Sauteed Kale

After reading the reviews of this recipe, I thought I'd give it a go. You can find it on the food network.
I've kept the recipe as is, but I didn't add the red wine vinegar.

• 1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar. 

 **No kidding, this was fantastic.

Sausage and Kale Tart

I put this recipe on the menu this week thinking we would get kale from LPO. Since we got chard, I made this dish with chard. I had some sausage that I bought from LPO a while back. Be aware that the filling in this dish is loose- so you'll need a strong tart shell to handle it. I cut back on the butter in the shell. Next time I would consider putting some parmesan in the crust. The recipe was a winner in the 'best dirt cheap dinner' contest on food52.com.

the Tart Shell

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 pinch salt
3-4 tablespoons ice water

Cut the butter into small cubes. Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a food processor.   Pulse until butter is pea-sized. Slowly drizzle water through the top of the food processor while pulsing. You have added enough water when dough sticks together when pressed.  Remove dough from processor and press gently into a disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove dough from refrigerator and unwrap.   Place disc on a lightly floured board.  Roll dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter.  Place dough in 10 inch tart pan with removable bottom.  Dock dough with a fork.  Lay parchment paper or foil over dough and fill with beans or pie weights.
Blind bake the tart shell (with pie weights) for 20 minutes. Then remove parchment and weights and bake an additional 5 minutes until the crust begins to brown.
Remove from oven and set aside on cooling rack.

the Sausage and Kale Filling

1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups onion, minced
2 garlic cloves
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 bunch kale (a large bunch)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin strips
1 egg
1/4 cup ricotta
salt and pepper

Heat oil and butter in pan on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onions are soft and light brown. Season with salt and pepper. Remove onions from pan and set aside.

Increase heat to medium and add sausage to pan. Brown sausage and break into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 Tablespoon of oil from pan.

Add kale to pan. Pour white wine over kale. Scrap any bits from the pan and cover. Cook 3-5 minutes, until kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. If kale is still very wet, cook uncovered for a minute or two. The overall mixture should be fairly dry. Remove kale to a large bowl.

Toss cooked kale with cooked sausage and onions. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Toss mixture with basil, egg, and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon sausage and kale mixture into cooked tart shell. Be sure to evenly cover the bottom of the tart shell. Bake the tart on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove tart from oven when the filling is set and the tart shell is nicely brown. Cool tart slightly on a wire rack. Slice and serve with a big green salad.

 **I think this was a nice dish. It was definitely hearty. The basil mixed nicely with the Italian sausage spices.

Kale chips

We made kale chips last night. I really thought I'd posted this recipe already, so I didn't take any photos. I'll repost the recipe based on smittenkitchen.com, but you can find this recipe all over the web.
If you wonder how to get your kids to eat kale, do it this way. My daughter ate a bowl full of these chips last night.

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 300°F. Rinse and dry the kale, then remove the stems and tough center ribs. Cut into large pieces, toss with olive oil in a bowl then sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Place baking sheet on a rack to cool.

 **Delicious. Picture is from Nummy Num Num.

Roasted cauliflower quiche with nut crust

I adapted several recipes to come up with tonight's dinner. The crust is from The Vegetarian Adventure cookbook by Rowan Bishop and Sue Carruthers. The quiche is an adaptation of something I ran across called Hippie Pie on food52.com.

There are three distinct steps in this meal. You can always make the crust and roast the cauliflower in advance.
First- start the cauliflower roasting (20 min). While it is roasting, make the nut crust and get it chilling.
Second, when the cauliflower is ready, cook the crust. While the crust is cooking (10 min), make the quiche.
Third, when the crust is ready, throw the quiche into it and bake it (35 min).

Nut pastry
1 1/2 C ground almonds
1/2 C whole meal spelt flour
1/2 C plain spelt flour
1 T parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
5 1/2 T chilled butter
1 egg

Place the nuts, flours, cheese and salt in a food processor. Cut the butter into pieces and process briefly, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and process again, using the pulse button, just until the mixture begins to 'ball'.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (if time permits).  Preheat oven to 410F.
Roll out to fit a quiche pan, prick with fork and bake at 410F for 10 minutes, then allow to cool.

Quiche

1 small cauliflower, cut into thick slices
1/2 large onion, diced
4 oz greens, chopped roughly (Swiss chard, spinach, etc.)
1 T fresh herbs (marjoram, oregano, etc.), cut
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 C milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 C grated cheese (make a mixture of three different- e.g., fontina, parmesan, romano)

Place the cauliflower on a jelly roll pan, brush with olive oil, then toss with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes.

While the cauliflower roasts, saute the diced onion, add the herbs, salt and pepper and slowly cook till carmelized.

Wilt the greens, squeeze out the excess moisture and stir in the parsley.

Beat the eggs and milk together.

Mix the cheese together.

