Warm Kale & Potato Salad

Ingredients:

*large bunch organic kale

*4-5 [small to medium] organic potatoes

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup diced green scallions

1-2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and coarse ground pepper to taste

1. Wash kale well with cold water and do not pat dry, the extra moisture is good and will help cook the kale down a bit. Cut each kale leaf down to bite-sized pieces. Because of their bitterness and texture, I cut out the stems and use only the kale leaves.

2. Heat a large sauteing pan and a few drops of olive oil on low, toss in the kale, garlic and add then add a 1/4 cup of water; mix and cover with a lid. Simmer the leaves down until they've become very soft and a deep green. You can't really over cook kale, so just cook it until your desired texture.

3. As the kale is cooking, bring water in a medium sized pot to a boil. Peel each potato and cut into bite-sized pieces. Boil the potatoes for about 7-10 minutes or until tender.

4. When the potatoes are done cooking, drain and toss in with the kale. Now add in the cherry tomatoes, scallions and a tablespoon of olive oil; mix together well and continue to cook until all the ingredients are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Serves: 4

Total time: 25 minutes

*Kale and potatoes are both on the Dirty Dozen list, choose organic whenever possible.

LIVING SIMPLY GLUTEN FREE

Linguine with Clams and Such

One of our CSA members, Michelle at Find Your Balance Health offered to share a recipe with us, so please enjoy!

 

Ingredients

-1 lb. whole wheat linguine pasta
-1 Tbsp. olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 shallots, minced
-1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
-6-10 oz. baby clams packed in olive oil
-14 oz. strained tomatoes
-4 cups vegetable broth
-4 leaves tuscan or green curly kale, finely chopped (stems included)
Top secret ingredient: 1/4 cup dried wakame crumbles

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, shallots and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook until garlic barely turns golden. Then add clams, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Add kale and wakame. Simmer 45 minutes. Add salt if needed (depends how salty your broth is.)
In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions. Serve hot, topped with a generous amount of clam sauce and an optional sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Baked Garlic Kale Chips

These kale chips are simple to make and everyone will love them! You may even find yourself eating half a bunch of kale in one sitting!

 Ingredients: 

-1 bunch of kale - any variety works

-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil

-1 tsp garlic powder
-a pinch of sea salt

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-Thoroughly wash your bunch of kale and rip into hand sized pieces and put into a large bowl. Be sure to remove the thickest part of the stem from the pieces you are ripping, as it is too tough and takes away from the chip experience.

-Add to the bowl of torn kale your sea salt and massage it into the greens for one to two minutes. You'll notice the kale wilts, this makes it less tough and more chip like. Then toss the oil and garlic with the kale and be sure to mix thoroughly so that all pieces are coated.


-Spread the kale out over two baking sheets so that each piece is not laying on top of one another. Bake for 10-20 minutes, until crispy. Let cool then enjoy!


Variations:

-add fresh or dried dill (1-3tsp) and 1 tsp of onion powder for ranch style kale chips.
-add nutritional yeast and a tablespoon of lemon juice for "cheesey" kale chips.

Green Eggs and Ham

 Today's recipe comes from The Food Lover's Primal Palate and features kale! This pesto is a great stand in for the original when you've got lots of kale but no basil!

Kale Pesto

Ingredients:
-2 cups kale, de-veined
-1/3 cup pine nuts (walnuts or almonds would be great, less expensive replacements)
-1 Tbsp lemon zest
-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 lemon juice

Directions:

-In a food processor, pulse kale leaves and pine nuts.

-Add in garlic and continue to pulse.

-While the mixture is processing, slowly add in olive oil.

-Add in salt and pepper to taste.

-Continue to blend until all ingredients are evenly blended

Eggs and Ham

 Ingredients:

-2 pastured eggs

-3 slices of Irish bacon (ham style bacon)

-1 tablespoons of Kerrygold Pure Irish grass fed butter

-Black pepper to taste

Process:

-Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. 

