Cancer-fighting Recipe: White Beans and Winter Greens Gratin

Try incorporating more meatless meals in to your everyday dinners.  This gratin is a wonderfully warming dish.  It can be quite filling and is a great one pot meal in itself.  The beans, greens and tomatoes have cancer fighting properties along with the garlic. The herb thyme in addition to it’s wonderful fragrance, has potential antibacterial properties. If you only have dried thyme available, try substituting ¼ tsp. of dried thyme or more depending on your taste preference.

White Beans and Winter Greens Gratin

Ingredients
1 cup white beans (cannelloni or great northern - use canned beans to save time)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 large bunch winter greens (mustard, chard, turnip, or a mixture)
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken stock, homemade or canned
Topping:
1 cup of fresh bread crumbs
3 tablespoons light olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions
If using dry beans, soak the white beans in 4 cups of cold water for 8 hours or overnight. In a medium pot, add the drained beans, 3 cups of fresh water, and the bay leaf and thyme sprig Simmer the beans for 45 minutes, and then add the salt. Continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the beans are tender but not mushy. There should be no more than 1/2 cup of liquid left in the pot. Remove bay leaf and thyme.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the stalks from the greens and wash and dry leaves. Stack them and cut crosswise into ribbons. In a large pan, sauté and the garlic in oil for approximately 7 minutes or until tender. Add the tomatoes and salt. Mix the beans and their cooking liquid, and the greens. Add some chicken stock if the mixture seems dry and spoon into a 9-inch round or a 10-inch oval oiled gratin dish.

Prepare the topping: Mix the bread crumbs with the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and spread evenly on top of the bans. Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Served with a crisp, green salad or a salad of shared fennel and pears, this is a welcome dish for a cold winter day. If you like add some sautéed pancetta or little pieces of harm to the greens and beans mixture before turning it into the grain dish.

Serves 4.

Nutrient analysis for 8 servings: 200 calories, 7g protein, 6g fiber, 1g fat, 250mg sodium.
Adapted from Greens: A Country Garden Cookbook by Sibella Kraus.