What shapes, sizes, and colors are the leafy greens that you enjoy eating, or would like to try?

The following recipe uses the leaves and the stems of the vegetable. Try eating these greens over noodles or rice. What are some of your favorite greens?

Sauteed Chinese Broccoli

Stovetop Recipe, No Sharp Tools Needed
20 Minutes
4 Servings

Ingredients

• 4 bunches of Chinese broccoli or baby bok choy
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Kitchen Utensils and Tools

• Cutting board
• Sharp knife (optional)
• Set of measuring spoons
• Saute pan
• Large spoon
• Potholder

Instructions

1. Remove stems from washed greens. Rip or chop the leaves and stems. Keep the prepared leaves and stems in separate piles.
2. Heat pan over a medium-high temperature. Add the oil and the minced garlic and cook for 20 to 30 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Add the Chinese broccoli stems and cook for 30 seconds or until bright green. Add the leaves and cook for another minute and a half.
4. Add the soy sauce and cook for 30 more seconds.
5. Turn off the heat, add the sesame oil and sesame seeds and stir.

Additional Reading
Greens: Poems by Arnold Adoff is a book of poetry for children with every poem inspired by the color green! For more recipes that call for hearty greens that are in the same family as Chinese Broccoli, check out Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables by Laura B. Russell. Both of these books can be found in our catalog and checked out with your library card.

Imaginary Garden Sketch

Materials

• Paper
• Art supplies and/or writing tool(s)

Instructions

1. Make a list of all of the leafy greens that you would like to include in your imaginary garden. Are these real greens? Imaginary greens? Or a combination of real and imaginary?
2. Draw a garden or create an abstract garden space on your page.
3. Create shapes for your leafy greens. Are all of your greens the same shape and size? Are they different? What are the names of your leafy greens?
4. If colorful art supplies are available, color in your greens.
5. If you were harvesting these greens, which ones would you pick first? What recipe would you prepare with these greens?

Additional Reading
The Complete Leafy Greens Cookbook by Susan Sampson has recipes, information, and is a great place to start if looking for leafy green inspiration for the kitchen or garden. Children’s book Green Power: Leaf and Flower Vegetables by Meredith Sayles Hughes includes photos, info, and recipes. What other books about leafy greens can you find at the library and check out with your library card?

Watch and listen to our Nourishing Literacy staff discuss all the delicious and practical uses for green vegetables on our YouTube channel!

Nourishing Literacy offers food, literacy, wellness, and life skills activities and events to community members, with our core audience being the children, youth, teachers, and caregivers. Nourishing Literacy is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Edna G. Kynett Memorial Foundation.

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