Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Kale! Where have you been all my life?

My youngest daughter has been encouraging me to start using kale for quite some time. She uses it for cooking, snacking, smoothies, you name it. She tells me it's a super food and I need to start using it. (She's wiser than her mom!)

Well, this week I decided to listen to her. Recently, FRESH, an informational article/recipe/coupon booklet put out by our grocery store, Hannaford, featured an article on kale along with some recipes. I decided to bite the bullet and take my daughter's advice and I'm SO glad I did! I've never had anything I cooked resemble the recipe photo like this meal did. And it was so, so good!
 
I gathered up my ingredients (I improvised by using the rubs I had on hand and omitted some others like the smoked paprika and sunflower seeds). So here's my adaptation of the original recipe

The turkey cutlets (approx. 1 lb.) were sprinkled with black pepper and a garden rub, then cooked (in olive oil) while I chopped up the vegetables (1 leek, 1 large bunch kale, and 1 clove garlic). If you're a vegetarian, you could easily omit the turkey and have a fantastic meatless meal! I'm sure there will be times when I do just that.

Okay, the garlic, leek, and kale has been chopped.
 
Remove the cutlets, cover with tin foil and set aside. Now it's time to saute the leeks, garlic, and rosemary in the same pan. (add a bit more oil if needed). Rather than chopping my rosemary, I opted to leave it whole during the cooking process to just add flavor. Saute about 3-4 minutes.

After removing the sprigs of rosemary, it was time to add the kale (chopped and removed from stems) and 2/3 cup chicken broth (again, if you're doing a vegetarian dish, just substitute vegetable broth). Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Apparently I was supposed to cover it at this point, but I didn't).

Okay, it looks like everything has cooked down nicely!

Time to add in 1 can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 1 can of Cannellini White Beans, and the already cooked turkey cutlets (which I cut into smaller pieces).

Mix it all together, cover and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally... and voila! My first time cooking with kale, but definitely not my last!

I also have to say how much I love my large 11" Wolfgang Puck Chicken Fryer Pan. It's so versatile. I use it all the time. 

We are about to have coldest temperatures we've had in two years. Maybe I'll make a nice vegetable soup with lots of kale!

In doing a little bit of research comparing my beloved spinach and my new-found friend, kale, I came across this Kale vs. Spinach informational (and humorous!) blog post from The Health Revival! I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

Stay warm, everyone!!!

Donna




7 comments:

NanaDiana said...

Donna- I started eating kale a year or so ago, too. Now, don't laugh-if you ever crave crunchy CHIPS-you can make them with kale leaves...no kidding...and they are good- but watch closely they go from crisp to scorched in short order. Here's the recipe link... http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-kale-chips/

and your recipe looks delicious~ xo Diana

Barb said...

Hi Donna, I think I have to try your recipe my daughter is also a kale lover. In fact she grew some last summer and always buys it when we go to the farmer's market. An interesting thing, if we didn't live in the Pacific NW we would live in New England. In fact we came here because the winters are so much milder than yours. We love the mood and antiquity of New England! Stay warm

Art and Sand said...

My husband makes kale sometimes and it is good. Last time it was sauted with mushrooms and onions.

Susan said...

Hi Donna....It IS freezing, isn't it? I've been burning the fireplace since 4:30 and have stayed put in the living room. And I'm still here . It's 9:20 p.m.

Donna, I don't like kale. I find it to be too bitter. I can take collard greens but kale? uh uh

Thanks for the recipe though.

Take care. You stay warm, too. Susan

Donna said...

That does sound yummy! Thanks for sharing!

Karen said...

I've eaten kale my whole life, love it! that recipe looks delicious thanks for sharing it. Your living room looks beautiful too, I need to take a lesson from you and do a project a day.

Cindy @ Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home said...

I make a kale salad that we just love. Your recipe looks YUMMY, thanks for sharing!
Hope you have a wonderful weekend,
Cindy