-Crack eggs in to skillet, sprinkle with black pepper, and cook on low until whites are cooked through.

-In another skillet, fry bacon on medium heat until crispy.

-Plate eggs over bacon, drizzle with kale pesto, and garnish with avocado slices.

Kale, Mushroom and Red Scallion Quiche

Kale, Mushroom and Red Scallion Quiche
Serves 8

Quiche is my quick and easy go-to meal when I have various vegetables and eggs in the fridge. A personal rule of mine is whenever making quiche, make at least two pies because it is the same amount of effort and you can always freeze one. You pretty much can put any vegetables in quiche and it will taste great. For this reason, I try to always keep extra pie shells in the freezer.

We were a few weeks in to our CSA with LFFC, and did not know what to do with all the kale. So I made a quiche with it using other CSA ingredients, red onions and button & shitake mushrooms. Usually, I make quiche with spinach, but I think it tastes much more substantial with kale.

-Dev

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
3 red scallions chopped
1 container shitake mushrooms w/ stems removed (cleaned w/ warm paper towel)
1 container white button mushrooms w/ stems removed (cleaned w/ warm paper towel)
2 garlic cloves (chopped) or 1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
red chili flakes to taste (if you like heat)
½ tsp of nutmeg (this is the secret ingredient!)
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped w/ stems removed (remove most of the water with salad spinner to avoid a soggy quiche)
1 tbsp olive oil
5 large eggs
1 ½ cups milk
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (whatever type you fancy. I used a shredded mozzarella/cheddar mix)
2 frozen pie shells

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Melt butter on cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onions for 2 minutes.

3. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about 4 minutes until mushrooms are fragrant (it will shrink in the pan). Mix in paprika, chili flakes, a sprinkle of salt and nutmeg and sauté an additional 4 minutes (or until mushrooms are brown). Add chopped kale and after drizzling the kale with olive oil, cover with lid for 3-4 minutes). At this time the steam from the kale, mushrooms and onions will wilt the kale slightly.

4. Keep opening the lid every 2 minutes and turn the mixture until the kale is a dark green and wilted. Then spoon the mushroom and kale mixture evenly into pie shells. Cover the mixture with half of the shredded cheese (1/4 cup into each pie shell).

5. In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk until frothy. Slowly add in Parmesan and continue to whisk.

6. Pour equal amounts of the liquid egg mixture on top of the mushroom kale mixture. Lastly sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top of everything.

7. Bake for about 45 minutes. The egg will rise a bit and the top should be slightly browned and the center set. Allow it to cool for 20-30 minutes, then slice and serve. Makes 8 servings. (Note: You technically can slice and eat it earlier, but it might lose its shape if not properly cooled . . . like mine did)

Cous Cous, Swiss Chard and Chickpeas

From: Real Simple

from Real Simple, February 2007

This is an easy recipe to adapt to whatever you have on hand, or just to make it interesting to make repeatedly. Instead of chard, try spinach, kale or other greens. Substitute almonds or pecans for the pine nuts. Try quinoa, wheat berries or barley instead of cous cous, etc.

1 10-oz box couscous
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I chopped it)
1 15.5-oz can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup raisins (dark or golden)
2 bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed (I used spinach)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used regular salt)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Place the couscous in a bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups boiling water and stir. Cover tightly and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over low heat, toast the pine nuts, shaking the pan frequently, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. (I toasted them in a toaster.)

Return skillet to medium heat, add the oil, and heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas, raisins, chard, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and divide among individual plates. Top with the chard and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Serves 4.

Pizza with Kale (or Chard), Roasted Garlic and 4 Cheeses

Adapted From: Eggs on Sunday

Ingredients:
Your favorite pizza dough
2 big handfuls of kale or chard, sauteed in some olive oil until tender, then chopped
cloves from about half a head of roasted garlic, thickly sliced
3 cups of grated cheese: a mix of fontina, asiago, provolone and mozzarella
sprinkling of aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F with a baking stone inside. Heat the baking stone for 30 minutes while you're working on the rest of the ingredients.

