Saturday, November 27, 2010

Craving Some Kale

Well, now that both us Canadians and our neighbours to the south have had their first meal of the pig-out season known as Thanksgiving-through-New Years, there's a tiny bit of leeway in between feasts to give our bodies (and jeans) a bit of a break. What better than to balance out the turkey, potatoes, stuffing and gravy than with a good hearty bowl... of greens?

No, I'm not talking a giant bowl of shredded iceberg lettuce (though there is nothing wrong with that!) - I'm talking some good, hearty greens. Kale, to be exact. And yes, I cook it. I have to admit, I never used to like kale in any variation - raw, stewed, in soups, sauteed, even as chips. I just couldn't get my head around enjoying the bitter, dark leafies.

But somehow, in the past month, that all chaged. I went from thumbing my nose at the big bunches of curly, leathery leaves in the grocery store to craving them - sauteed, with lots of garlic, but with what else? Luckily the blogging world (once again!) came to the rescue when I came across a recipe for sauteed greens with garlic, onions, cheese and cranberries. Ironically, I normally abhor the thought of pairing fruit and either cheese or vegetables too... but somehow it just clicked here. Obviously I had to make a few adaptations for my weird and wonderful digestive anomalies, but I tell you - I'm glad I stumbled onto the inspiration!

I served this with a few corn tortillas and a black bean spread.

Garlic and Cranberry Sauteed Kale
Serves 1 generously
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 lb kale, middle rib cut out and leaves coarsely chopped
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp Craisins
2 tbsp Galaxy Foods Grated Rice Topping (Parmesan)
  1. Saute garlic and kale in a splash of water or vegetable broth until garlic is fragrant and kale begins to wilt.
  2. Add water, syrup, vinegar and craisins.
  3. Cover and cook 4 minutes.
  4. Pour into a shallow dish, top with vegan Parmesan.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 189.3
Total Fat: 2.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 273.8 mg
Total Carbs: 38.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.9 g
Protein: 10.0 g

Of course, I still wound up with a bit of the bunch left over - but I was on a roll! A bit of a dig through the freezer gave me the ends of a bag of pre-cooked shrimp, left over from a cocktail ring we probably bought for a party over the summer. Having the hoarder-prone family we do, I had a huge selection of grains to pick from... but I figured brown rice, with the shrimp, kale and a tamari-vinegar drizzle, would fit the bill nicely. Admittedly, it's not my usual long-grain brown Basmati, but the Minute Rice was fast and convenient - especially since I decided on this particular combination about 5 minutes before beginning to cook! I also had a big bag of shredded nori in the pantry, so I used that as a topping as opposed to a nut or cheese.


Quick Asian Rice and Shrimp with Sauteed Kale
Serves 1 generously (Again! What can I say, I love eating!)
1/4 lb kale, middle rib cut out and leaves coarsely chopped
2 tbsp water
1 tsp tamari
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp grated ginger root
1 clove garlic, minced
5 oz cooked shrimp
2.5 oz (by weight) water
3 oz brown Minute Rice
1/2 cup toasted nori shreds

  1. In a large covered skillet saute the chopped kale in 2 tbsp water.
  2. Add tamari, vinegar, syrup, ginger and garlic and mix to coat the kale with the mixture.
  3. Cover and lower heat to low and let cook for 5-10 minutes, until kale is wilted.
  4. Remove cover, stir in shrimp and let cook a minute more to evaporate any excess moisture. Remove from heat.
  5. Meanwhile, bring 1/3 cup water to a simmer.
  6. Add rice and reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into kale mixture, tossing well.
  7. Serve topped with nori shreds.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 374.5
Total Fat: 3.4 g
Cholesterol: 276.3 mg
Sodium: 738.6 mg
Total Carbs: 53.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 10.6 g
Protein: 36.5 g

NOTE: Because I didn't receive any sort of confirmation from the original winner of the Gay Lea Shortbread Bliss package, I have re-drawn a winner:

Congratulations KAITLIN!
Please e-mail me your contact info so that I can pass it along to the prize distributors and you can get your shortbread bliss on!

1 comment :

  1. Oooh, Kale! Love it! It's about the only green that T. can eat any longer, due to sensitivities to oxalic acid. You'd think that we'd be able to find it here, but ... no, we can't, unless we want it pre-chopped, including the stupid stems. Bleh.

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