Oh my gosh you can eat squash leaves / greens and they are tasty too! What do they taste like? GOOD and not grassy as you might think. It’s like an exotic spinach. I make it just like I usually do all my spinach – cook quickly in tempered onion, garlic and smoked dry pepper.
I am obsessed with the fact that I don’t have to throw away and waste beautiful vibrant foliage. This fact just satisfies my soul. I am smiling from very deep within. If you know me then you know I just hate throwing away food. In fact, lately I have been brainstorming how to use vegetables peels in a face mask…come soon 😉
I am wondering how you can get a hold of squash leaves unless you grow your own or know somebody super cool who does. I’m not sure if local groceries sell them. I am lucky enough to have access to local farmers and get them fresh. Plus during winter they are at their best…oh my soul shines again. I request you to some get a hold of squash greens and give it a try.
Once you have them,wash and cut the leaves leaving a bit of stem. Actually, I love the stem! It’s juicy and tender. So you can see I kept quite a few inches of the stem and cut it into easier to chew pieces. Stem near the leaves are super tender
Micronutrient power house : I can go on and on about so many vitamins in squash leaves but let me focus on the main heroes. 1 cup cooked spinach contains high amounts of
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- Folate
- Phosphorous
- Calcium
- Potassium
I am obsessed with this green color! As usual, I tempered onion, garlic and smoke pepper in oil and added in the green. Sorry I actually forgot to capture a photo of that stage. Greens cook quickly and soak up flavor nice.
After mixing well with the onion-garlic-pepper mix cover and let simmer in its own juices. leaves will release some water. Add about a cup of water to cook the stems through. Let simmer and reduce the juice down until spinach is dry again.
Quick and easy, just like how I love my food. Optional you can throw in some pumpkins along with the leaves too. Thats an exotic variation and I’ll share that one soon!
Marina Farook 