“Rule 22:  Eat mostly plants, especially leaves” —Michael Pollan in Food Rules

It’s no secret we ought to be eating loads of leafy greens.  These days the message would be tough to miss, unless you’ve been on a trip to a far-off galaxy.  For those firmly rooted on earth, pick up just about any food magazine, cookbook or nutrition guide, and you’re likely to read about the health benefits of leaves.  Dietary fiber, iron, folate, potassium, calcium and vitamins A, C, D, E and K are among the nutrients packed into these edible photosynthesis factories.  We’re talking about arugula, chard, kale, spinach, collards, bok choy, dandelion, mustard — even the tops of beets and turnips — to name a few.

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Last week was all about staying on track — incorporating more fresh food into daily meals.  To my mind toeing that line should involve a healthy dose of indulgence, too.  Few of us can subsist joyfully on carrot soup and beet salad alone (as much as we might love them).  A sweet treat to reward our efforts, especially one that’s homemade and uses those same fresh ingredients, seems appropriate now and then given how diligent we’ve been. And if you have kids in the house (even the adult kind), you’ll appreciate the bargaining chip.  Orange juice muffins for breakfast in exchange for carrot soup at dinner:  how’s that for a fair deal?

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It’s delivery day.  Perhaps you’re thinking about that packed-to-bursting bag of farm-fresh veggies ready for pick-up — with a mixture of enthusiasm and trepidation.  Mid-February, and you’re hanging on strong to the New Year’s promise to pump more fresh food into your body, but at the same time you feel tired and overwhelmed — poised to order a pizza for delivery at any minute.

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A favorite meal in our house traces roots back to a distant summer vacation in Tuscany.  In Italy small bites consisting of toasted bread, spread or piled with all kinds of delicious morsels, are classics at the dinner table, as an appetizer or lunch item — and with good reason.  Who doesn’t love a sandwich?  That’s essentially what Bruschetta and Crostini are — albeit beautiful, open-faced masterpieces that bear little resemblance to American white bread-encased PB&Js or grilled cheese. Any number of toppings work magic on the artisan bread-based Italian cousin — use your creativity and kitchen stock to guide.  Roasted veggies; greens sautéed with garlic-laced, creamy white beans; cheese topped with olive tapenade; even a simple green salad, loosely piled — almost anything tastes fabulous on a slice of good bread. And if you’re in need of a pantry or fridge clean out, there’s no better vehicle.

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