Kale with Pears and Olives

Finally working through the rest of the Kalamata olives. Tonight's meal was a variation on yesterday's. While pulling the olive and feta cheese out of the refrigerator, I saw a pear, and decided to add that. Debated using the tomatoes, and included them. And finally the corn I cooked up and put in the freezer a couple days ago, and pulled out a bit to use tonight. No oil was used in the saute. My nutrition program has stalled, so no calorie count tonight.

Saute:
1/3 c. onion, diced (sweet Hermiston onion)


Add and continue sauting:
1 pear, chopped up (skin on)
12 kalamata olives, halved
5 grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup corn, from cooked corn on the cob


Add, cover and wilt (lower temp to simmer):
1 oz, white wine
1 C. kale, ripped into bitesize pieces


Serve and top with:
2 Tbsp. feta cheese crumbles


Rated a 4.65 on the Kale Scale

Kalamata Kale

Another skillet of mixed flavors, but tasty and would do again. I didn't use any oil for the saute, but used the non-stick skillet I've mentioned before (Pro-HG, really non-stick). Here is a pix of the mix without the feta cheese topping, and one with.

Saute:
1/4 C. onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 sweet pepper (yellow), diced


Add, and continue sauting:
11 grapes tomatoes, quartered (eleven because that's what I had)
12 kalamatta olives, halved
1/2 tsp. oregano, dried
6 basil leaves, cut up
1/2 tsp. black pepper, ground


Add, cover and wilt:
1 C. kale, ripped into bite size pieces
1 oz. white wine


Serve and top with:
3 Tbsp. feta cheese crumbles.

Rated a 4.45 on the Kale Scale.

Feta Topped Kale

Another greek flavor concoction. I liked this one better than the last one from a couple days ago. I reduced the amount of ingredients, and calories and increased the flavor focus. I’ll consider swapping out the egg for a bit of chicken next time.

Saute together (non-stick pan):
1/4 C. green onion (white end only), sliced
1 orange sweet pepper (or yellow or red) medium, chopped up

Add and scramble:
1/2 tsp. coconut oil
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. turmeric

Add and continue saute:
8 grape tomatoes (large but not quite cherry size), quartered
10 kalamatta olives, pitted, halved
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 ground pepper

Add, and wilt:
2 Tbsp. white wine
1 C. kale, ripped into bite size pieces

Serve and top with 1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese.

Rated 4.43 on the Kale Scale.

Papaya Kale

Another hot day; the papaya was ripe, the blackberries came right off the vine, and watermelon was nice and cold. I need to learn how to dice papaya better, a tasty salad it was anyway. Why the dressing? Because I still don’t like eating the kale without covering it up!

1 C. Kale, ripped into bite size pieces
1 Papaya, peeled, diced
1/2 Blackberries, raw
25 Watermelon balls
3 tsp. (yes tsp.) of olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

Toss everything and serve.

Rated a 4.45 on the Kale Scale.

Greek-ish Kale Skillet

Some feta cheese caught my eye at the grocery store, so I ended up with that and the kalamatta olives. Everything else I had on hand. Pine nuts, I keep in the freezer and use as needed. The hominy, was opened couple days ago for another kale meal.

If I were to do it over, I’d leave out the hominy and the black grapes, and increase the tomato. This would simplify the constellation of flavors and make for a simpler dish. When I put the 3 Tbsp. of pine nuts in the pan to toast them, I thought they looked like a small number (this is the serving size per the package). But once on top of the meal, they were plenty! This meal was pretty good, as is. Any attempt at redo would be to knock off calories and simplify the set of flavors.

Saute:
1/2 tsp. Coconut oil
1 C. Onion, chopped
1 tsp. Garlic, minced

Add and saute:
1 Roma Tomato, chopped
4 Grape Tomatoes, halved
12 Black Grapes, halved
1/2 C. Hominy
7 Basil. fresh leaves, chopped
1 tsp. Thyme, fresh, leaves

Add, cover and wilt as desired:
1 C. Kale, chopped to bite size pieces
2/3 C. Swiss Chard, chopped to bite size pieces
1.5 oz White Wine

Serve and top with:
6, Kalamatta olives, pitted, halved
1/4-1/3 C. Feta Cheese crumbles
3 Tbsp. Pine Nuts, toasted

Rated a 4.25 on the Kale Scale.

