Welcome to CIMK Meal Plan #5, where we slowly start celebrating all the vibrant and nourishing food spring has to offer. I know it’s not officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere, but my body is craving all the green foods. I started last week by buying all the stinging nettle I could find at the farmer’s market, washed them thoroughly (wearing gloves!) and blanched them. Then used them to make stews and soups.
As you can imagine, nettles have a lot of nutritional benefits. Some of the most popular uses are as a natural allergy relief remedy, but they can also benefit skin, bone, joint, and urinary health. Cooked nettle is a great source of vitamins A and C, protein, and iron. It tastes almost like spinach and can be used like it: in stews, soups, pestos, or dressings.
Stinging nettles love humid environments, so you will find them in shaded areas in forests, near rivers, in plains, hilly, or mountain areas. The collection time is in spring and early summer. They are, as their name says, stinging if you touch them, so you have to wear gloves to handle them from collection to cooking.
Even if you can’t find nettles in your area, you can find plenty of other seasonal greens in farmers' markets: arugula, dandelion greens, Swiss chard, endive, collard greens, lambsquarters, mache, etc.
If you're new to my meal plans, I suggest starting with the Introduction for a solid foundation and checking out CIMK Meal Plan #1 for helpful tips.
Let's get started with CIMK Meal Plan #5, and stay tuned for Meal Plan #6 next week.
Happy cooking!
CIMK Meal Plan #5, February 2024
PRO TIPS: How to incorporate more greens into your meals
Incorporating more greens into our diet is a seamless way to boost nutritional intake without compromising on taste and still appealing to those peaky eaters who refuse to eat vegetables. When spring comes, my food becomes all shades of green, so here are some of my favorite ways to do it:
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