A Kale Preparation to Die For
Okay. I admit it. I love kale. I don’t just love it because it’s oh-so-trendy. I’ve grown it and eaten it since the mid-1980s. Maybe I’m just imagining it, but I feel sharper and more alive after I’ve eaten it.
I also love growing it. It’s a truly sustainable vegetable. A half dozen plants supply me with more then enough kale for myself and my partner, and plenty to share with friends. As long as you don’t pull up the plants, you can break off leaves and more will grow back. When you grow your own kale, you can enjoy it when it’s small to medium sized and use it in salads, no massaging necessary.
Now that it’s gotten colder, I’m preferring to eat hot or warm foods. Today’s sautéed kale recipe comes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s sassy vegan cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance. It’s very simple to prepare and very flavorful. It’s a great recipe to serve to kale novices or skeptics.
Garlicky Kale with Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound kale, well rinsed and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 t salt
- Lemon wedges to serve
Tahini Dressing
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 t
- 2 T fresh parsley
Instructions
- Sauté the garlic in the olive oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Add the kale, the salt, and a few splashes of water. Use tongs to toss the kale around, coating it with the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Serve with a drizzle of tahini dressing.
- Garnish with lemon wedges.
Tahini Dressing
- Place all ingredients, except for the parsley, and 3/4 cup of water in a blender and blend until smooth. Add extra water, as needed, to thin. (Remember that it will thicken once it’s refrigerated, so keeping it on the thin side is not a bad idea.) Pulse in the parsley, taste for salt, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Any variety of kale is delicious sautéed. Note that lacinato kale will cook faster than green or red curly kale. You can use the stems of the kale if they are on the slender side, about 1⁄4 inch wide. If they are any larger, cut the leaves away from the stem.