Meatless Monday Side Dish: Sauteed Kale

As promised!

I call this recipe “Basic Sauteed Kale” because it is a fairly common recipe and you may already know it. But, I know enough people who are unfamiliar with it- mostly people who’ve never even attempted to cook kale in any way, shape or form before –so, I felt it was worth posting about. The red pepper flake and red wine vinegar really make this green sing, and it’s hardy enough to be eaten as a main course rather than just a side dish. Stir in some grilled tofu or chicken to beef it up if you want, or easily make it into a soup by adding 4-6 cups of broth.

Basic Sauteed Kale

yum

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (approx. 1 lb)

½ cup water

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar or ½ tbsp red wine + ½ tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp red pepper flake

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

½ lemon cut into wedges

Chop kale and remove ribs; you can either discard ribs (hopefully in a compost out back!) or save for later to add to a soup or stew. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a deep pan then add the kale, stirring until lightly cooked and still bright green. Add the water and cover, cooking over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the kale is nice soft. Open the pan and push the kale to one side, then add the rest of the olive oil and the red wine vinegar to the bare side of the pan and sauté the garlic with the red pepper flake, salt and pepper for about 1 minute. Mix in with the kale until well coated then remove from heat and serve.

It is really delicious, but tends to get stuck in my teeth very easily, just to warn you. Keep toothpicks handy if serving to guests! Please refer to my prior Green Goddess Soup post for health info on kale; it’s a super food!Enjoy, and let me know how it goes in the comments if you try it!