So You Wanna Make Some Tasty Kale, Huh?

Ahhhh yes, Kale. My brother once told a friend at a party he thought kale was an oat. Not so! Definitely one of the more trendy leafy greens for 2012, it is high in vitamins K, A and C and is a great vegetable source of calcium. Although many people read of its benefits, they are still fearful to try it. People are concerned about its robust and bitter flavor and its tough, fibrous texture. After various friends have expressed interest in wanting to eat this virtuous veggie but aren't sure exactly what to do with it, I decided I would dedicate a short blog to a recipe I guarantee will make any kale taste delicious.

There are recipes similar to this online, but I thought I would make it easier for my readers by not only showing the ingredients used but showing pictures of the kale as it turns from boring raw veggie in a bag into glorious sautéed garlic flavored deliciousness.

Shown below are all of the ingredients used to create this kale dish. As you can see, because I am a huge fan of Trader Joe's...all of these ingredients are from that grocery store. Don't be discouraged if you do not have access to Trader Joe's...you can buy these ingredients at almost any grocery store.

You will notice I have two oils in the above picture, grapeseed and olive oil. I prefer to do my sautéing with grapeseed oil. The reason is grapeseed oil has a moderately high smoke point, and as a result is more ideal than several other cooking oils for high temperature cooking. It also has a very clean, light taste. Olive oil is okay to use as well, as some people prefer its flavor, but it does have a lower smoke point, so it is better for drizzling on a salad or a raw vegetable.

So first, you will want to chop up a few cloves of garlic (as many or little as you would like!)

Then you will heat up the stove and pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into the pan along with the chopped garlic.

Next, you will add around two cups of kale to the pan. This depends on if you are cooking just for you or for a few people. You can adjust the amount of this recipe however you would like depending on if you are feeding guests or not. I prefer to use Trader Joe's Kale because it is already chopped. Just rinse it off and it is ready to go!

Let the kale bathe in the oil for about a minute. Toss it around and then add 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. You can also use rice vinegar or apple cider, but I personally like the zing that the red wine vinegar flavor gives to the kale.

After another 30 seconds or so, sprinkle a bit of lemon pepper over your finished product. You can do this after you turn off the stove, because lemon pepper doesn't need to cook. I just the extra flavor of lemon pepper. Again, you may not need this, or desire another flavoring. Some people like to use red chili pepper flakes or garlic salt. Feel free to use any seasoning you would like. If it is salt based, use it sparingly. Remember this dish is supposed to be healthy!!

Aaaaannnndddd you're done! The final product should look something like this here below. This is one of two servings, since I was cooking for a friend when I made this last. Delicious and nutritious! Go ahead, try it and tell me what you think.