Kale is a big favorite in our house. Everyone did not start out loving it, but I kept serving it and asking them all to try it. Sure enough, after a few tries, they are all loving it, literally. The other day, I heard Em say she loved kale and she took the longest to win over. I really like the purple color of this red kale. It just looks a little different and takes the boredom out of our everyday plain old green kale that we are so familiar with. I’m not always lucky enough to find this at my local grocery store but today was one of those lucky days, and it looked fresh from the garden, so I couldn’t resist. I usually rely on frozen veges during the week, so sometimes forget how good nice, fresh veges can taste. This really hit the spot with a chicken dish (that needs a little tweaking before I share it).
To get started, make sure that your kale is washed really well. There are so many little places for things to hide in kale, so swish it around in water and let it set in the water for a minute so the yucky stuff falls to the bottom, then lift it out. Chop the kale into bite sized pieces. It cooks down a bit, so don’t make it too tiny. I just give it a rough chop, which leaves pieces a little on the big side. Chop it how you like it.
Next, heat up a good sized skillet or sauté pan on medium to medium-high heat. While that is heating up, chop a couple cloves of fresh garlic. You can run it through a garlic press if you have one or just smash it with the side of your knife then chop it fine. Once your pan is hot, sprinkle some olive oil in. Add the garlic to sizzle a bit, but watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn. Add the chopped kale and toss it all around until it’s cooked the way you like it.
I like my kale to still have some crisp to it and a firm texture so I don’t cook it all that long, but if you like it softer, then cook a little longer. When the leaves turn a bright green, that’s perfect in my opinion – cooked, but not wilted and droopy. Serve it right away so it’s nice and hot. I like to cook all my other things first and then cook the kale last minute so that I can serve it nice and hot.
Sautéed Red Kale
Ingredients
- 1 bunch red kale or green kale if you can't find red
- 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
Instructions
- Heat up a large sauté pan or frying pan.
- Clean and chop the kale.
- Chop garlic or run through a garlic press.
- Add the olive oil to the hot pan.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for a little bit - don't let it burn.
- Add the kale and toss until cooked the way you like it.
- Serve hot.