic vinegar added to the water. Remove eggs and drain on a paper towel.

Plate:
Arrange greens on plate; add chopped roasted beets on top of greens. Top greens and beets with poached eggs.

*Optional:
•Can add sprouts on top of poached eggs.
•*Can top poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce

The following Hollandaise sauce recipe is courtsey of website: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/04/foolproof-2-minute-hollandaise-recipe.html

**Foolproof 2-Minute Hollandaise

Yield:	makes about 1 1/2 cups
Active time:	1 minute
Total time:	2 minutes

Ingredients

1 egg yolk (about 35 grams)

1 teaspoon water (about 5 grams)

1 teaspoon lemon juice from 1 lemon (about 5 grams)

Kosher salt

1 stick butter (8 tablespoons, about 112 grams)

Pinch cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired)

Procedures

Combine egg yolk, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in the bottom of a cup that barely fits the head of an immersion blender. Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, swirling constantly, until foaming subsides. Transfer butter to a 1 cup liquid measuring cup.

Place head of immersion blender into the bottom of the cup and turn it on. With the blender constantly running, slowly pour hot butter into cup. It should emulsify with the egg yolk and lemon juice. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be thick and creamy. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired). If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender slowig pouring the melted butter. Serve immediately, or transfer to a small lidded pot and keep in a warm place for up to 1 hour before serving. Hollandaise cannot be cooled and reheated.

Cindy Meredith, proprietor of The Herb Cottage http://theherbcottage.com/ located in Hallettsville, Texas, presented a program and cooking demonstration and tastings "HEALTHY WINTER GREENS & HOW TO PREPARE THEM" for our January 14, 2015 program. Everyone loved the presentation and food samples.

For some recipes, check out Cindy's January 2012 Newsletter Gardening in Winter at website: http://www.theherbcottage.com/1-12_winter_garden.html

The following is more information about these wonderful greens!

The following information is found at website: http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/11324-how-to-cook-leafy-greens.html/?c=sfm

Why We Should All Be Eating More Leafy Greens And 20 Ways To Cook Them.

Leafy greens are one of the most nutritious, inexpensive and easy to cook real foods! They're also very tasty and one of the simpler things to cook. Leafy greens are available for a large part of the year in one form or another and are usually available at most farmers markets for great prices.

Below you find some great recipes, tips and nutritional facts for leafy greens!

The Quick Lowdown

NUTRITIOUS- Lots of nutrients in just one serving! Vitamins, essential minerals, fiber and much more.

VERSATILE- Easy to add to lots of different recipes. Like smoothies for breakfast, salad at lunch, sauteed at dinner.

DETOX- High levels detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, and cancer fighting compounds.

Leafy Greens Nutritional Facts

Not many foods can compare to the high nutritional value of leafy greens. Researchers are finding that eating your greens may be even more important than previously imagined. In putting together this article I found lots of quotes that stated "it was common for our ancient ancestors to eat up to six pounds of leaves per day". I could not find a accredited source for the quote but I can see that it makes sense. Recent research shows that a gene that is essential for producing critical immune cells in your gut, responds to the food you eat—specifically leafy green vegetables (Dr. Mercola).

We now know that these greens contain an array of antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds. Researchers also believe that these vegetables play an important role in controlling food allergies, inflammatory diseases and obesity, and may even prevent the development of bowel cancers (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute).

Here's a nutritional breakdown of the top readily available leafy greens:

Kale

Excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K

High in Calcium (for a vegetable)

Also supplies Folate and Potassium

Collard Greens

Excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K

Good source of Folate, Manganese, and Calcium

Cancer preventatvive glucosinolates (glucoraphanin, sinigrin, gluconasturtiian, and glucotropaeolin)

Similar in nutrition to Kale but more chewy with a stronger taste

Swiss Chard

Excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K

Good source of Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Iron and Vitamin E

At least 13 different Polyphenol Antioxidants, including Kaempferol and Syringic Acid

Unique source of Phytonutrients called Betalains (provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and detoxification support)

Turnip Greens

Excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K

Good source of Folate, Manganese, Calcium, Copper, Vitamin E and Vitamin B6

Bitter taste linked to high Calcium (4x more than cabbage, 2x more than mustard greens)

High glucosinolate content (phytonutrients with cancer-preventing properties)

Spinach

Excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K

Good source of Manganese, Folate, Iron, Vitamins C, B2, B6 and E

Showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer.

Glycoglycerolipids help protect the lining of the digestive tract from damage — especially damage related to unwanted inflammation.

Beet Greens

Excellent source of vitamins A, C, E and K

Good source of Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Zinc, Vitamins B6

Valuable source of Lutein/Zeaxanthin (good for eye health)
How to Choose Leafy Greens
When choosing your greens, the number one rule is to look for leaves that are crisp. You want to hear a slight snap when you crack the stems. If they are wilted, soggy, or slimy, keep looking. Ideally, they have been stored in a cool place but watch out for greens stored in ice. Greens are loaded with water. Ice can crystallize the water and the greens may end up mushy by the time you get them home.

The leaves should smell fresh and, well, really green!
Color is also important. If you have a choice, pick the darkest leaves. Don't worry about a few brown spots, that's perfectly normal, especially at the farmers markets. However, if the edges are consistently brown throughout all the leaves you may want to pass. Last but not least, is smell. The leaves should smell fresh and, well, really green!

NOTE: Non-organic greens can be very high in pesticides. This is one of those items that are definitely worth buying organic. I'm assuming that because you are an eatlocalgrown.com reader, you know how important it is to buy from a local grower when possible. Make sure your growers are practicing sustainable farming practices and not using heavy chemical pesticides and herbicides. If buying from a local is not an option, then make sure to choose organically-certified greens at the grocery store. (read more about Local vs Organic)

How to Cook Leafy Greens
A lot of people (me included) love the taste of bitter greens. I especially like to pair them as a side dish with a rich, fatty main course like a grass-fed rib eye, or a hearty lamb stew. The bitter greens cut through the fattiness of the main course and bring a nice balance to the plate. But there's also many ways to temper the bitterness of leafy greens by adding golden raisins for sweetness or some toasted pine nuts or sesame seeds for richness. This can completely transform the dish and if you get creative you'll find something that even the pickiest of eaters will love.

There's many ways to temper the bitterness of leafy greens
On the more sturdy greens like Kale and Collards you'll probably want to remove the leaves for the stalks. I do this for Swiss Chard as well. You can cut the stalks away or just rip the leaves off. The stalks can be used for stocks, or in the case of Swiss Chard I just cut them up into bite size pieces and saute them for about 5 minutes to make them tender before adding the greens to the pan.