Green Soup with White Beans (Provided photo — Yvona Fast)

Daylight is lengthening. It’s been warm. The snow has come off my roof. I see signs of spring.

Tuesday is St. Patrick’s Day, when we celebrate all things green.

Spring makes me think of green – and green food is good food. Usually.

Except when I bought frozen ‘broccoli bites,’ After cooking them, I found there was more breading than broccoli. Roasted broccoli is so much more flavorful, less expensive and not difficult to prepare.

Besides broccoli, green food includes green vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, peas, asparagus, leeks and celery. Leafy greens include kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, beet greens and radish tops. All of the above are low-calorie and nutrient-dense. What’s your favorite green food? In Ireland, it’s green cabbage and kale.

Leafy greens contain important minerals (like potassium and magnesium), vitamins (like A, C and K), fiber and many not yet identified micronutrients we’re just learning about. They help to improve gut health and digestion, boost immunity, fight inflammation and support bone health. Studies have shown they may be a powerful weapon against aging and cancer. As a general rule, the darkest greens contain the most nutrients.

Tender greens like spinach, chard or beet greens are good stir-fried or sautéed. Tougher, older greens are great braised. Strong-flavored, assertive greens like collards or kale require longer cooking. Blanching them first and discarding the water can remove some of their bitterness.

Bring out the flavor of cooked greens by adding them to skillets with meat, potatoes or other vegetables; stirring sauteed greens into pasta; combining with eggs and cheese in a frittata or quiche; or adding to soups and stews towards the end of cooking. Other ways to dress up greens: add sweet, colorful vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes or beets (or apples); topping them with nuts, seeds or raisins; dressing with a mild vinegar, lime or lemon juice as you would a salad; and seasoning with garlic, onions, leeks or olives. Spicy seasonings, sharp cheese and acids like tomatoes, lemon or vinegar can mitigate the flavor of strong or bitter greens like mustards, collards or kale.

Remember that greens decrease in volume when cooked; a pound of fresh greens yields just two or three servings. For a quick main dish, sautee greens with onions and garlic in a little oil, butter or bacon fat. Mix with chopped hard-cooked eggs and/or diced cooked ham and fold into a white sauce or cheese sauce.

Be sure not to overcook greens, and avoid acid during cooking. Add them last to soups and skillets. When making a smoothie, wash the greens well and remove the tough stems. Blend quickly to preserve color. Build flavor with a good aromatic base (onion, garlic, herbs and spices). Tart tomatoes or apples are good blended with greens.

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Colcanon

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Colcannon is wonderfully flavorful, incredibly filling and oh-so warming on chilly, windy March days. This Irish dish uses green kale and green onions. Add ham to make it a full meal with veggies, protein and carbohydrates.

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Ingredients:

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2 pounds of potatoes

2 pounds cabbage, kale or other winter greens

1 teaspoon salt, divided or more (to taste)

1 large onion, 1 leek or 1 bunch scallions

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1 cup milk or cream

1/4 pound bacon or ham, optional

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Directions:

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If using the kale, strip it from the stalks. If using cabbage, cut in quarters, remove the outer leaves and cut out the core.

Either scrub or peel the potatoes and place in a pot with salted water. Cook until tender. You can also cook them in the peels and slip out of the peels after they’re cooked and slightly cooled.

Cook the kale or cabbage, either in a wok with a little butter until desired tenderness or steam 7 to 10 minutes for cabbage, 10 to 20 minutes for kale.

Cook leeks or onions in a little butter for 10 minutes or longer, to caramelize. Or chop scallions and add them raw at the end. If using a wok, you can add the onion or leek and cook with the greens.

To combine the dish, place cooked, peeled potatoes in a bowl or casserole and mash with the butter and milk using a ricer (don’t beat them too fine). Chop kale or cabbage finely and stir in. Stir in cooked onions or scallions. For a meat version, add diced cooked ham or cook bacon until crisp and add at the end.

To serve in the traditional Irish manner: right before serving, slip in a ring, coin or other objects wrapped in parchment paper. You don’t want these to turn up too soon. Push the back of a large soup spoon down in the middle of each portion to make a crater, then put a large pat of room-temperature butter into each one to make a “lake.” Diners dip each forkful of colcannon into the butter until its walls are breached.

Serve with salt, pepper and butter on the table.

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Green Soup with White Beans

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Make your green soup using a combination of leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, arugula), green vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, peas, asparagus, leeks, celery), aromatic bases (onion, garlic, shallots), a liquid (vegetable broth, water), fat (olive oil, coconut cream, butter), fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill) and seasonings (salt, pepper, cumin).

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Ingredients:

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2 cups white beans, like Great Northern or Navy or three cans of beans like canelini

Oil (avocado or Extra-virgin olive oil)

1 large onion

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

1 potato or sweet potato

Salt

2 cloves of garlic

6 cups vegetable or chicken broth, plus an extra cup if needed

2 bunches of greens (collards, kale, radish tops, chard)

1 or 2 zucchini, optional

Bay leaves

Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper

2 cans diced tomatoes (15 oz)

1 cup loosely packed chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

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Directions:

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Beans: Soak beans overnight. Or, bring to a boil, cook 5 minutes and remove from heat. After an hour, drain, rinse, add fresh water and cook until soft. (or use 2 cans of beans).

Prepare the vegetables: Peel and dice the onion. Slice carrots and celery. Dice a potato or sweet potato. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat oil in the bottom of the soup kettle. Add vegetables, sprinkle with a little salt and saute 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic halfway through.

Add the broth and beans. Bring to a boil.

In the meantime, strip kale and collards from stems and chop all the greens. Add them to the soup kettle. Cook until greens are done to your liking. It takes longer for kale and collards, less for chard and radish tops.

Season with more salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and any other herbs. Add the fresh parsley. Adjust seasoning to your taste.

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Author of the award-winning cookbook Garden Gourmet: Fresh & Fabulous Meals from your Garden, CSA or Farmers’ Market, Yvona Fast lives in Lake Clear and has two passions: writing and cooking. She can be found at www.yvonafast.com and reached at writeyvona@gmail.com.