Generously dust a pizza peel (or the back of a sheet pan) with coarse cornmeal or flour. Roll or stretch your pizza dough out to a 12 to 14 inch circle directly on the peel (or pan.)

Top the crust with half the grated cheese, then half the sliced roasted garlic and half the sauteed kale. Sprinkle lightly with pepper flakes if using. Repeat with another layer of cheese, garlic, and kale.

Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and just starting to brown, and the crust is golden brown.

Stir-Fried Kale and Broccoli Florets

From allrecipes.com

"Kale and broccoli are stir-fried with slivered garlic and chopped chili peppers, and finished with a splash of lime juice for a bright-tasting, satisfying side dish."

Ingredients
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
7 cloves garlic, sliced
1 chile pepper, chopped (optional)
1 head fresh broccoli, chopped
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, cut in thin strips
juice of 2 limes
salt

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Stir in garlic and chile pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli; cook 1 minute. Add kale, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Pour in lime juice, and season with salt to taste. Toss well.

Green Smoothies

Green smoothies made by Harlem CSA Shareholders!

CSA Shareholder Meryl presented a demo on Green Smoothies to fellow CSA shareholders in Harlem, NY during pick-up last week. She writes, "Green smoothies are super easy to make, and quick to clean up after. Preparing a pitcher of green smoothie takes less than five minutes, including cleaning. And they're a great way to use up all the produce in your share. While fresh is always best, green smoothies will keep in cool temperatures for up to three days." Click here for an article on the health benefits of green smoothies.

Green Smoothies
Savory Option #1 (Meryl's favorite!):
5 leaves kale or 2 handfuls of spinach
½ bunch cilantro
½ avocado
½ red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes
½ lime-juiced
Salt to taste
2 cups of water

Sweet Option #1:
½ bunch romaine lettuce or 5 leaves chard
1 mango
1 sweet apple (no Granny Smith for this)
1 banana
2 cups of water or 1½ cups water and 4 ice cubes

Sweet Option #2:
½ bunch Romaine or red leaf lettuce
1 cup strawberries
2 bananas
2 cups of water or 1½ cups water and 4 ice cubes

Sweet Option #3:
6 leaves kale
4 ripe pears or sweet apples
½ bunch mint
2 cups of water or 1½ cups water and 4 ice cubes

Directions for all:
Cut up all ingredients into small pieces (lettuce can be ripped). Add all to blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy. Recipes yield about 1 quart of smoothie.

Lentil Soup with Kale

101 Cookbooks, from which I've adapted the following lentil soup recipe, is one of my favorite resources to use when looking for a new recipe to try. Heidi Swanson initially conceived the website as a way to record recipes she cooked from her vast cookbook collection. Swanson is also the author of two cookbooks herself, including Super Natural Cooking and Super Natural Every Day.

Lentil Soup with Kale (adapted from this 101 Cookbooks recipe)

makes 6-8 generous servings

6 C water

2 C green lentils, picked through and rinsed

2 t olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/4 C chopped garlic scapes

1/2 C chopped white mushrooms

1 28-ounce can organic fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 C water

1 C low-sodium organic vegetable broth

3 C loosely packed (torn) kale leaves (I just tore the leaves from the stalks into bite-sized pieces)

1. Bring a large pot of water (6 cups) to a boil. Add in the lentils and cook until softened, about 20-25 minutes.

2. While the lentils are cooking, heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the bottom of the pot and saute the onions with the salt until softened. Add in the chopped garlic scapes and mushrooms and saute for several more minutes.

3. Stir in the fire-roasted tomatoes, water, and veggie broth. Decrease the heat and allow the mixture to simmer.

4. Add in the cooked lentils and simmer for a few more minutes.

5. Stir in the kale and cook for one to two minutes more.

6. Spoon each serving into a bowl. Top with a drizzle of olive oil or small dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Sautéed Kale

Thank you to Leslie, a CSA shareholder, for sharing this "delicious and easy" kale recipe with us, which comes from a 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine.