Peaches and Greens

This concoction calls for only 1 peach, but I liked the plural sound in the title. Today called for a salad: the chard and kale were fresh. I did a layered approach - put kale and chard on the bottom, then portion of all the fruits, repeat layer 2 more times. Drizzle the dressing and mix it around some.

2/3 C. kale, ripped to bite size pieces
3/4 C. swiss chard, ripped to bite size pieces
1 peach, chopped up
1 apricot, chopped up
25 watermelon balls
50 blueberries
2 Tbsp. oil and balsamic vinegar (Safeway Select)

• Put 1/3 kale and chard on the bottom
• Add 1/3 of the peach, apricot, watermelon and blueberries
• Repeat this layering 2 more times.
• Drizzle dressing on top.
• Mix it up a little bit and serve.

I think I like fruit, which pushes this up the Kale Scale some.

Rated a 4.45 on the Kale Scale.

Hominy Kale

This was a somewhat simple affair. Next time, I might cut the Kale into smaller pieces and stir fry then add the egg. The concoction tasted good, just not my favorite.

Saute these 5 ingredients:

1/2 tsp. coconut oil

1/3 C. onion, chopped

1/4 C. yellow squash, chopped

1/2 to 2/3 C. tomatoes, diced, canned

1/2 C. golden hominy, drained

Add herbs and spices, as desired:

Fresh basil

Fresh thyme

Fresh chives

Ground pepper

Mrs. Dash

Add and stir around:

1 egg, beaten with

1 egg white

Top with kale, cover until kale is wilted.

Mix it all up.

Add worcestershire sauce to taste.

Serve.

Rated a 3.7 on the Kale Scale.

August Apple Kale Saute

I didn't really want to cook anything, and considered just eating popcorn for dinner. But, then my neighbor brought a gift of more organically grown kale, and I already have a couple cups that I had frozen. So to avoid a kale storage problem, I got in gear and threw this together.

Saute these 5 ingredients:
1/2 tsp. coconut oil
1/3 C. onion, chopped
1/4 C. yellow squash, chopped
1 apple, chopped
2/3 C. tomatoes, roasted, canned
3 0z. chicken breast, already baked, cut up

Add these herbs and spices, as much as you desire:
Parmesan, grated
Pepper, ground
Salt
Fresh basil
Fresh chives
Fresh thyme

Add, cover, simmer until Kale is wilted:
1 oz. white wine
1 C. Kale, ripped to bite size pieces

It was pretty tasty, but next time I might reconsider putting the tomatoes in with the apple.

Rated a 3.85 on the Kale Scale

Spicy Potato Kale

The temperature dropped a bit today, so I felt like cooking something.

1 potato, russet, baked
1/2 tsp. coconut oil
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup yellow squash, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
Raisins, 1 box (1.5 oz)
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp flax seed meal, ground
1 oz. white wine
1 C. Kale, ripped into bite size pieces
3 tsp worcestershire sauce
6 oz non-fat greek yogurt

• Bake the potato in microwave, set aside.
• Saute the onion, squash, and tomatoes in coconut oil
• Add raisins, flax seed meal and spices.
• Cut up the baked potato and add to the saute.
• Add wine and top with the kale, and wilt to your desire.
• Sprinkle with worcestershire sauce.
• Serve with non-fat greek yogurt.

Rated a 4 on the Kale Scale.

Nutrition Site

I thought this was an interesting and useful nutrition website. You can check out make up of foods, compare with others, record and track recipes, etc.

Tuscan Kale Salad

Another name for the Lacinata Kale is Tuscan Kale. It originated in Italy in couple hundred years ago. The flat bite size pieces of kale are hard to spear when attempting a forkful of salad. Doable, just have to work at it.

1 C. Kale, Lacinata variety, ripped into bite size pieces
1 ear of corn
1 clementine orange, peeled and chopped
10 grape tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp. olives, sliced
2.5 oz chicken breast, baked, chopped up
2 Tbsp. Tuscan Italian Dressing (Annie's Naturals)

Cook the corn any way you want. Cut the kernels off and use in this recipe.
The chicken is a portion that was marinated, baked and frozen for my lunches. I thawed and heated a piece for this recipe.
Toss all ingredients.

Serve.

Rated a 4.1 on the Kale Scale.

Fruit For The Dragon Salad

Went to the Saturday Market and bought some fresh organically grown kale, called Dragon’s Tongue (Lacinata) from Persephone’s Organic Farm. This heirloom variety is recognizable by its elongated, dark blue-green leaves and pebbly texture, hence the name dinosaur or dragon tongue. It was chewy, and not bitter when eaten fresh.

