Swiss Chard, Beet Greens, Bok Choy with Ginger Butter

This is a simple, delicious way to get some living, green food into your body! For you Athens people, the Athens Farmer's Market, Kroger (Alps and Gaines School), and Earth Fare often have organic beets, bok choy, and red chard. I buy the beets with the prettiest, largest greens, and save the beets for another recipe. Or if you want to, you could roast the beets separately (see below for a how-to), slice them, and serve them on top of the greens, topped with the ginger butter. I really like to go organic with this recipe - the organic greens have a clearer, fresher flavor.

Any combination of: swiss chard, beet greens, and bok choy

A big fat "knob" of fresh ginger (at least 2 Tablespoons peeled and minced)

2-3 Tablespoons salted butter

Stop up your sink, fill it with cool water, and give all of the greens a good rinse (or they'll be gritty!). For swiss chard, cut off any brown end on the stalk of each leaf, and then very coarsely chop the stems and leaves (you can leave them in pretty big pieces). For bok choy, cut off the root end and coarsely chop white stalks and green leaves. For beet greens, remove any tough looking stalks and coarsely chop the leaves.

Put a metal collapsible steamer in a big pot and run some water into the bottom of the pot, but keep the water level below the steamer. Put your greens in the pot, cover, and turn to medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, put the butter into a small microwaveable cup or bowl. Melt the butter, then stir the minced ginger into the butter.

The greens will be done about 5 minutes after the water boils. Test the stalks of the chard and bok choy with a fork to make sure they are just tender. Do not overcook. Use tongs to get the greens out of the pot and onto your plate. Drizzle with the ginger butter (make sure you get some nice little ginger chunks on there). Enjoy! My favorite way to serve this is with grilled or broiled wild salmon and black rice (a whole-grain rice sold at Earth Fare as "Forbidden Rice").

Roasted Beets: Peel beets. If they are large beets, cut them in halves or quarters. Prick with a fork. Put on a piece of foil, and enclose them by folding the edges of the foil together like an envelope. Put the foil on a cookie sheet and roast at 350 for an hour or so. They should be just tender all the way through when pricked with a fork. Be careful not to let the steam burn you when you open the foil!