Kale is a leafy green veggie that has thick stems (which need to be removed before the kale is cooked or eaten). I didn't taste the kale raw, but when it is cooked it has a slightly bitter taste. So I am thinking that it is even more bitter when raw!
I used the kale in a recipe that is inspired by the Dilled Pasta recipe in Clean Eating magazine (it's in the January 2011 issue, but I couldn't find it on CE's website).
Ingredients:
1 package whole wheat pasta (I used spaghetti)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leafs chopped or torn into pieces
2 T olive oil
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 bag frozen cauliflower
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 can chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Boil water for pasta. While water is heating, chop onion and trim and tear kale. Next, put 1 T olive oil in frying pan and saute onion over medium heat until just tender. Add other T of olive oil, garlic and chicken, letting chicken brown on one side before flipping to the other.
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| Note: make sure you have enough room in your pan for the chicken to actually brown. If you shove all the chicken into a small pan, the chicken won't brown up. I am not sure of the technical terms here... I just know from experience. |
While your chicken is cooking, your water should be boiling, so add the pasta and cook according to directions. Set a time for 2 mins before the pasta should be done (so if directions say 10 mins, set a timer for 8 minutes). When the timer goes off, add the frozen cauliflower to the boiling pasta. After the 2 mins are up, drain the pasta and cauliflower.
Put pasta and cauliflower back in pot and add cooked chicken mixture. In frying pan, add chicken stock to de-glaze frying pan. After de-glazing, add kale on medium heat and cook until wilted. Add cooked kale to chicken and pasta mixture. Add dill, salt and pepper to chicken and pasta mixture and combine. If dry, add more chicken stock.
Verdict: I will be using kale again. I loved it and it cooked fast and easy. I added more dill to my dish, because I love dill, but that is a personal choice.
Have you used kale? Share your recipe!
Kale is one of those ingredients that always scares me that it won't turn out well. However, your dish looks great. Perhaps, I need to go for it and give cooking with kale a try.
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