1 C Kale, ripped to bite size pieces

1 plum, chopped

1 clementine orange, peeled and chopped

1 peach, chopped

50 blueberries

6 cherries, pitted and halved

11 black seedless grapes, halved

1 apricot, chopped

2 Tbs. oil & vinegar dressing (Safeway Select)

Toss all ingredients and serve.

Rated a 4.3 on the Kale Scale.

Red, Blue and Orange Kale Salad

This was last night's dinner. Best to use fresh kale for salads; the frozen is better for a saute or other cooked use. I chose to use my optional items that increase fat and calories - dressing and almonds. But, it's much tastier this way.

Mix up the following in a bowl:

1 C Kale, ripped into bite size pieces

50 Blueberries

1 Clementine orange, peeled and chopped.

20 Watermelon balls

1 Plum, chopped up

Toss with:

2 Tbs oil & vinegar salad dressing (Safeway select)

1 oz slivered almonds, toasted without oil or salt

Rated a 4 on the Kale Scale.

Kale Skillet

The calorie count on this was a surprise. Well, so too the fat count. But, the mixture just kept growing. The 3 soy links might have been a bit much; so too the apricot and dates. I could have cut down the coconut milk too. The flavor was pretty good.

Saute these things together, add each item when you think it's time:
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 C onion, chopped
1/4 C fennel, chopped
kernals from 1 ear of corn, cooked
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T. olives, chopped
Spice mix 1/8 tsp each of cinnamon, cardamon, corinander, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric and
1/16 tsp each of cumin, curry, chili powder.

Add:
3 links, meatless sausage (breakfast links), cooked and cut up

Add and simmer until most liquid is absorbed:
3/4 C coconut milk (a smaller amount would work well too)

Add and cook until wilted to your desire:
1 C kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1/3 C chard, ripped to bit size pieces

Serve.

Rated a 3.7 on the Kale Scale.

Fruit'n'Veggie Kale

1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/4 C onion, chopped
1/3 C fennel bulb, chopped
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ear corn, cut the kernals off the cob
1 pouch albacore white tuna in water
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Mrs Dash
1/2 tsp dill weed, dried
1/4 cup Coconut milk, lite
2 Tbsp white wine
1 C. Kale, ripped to bite size pieces
1/2 papaya fruit, diced

1/2 avocado, diced

Saute the onion and fennel in the coconut oil.
Add the tomatoes, corn, and tuna. Continue to saute.
Add the spices.
Add the coconut milk, top the mixture with the Kale. Add wine on top.
Cover and wilt the kale to your desire.

Serve and top with the papaya and avocado.

Rated a 3.67 on the Kale Scale.

Don’t Try This At Home

This recipe didn’t work out so good. I didn’t take a picture, and didn’t run the nutrition numbers The problem was the avocado – it doesn’t sauté well. The dressing sort of saved the day, but not enough to get the Kale Scale rating above a 3.

¼ C onion
½ tsp garlic, minced
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ tsp ground pepper
½ tsp Mrs Dash
½ avocado, diced
1 Clementine orange, diced
1 C. kale, ripped into bite size pieces
1 oz white wine

Saute all except the kale and wine.
Add the wine and kale, let kale wilt to your desire.

Serve with Annie’s Natural Tuscan Italian Dressing.

Rated a 2.75 on the Kale Scale.

Freezing Kale - Yes You Can!

My method of freezing prep might short-cut what a person experienced in food preservation would do. But, my intention with freezing kale is to keep it for a week; to make it easy to grab some kale that is ready-to-go into the saute pan or salad bowl.

Washing kale - yes, need to do. Wash the whole leaves. Shake off excess. Rip up kale leaves into bite size pieces. Use salad spinner to further dry the leaves.

Should one blanch the leaves? You can, but you don't have to. I blanched one bag of kale and didn't blanch the rest. I found that the blanched leaves were a brighter green, even after freezing, but to me, no difference in flavor. At least in the recipe I used the kale in.

Whether blanched or just spun in the salad spinner, I further dried off the leaves by rolling them up in several sheets of paper towel, and gently squashed to get droplets of water off the leaves.

After washing, ripping, optional blanching, drying, I measured a packed Cup - weighed out to around 55 grams. This is packed like you'd pack brown sugar for a baking recipe. Stuff the leaves in there.