When the crust is ready, scatter the chopped greens on the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle in 1/3 of the cheese. Pile on half the cauliflower and onions and sprinkle with next 1/3 of the cheese. Put the rest of the cauliflower mixture in the quiche. Slowly pour the egg mixture over everything and top with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 375F for 35 minutes. Watch that the cauliflower tops don't burn- if they are getting too brown, cover with foil.

**Here it is going into the oven.

**Just out of the oven. Really nice flavors. Not your ordinary quiche.

Hearty Green Autumn Bowl

What a great way to eat autumn greens! I used the swiss chard from the harvest box for this dish. I couldn't find dry cannelini beans so I substituted northern whites instead. I didn't build the toast on top, but instead used slices of hearty country bread. You can find the recipe online here. I modified it below.

Serves 4

• 1 bunch Kale (or mix Kale and Swiss Chard) stems removed and leaves shredded
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil plus more for bread
• 1 Onion (medium) chopped finely
• 1 Carrot (Medium) chopped finely
• 1 Celery Stick chopped finely
• 1 Clove of Garlic minced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine
• 3 cups Cooked Cannellini Beans (canned is fine but rinse well - 2 cans)
• 1 Lemon, cut in wedges
• 4 Slices Chunky Wholesome Bread 
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Chili Flakes or more if you like
• 2 tablespoons Rosemary finely chopped
• 1 liter Chicken Stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Vine Ripe Tomato Medium chopped finely

1. Finely chop onion, carrot and celery and put in a pot with oil and fry over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic, bay leaf and wine. Reduce until no wine is left in the pot. Add Salt, pepper and chili flakes. Now add tomatoes, beans and rosemary. Mix well. Now add stock.
2. Once the stew comes to a gentle boil add the kale and/or Swiss Chard and cook until wilted (about 3-5 minutes) 
3. When ready, serve soup in large bowls and add a squeeze of lemon juice. 

**This picture is from thespicegirl from the food blog Food52. It shows the dish with pine nuts and lemon peel- I didn't do that. Nevertheless, you get the idea. The recipe is delicious.

Kale Salad

I ate this salad at a friend's place and then asked for the recipe. Here is how he said to make it:

Remove the stalks (discard) and chop the leaves  very thin, make a dressing (I usually use lemon, salt pepper and olive oil, but you can use vinegar instead of lemon). Toss the dressing with the salad. I usually make it several hours before eating it so that the kale tenderizes. Toast some pine nuts and make some bacon bits and toss them with the kale at the end before you eat it. Be as creative as you want to be.

1 bunch of curly kale, stems removed, chopped fine
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
3 slices bacon, fried crisp, then crumbled

Mix together and let sit a bit.

**This salad is bright green. My dressing is very tangy, which suited me fine. I think the addition of the pine nuts make it better, although I ate the whole container for lunch.

Spicy Stir Fried Chicken and Greens with Peanuts

Saw this on Epicurious. Looked like a nice fresh way to use our LPO cooking greens.

2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons dry Sherry, divided
3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons golden brown sugar, divided
1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
4 green onions, white parts and green parts chopped separately
2 teaspoons chopped seeded serrano chiles
1 large bunch greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, spinach left whole, other greens cut into 1-inch strips (about 10 cups packed)
1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sherry, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl. Add chicken; marinade 20 to 30 minutes.
Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Sherry, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon sugar in small bowl and reserve.
Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add white parts of onions and chiles; stir 30 seconds. Add chicken; stir-fry just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken mixture to bowl. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to same skillet; heat over high heat. Add greens by large handfuls; stir just until beginning to wilt before adding more. Sauté just until tender, 1 to 6 minutes, depending on type of greens. Return chicken to skillet. Add reserved soy sauce mixture; stir until heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl; sprinkle with green parts of onions and peanuts.

 **I got 3 1/2 C of greens from LPO and added another 1 1/2 C of curly leaf kale from my garden. That is about 1/2 of what was called for in the recipe. I think the dish could have used some more. I used less chicken (1 lb vs 1 1/2 lbs), and I used thighs instead of breast meat. I used 2 green chilis instead of serranos. I thought it was a delicious dish- very easy to make. Another great way to use greens.

Indian-spiced Kale and Chickpeas

I cut this out of the newspaper. You can find it on the Eating Well website. I wrote that it is delicious, easy, and good with yogurt.

Serves 2 main or 4 side servings. Works as 4 mains for our family with brown rice.

1 T oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1- 1 1/2 lbs kale, ribs removed, coarsely chopped
1 C vege or chicken broth
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t garam masala
1/8 t salt
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed

In a large, deep skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green, about 1 minute.
Add the broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and cook until they are heated throug , 1-2 minutes.

For 2 serves: 345 cals, 10 g total fat, 3 mg chol., 587 mg sodium, 15 g protein, 52 g carbo., 10 g dietary fiber. 

**Delicious dish. I cooked the kale about 5 minutes. I like the pungent garlic with the crunchy kale paired with the soft chickpeas. A fast and easy dinner.  I did get another bunch of kale from Vitamin Cottage so the dish was plenty for the four of us.