An overhead shot of slices of crunchy bread topped with various vegetable greens and garnished with shredded red cabbage.

Call me cliche, but I have been totally inspired by healthy eating in this January. Something that recently really excited me was the Grow Your Self Podcast by Nicole Burke. In this episode, she talks about which foods are best to eat in the winter months and why. With that came an abundance of information on seasonal eating / ingredients and the impact it can have on our overall wellness, the environment, and our wallets. That’s what inspired this Sourdough Toast with Winter Greens recipe. With all of that in mind, I started to wonder how hard it would be to eat seasonally a few times a week and what ingredients I could get my hands on here in Wyoming. Most everyone can get their hands on fresh winter greens so I made them the star of this dish.

An angled view of sliced baguette pieces topped with kale, cabbage, and brussels sprout leaves. One toast is sitting on a small cutting board while the others slices are placed behind it.

The Benefits of Eating Seasonal Vegetables

I learned a lot about winter greens from that first episode of Grow Your Self. Foods like kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower hold up through the winter because of their tough skin and biological make up. And of course they are packed with nutrients. The best part about eating these seasonal vegetables? They actually taste better than foods considered to be out-of-season because they are fresh. Winter vegetables are also more affordable in season because they’re cheaper to produce and will have less distance to travel to your local grocery store. Good for your health, good for the planet good for your wallet.

Nutritional Value of Winter Greens

Leafy winter vegetables are an amazing source of fiber, folate, and carotenoids. These seasonal vegetables also have vitamins C and K, just what the body needs during the colder months. You will also get a good intake of iron and calcium when you enjoy these foods.

Using Winter Vegetables Together

Leafy greens may not be the most popular ingredient for some, but using them altogether this way is tasty. I wanted to mix the winter greens together, but treat the ingredients differently to bring out the best of each flavor. Putting each winter vegetable together like this on crunchy sourdough toast created a recipe that feels like comfort food. It’s easy to make and is the perfect way to get get a portion of seasonal vegetables.

I used a couple of different techniques to treat the ingredients. My favorite way to eat cauliflower is when it has been roasted to perfection. So that’s where I started. I thought a bit of tang would brighten the dish so I pickled the Kale (using this pickling recipe). Like I said earlier, winter greens have tough skins, so I let the Kale sit in the pickling juice for about 45 minutes. You could definitely pickle it longer if you have the patience and time. To finish the dish, I kept things fresh with raw Brussels sprout leaves, shredded red cabbage and a sprinkle of bean sprouts for garnish.