Then place this packed cup of leaves into a ziploc bag and toss in

the freezer. When ready to use, the kale thaws out almost immediately, just sitting on the cutting board awaiting use in a saute pan. I haven't tried the frozen kale in a salad yet.

I used frozen kale in my dinner last night. Worked perfectly. The recipe was a re-do of Wednesday and Thursday's Toful and Kale experiments. I used up the leftover tofu scramble, corn, diced tomatoes, and fake meatballs. I didn't post the recipe since it was so much like the other two.

Freezing kale rates a 5 on the Kale Scale for ease of use!

Using more of the Tofu Scrambler I made last night. For spice, I added pepper, worcesteshire sauce, wine, and more basil. The fake meat balls were a nice addition too. All of this made for a very palatable meal.

1/4 tsp coconut oil
1 C Kale, ripped to bite size, cut finer with kitchen shears
6 basil leaves, chopped fine
1/3 C Corn kernals
3 tsp Olives, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1/4 tsp Mrs Dash
1 oz White wine
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Saute these 9 ingredients.

6 fake meatballs, Mama Mia

Microwave on high 1 minutes and set aside.

1/3 of the tofu scramble (mix made with 1 brick of tofu. using 1/3 tonight)

Add to the kale mixture and continue cooking, stirring up the contents of pan.

1/2 C tomatoes, diced / organic / canned

Add the tomatoes to the kale mixture and cook until liquid mostly evaporates.

Serve, topping with the fake meatballs.

Rated a 3.85 on the Kale Scale.

Tofu Kale

Using Tofu Scrambler, I did up the entire 14 oz package of tofu, but only used ¼ of it for this recipe. I also used some of the chard I froze yesterday, and some of the fresh basil – both gifted from my neighbors organic farm CSA delivery. While the result was good, it would have rated higher if I had added more spice – even pepper.

½ tsp. coconut oil
1 package Tofu, Firm
1 package of Tofu Scrambler

Mix these 3 ingredients together, cook and set aside.

1 C. Kale, ripped to bite size pieces, cut up smaller with kitchen shears
½ C. Chard, chopped finer than the kale.
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp. garlic, minced
6 basil leaves, fresh, cut fine

Sauté these 5 ingredients to your desired state of perfection.

Add ¼ of the Scrambled Tofu. Mix and cook for a few minutes.

Serve with some A-1 sauce, ketsup or other condiment of your choosing.

The nutrition information includes 1 Tbs of A-1.

Rated a 3.4 on the Kale Scale.

Night Out With Kale

National Night Out and I wanted something quick to eat before going to our local event. Adding the A-1 sauce to the egg whites worked well to get some additional flavor. Also, I made this with some kale that I froze. The experiment worked!

1.25 C cauliflower florets
1 oz. white wine
1 T. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp butter
½ tsp coconut oil
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 T. olives, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 egg whites
1 T A-1 sauce
1 clementine orange, peeled and chopped

Put 4 ingredients in microwave bowl and cook on high 5 minutes; stir halfway.
Heat the oil in sauté pan, add cauliflower, tomatoes, olives and garlic. Cook for couple minutes.
Mix A-1 sauce with egg whites and stir up.
Add egg whites to the cauliflower mix and scramble.
Serve with orange and sesame on top.

Rated a 3.70 on Kale Scale.

Monday Kale Mix

The temporary cap on my tooth allows me to be comfortable adding a bit of heft to my evening meal. Crown coming at the end of the month! This recipe was good, and has some potential for do-over. Some sesame seeds, A-1, or yogurt would have added a nice touch.

• ½ tsp coconut oil
  
• 1 C. Kale, ripped into bite size pieces and cut smaller with kitchen shears
  
• 2 T. Olives, chopped
  
• 4 Cherry tomatoes, cut in ½
  
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
  
• 3-4 strips of Fake bacon, crisp and crumbled
  
• 2 egg whites, beaten with spices and wine
  
• ½ tsp black pepper, ground
  
• 1/8 tsp turmeric, ground
  
• ¼ tsp Mrs Dash
  
• 1 oz. white wine
  
• 1 Clementine orange, peeled, sectioned and cut up
  

Saute the kale, olives and tomatoes in the coconut oil.
While that cooks, microwave the fake bacon strips until crisp.
Beat egg whites enough to mix in the pepper, turmeric, Mrs. Dash and wine.
Add the egg white mix to the sauté pan and scramble with the kale mix.
Serve the kale and egg mix on a plate. Top with orange and bacon pieces.

Rated a 3.5 on the Kale Scale.