Can you just hear Kermit the Frog singing that song? You might have to be of a certain age to remember, but I loved that one.

I did not start my life loving greens. We ate a lot of spinach growing up – although I’m pretty sure the frozen version covered in American cheese doesn’t actually count as “Greens”. I believe I was in college before I realized that the Bird’s Eye spinach came from big, green leaves someone grew. And it was long after that before I tried actually cooking greens myself. I started out easy with that real spinach, moved on to Swiss chard and then made the leap to kale, which, truth be told, I’m still learning to love.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m a huge fan of our local Asian markets. (My absolute favorite market is United Noodles in Minneapolis). On my visit this week, I decided to check out some new (to me) greens and give them a go.

I perused their gorgeous produce section and landed on the Chinese broccoli – it kind of looks like broccoli rabe and asparagus had a baby. Thick stalks flow into bright leaves with tiny broccoli buds. Luckily, United Noodles has signs on most of the produce explaining how to cook it and this one looked easy, so I cooked them up and fell in love. It’s crunchy, full of flavor and looks healthy enough to cure just about any disease!

I encourage you to find your local Asian market and give this recipe a try. I think you’ll enjoy it and, if you don’t, you can always grab some frozen spinach and a few slices of American cheese!

Chinese Broccoli

A bright, delicious green vegetable perfect for almost any meal

Servings people

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Ingredients

1 bunch Chinese broccoli Find at your favorite Asian market – mine is United Noodles in Minneapolis
2 cloves garlic chopped finely
2 tablespoons Avocado oil or other light oil
1 tablespoon Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 teaspoons Toasted sesame oil

Instructions

Cut about a 1/4 inch of the bottom off the broccoli
Cut the leaves from the stalks and slice the stalks on the diagonal – about 1/2 inch pieces. Then cut the leaves in half – to create smaller bites
Wash both the stalks and the leaves
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and add the stalks. Cook until they become bright green and begin to soften – 4-5 minutes
Add the chopped garlic and cook for another 30 seconds
Add the leaves and rice vinegar
Cook until the greens have reduced by about half – 4-5 minutes, remove from the heat and add the soy sauce and sesame oil
Serve with your favorite protein – I found these beautiful berkshire pork chops at United Noodles too