Sauteed Kale

So I finally did it. I went out and bought the dreaded kale. Mom has been trying to get me to eat it for years, but I thought it was bitter and it grossed me out. Yes, I know it is an amazing superfood filled with tons of nutrients and that is also has no fat, calories nor cholesterol. But I had a hard time getting past it's tough texture and unpleasant flavor. Until now! Lately, I've been seeing it on different menus and the way it is prepared actually sounds tasty. M Cafe de Chaya a restaurant here in LA that offers healthy microbiotic cuisine has several kale items on it's menu. I'm in love with the green kale lemonade and the kale with spicy peanut sauce. I recently got my hands on the recipe, so I hope to make it at home and do a post on it soon.

Tonight I made pork chops for dinner (I know, not so healthy) but it ended up being a side to the kale. I heated a little olive oil in a sauce pan and added some minced garlic. I then added 4 stalks of kale that had the leaves ripped off the stem. Discard the stems. I then added a little vegetable stock to the pan and covered it with a lid to soften it up a bit. After about 5 minutes or when the liquid inside has evaporated, I turned off the heat and added a little salt and pepper. My gourmet friend, NP, suggested adding a little bit of vinegar to help with the bitterness, so I added a little red wine vinegar at the end. Then I sprinkled it with sesame seeds and served it with a "side" of pork chop. Husband loved it! He ate it all up first before even touching the pork chop.

I'm really excited about this and several friends have offered up their kale recipes. I can't wait to try them all and I promise to post when I do.