A Cooking Method I Had Almost Forgotten About and 3 Easy Recipes

By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP

If you’ve been reading my blogs over the past couple of weeks, you already know that I brought home quite a few lessons from my silent meditation retreat.

Apparently, I also brought home a new appreciation for steamed greens.

We were served steamed greens almost every day.

One day there was mung bean dal with steamed greens. Another day there was marinara with steamed kale and onions. Another meal included tempeh with steamed collards.

It wasn’t fancy. Just greens, simply cooked and served with the rest of the meal.

Of course, being me, after eating them for several days I started wondering, why steamed greens?

I eat greens every day at home, but I don’t usually just steam them. I’ll add them to soups, sauté them with garlic and onions, blend them into something, massage kale for a salad, or turn them into part of a bigger dish.

At the retreat, they were just…greens, and I LOVED them!

There Is Something to Be Said for Simple

One of the things I noticed about the food at the retreat was how simple it was.

That makes sense when you think about it. We were spending about 12 hours a day meditating. The purpose of the food wasn’t to be the center of our attention. It was there to nourish us without making everything more complicated.

I started thinking about how gentle the steamed greens felt on my stomach compared with a giant bowl of raw kale or some of the enormous salads I can easily make at home.

Cooking greens softens their structure and reduces their volume tremendously. A huge pile of kale that might feel like a lot to chew through raw becomes a shockingly small serving once it’s steamed.

Of course, you’re still eating all of those beautiful greens!

Dark leafy greens are rich in folate, carotenoids, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, calcium, fiber, and an incredible variety of plant compounds. Different greens add slightly different nutrients and phytochemicals to the plate, which is another reason I like rotating them rather than eating the same one every day.

Kale today, so collards tomorrow, bok choy the next day, then Swiss chard, mustard greens, turnip greens, beet greens….

There are so many choices.

Steaming Doesn’t Mean Boiling Them to Death

I think this is probably why I had gotten away from steaming vegetables.

When someone says “steamed vegetables,” I immediately picture the sad, gray-green vegetables we’ve all been served somewhere along the way.

That’s not what I’m talking about.

The goal is to steam the greens just until they’re tender and bright, not cook them until they lose all of their texture.

It’s ridiculously easy. You don’t even need a complicated recipe.

How I Steam Greens

1. Wash your greens well and remove any tough stems. You can leave tender stems, especially with smaller greens or bok choy.
2. Chop or tear the greens into pieces.
3. Add about an inch of water to a pot and bring it to a simmer. Place the greens in a steamer basket over the water and cover.
4. Most tender greens only need a few minutes. Heartier greens such as collards may need a little longer.

Start checking early. You’re looking for greens that have wilted and become tender but still have beautiful color.

That’s it.

Now comes the fun part.

The Greens Are the Base, Then Add Flavor

At the retreat, the steamed greens were very simply prepared, so I started using the condiments and seasonings that were available to add a little more flavor.

That’s really all steamed greens need.

Once they’re cooked, you can add something acidic, herbs or spices, and maybe a little healthy fat or something creamy. Suddenly the same basic pot of greens can taste completely different.

Here are a few combinations I’ve been playing with since coming home.

Steamed Kale With Onion & Garlic

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch kale
• ½ small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1–2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of cayenne, optional
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Remove the tough kale stems and chop the leaves.
2. Place the sliced onion in the steamer basket and add the kale on top. Cover and steam for about 4–6 minutes, or until the kale is tender but still bright green.
3. Transfer everything to a serving bowl. Add the garlic while the greens are still hot, drizzle with apple cider vinegar, and add cayenne and black pepper to taste.
4. Toss well and serve.

Steamed Collards With Lemon & Tahini

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1lemon, juiced
• 1–2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• Pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

1. Remove the thick center stems from the collards, stack the leaves, and slice them into ribbons.
2. Steam for about 5–7 minutes, checking for tenderness.
3. While the collards are steaming, stir together the tahini, lemon juice, warm water, and garlic. Add another splash of water if needed to make it easy to drizzle.
4. Transfer the collards to a bowl and drizzle the tahini mixture over the top. Add cayenne if you’d like a little heat.

Steamed Bok Choy With Carrots & Onion

Serves 2–3

Ingredients

• 3–4 baby bok choy, chopped
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• ¼–½ onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
• Red pepper flakes or cayenne to taste

Instructions

1. Start the carrots and onions in the steamer basket first and steam for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the bok choy and continue steaming for another 3–4 minutes, just until the stems are tender and the leaves have wilted.
3. Transfer to a bowl and finish with the vinegar or lime juice, sesame seeds, and a little heat if you like it.

Don’t Forget the Rest of the Meal

This was another thing I liked about the way the greens were served at the retreat.

The greens weren’t the meal, but an add-on to the meal.

One day we had a dal, another tempeh, and another marinara, and other vegetables.

That’s an important distinction, because I don’t want you eating a bowl of steamed kale for dinner and wondering why you’re hungry an hour later!

Think of the greens as one part of your plate, add beans, lentils, tempeh, or another plant protein, more colorful vegetables, and whatever else you need to make the meal complete.

That’s exactly how I ate them at the retreat.

The Bigger Lesson

I spend so much time teaching people how to make healthy food flavorful that sometimes I think I forget how good really simple food can be.

I love sauces, herbs, and garlic.

I love taking something basic and figuring out how many different ways I can turn it into dinner.

I’m not giving any of that up!

Spending 12 days eating food that was much simpler than the food I usually prepare reminded me that every meal doesn’t have to be a production.

Sometimes, I can steam a big bunch of greens, add something bright and flavorful, put them next to beans or lentils and the rest of my vegetables, and call it dinner.

Maybe the reason I needed 12 days of silence to rediscover steamed greens is another question entirely. 😊