Sauteed Kale

makes 1 serving (plus leftovers)

1 lb kale, tough stems and center ribs discarded and leaves cut into 1-inch-wide strips (8 cups)

2 T olive oil

1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 garlic clove, minced

pinch of dried hot red pepper flakes

1 T red-wine vinegar, or to taste

1/4 t salt

1. Cook kale in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 10 minutes, then drain in a colander.

2. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Reduce heat to moderate, then add kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

5. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar and salt.

Note: Sautéed kale can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Komatsuna with Garlic, Raisins & Pine Nuts

What looked something like collard greens in this week’s share were komatsuna, a Japanese green leafy with, I think, a fairly mild flavor. Milder than collards or kale, for sure. When I’m in doubt about what to do with something green, I usually just add garlic and lemon, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil…and its gotta taste good! I threw in some raisins and pine nuts, which I guess must make this dish sort of a Mediterranean-Asian fusion…The best part is, NO COOKING required, which means your kitchen stays cooler, there is one fewer pan to wash, and all of the nutrients in your greens, raisins and pine nuts are raring to go!

One medium bunch greens (here, komatsuna, but kale, chard, collards, and escarole are all tasty this way!)
1/3 cup raisins
¼ cup raw (untoasted) pine nuts
1 large clove of garlic
½ a lemon
Olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper

Remove the hard part of the stems/stalks from your greens, and stack them, slicing several leaves at a time into ½ inch ribbons. (Be sure to wash and dry them well either before or after slicing!) Place greens in a large bowl, with some room to toss them.
Slice/shave garlic into very very thin slices. There are special little slicers for this, or you could use a vegetable peeler.
Toss garlic, raisins and pine nuts with greens, as well as 2 teaspoons of lemon juice (or more, to taste), a tablespoon of olive oil (to coat the greens – use a little more if you have a really big bunch!), a ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a dash of black pepper. Toss really well until every thing is coated, and adjust lemon, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover, and let sit for ½ hour or so before serving, tossing a couple more times. This will server several people as a side dish, or makes a great big salad, as well!

Ortine's Kale Pesto

Green Kale from LFFC member farm Autumn Blend Organics.

This vegan kale pesto is a creation of Sarah Peck, CSA site host and owner of Ortine in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. It was originally published in Prospect Heights Patch (click here to view to article). Sarah recommends using this recipe on pizzas and pastas. Leftovers can be frozen for up to a month. Enjoy!

Ortine's Kale Pesto
Ingredients
1 to 2 bunches kale, tough stems removed, roughly chopped
½ cup of your favorite nuts (Sarah uses almonds and also recommends walnuts)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. To roast the nuts, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roast the nuts on a baking sheet until fragrant and slightly brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool.
2. In a large pot, season 2 quarts of water with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the kale and boil just until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and let cool, then squeeze out the excess liquid.
3. Transfer the drained kale and roasted nuts to a food processor, add the oil and garlic and process to the desired texture (a rougher or smoother pesto). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Vegan Kale Cake with Sweet Potato Filling

Photo by CSA shareholder and professional food photographer, Evi Abeler (www.eviabeler.com).

This has to be my new favorite dessert! It's a creation of CSA shareholder Laura Forer, who picks up her share in Harlem, NYC. Her online bakery, Waltzing Matilda's NYC, specializes in unique Australian pastries. Laura adapted a carrot cake recipe that she found on Hell Yeah It's Vegan! Blog to create the cake, and a vegan vanilla-banana custard recipe from Food.com to create the fabulous filling. (http://hellyeahitsvegan.com/, http://www.food.com/). Thank you, Laura!

Kale Cake with Sweet Potato Filling
Filling Ingredients
2 cups soymilk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 sweet potatoes, boiled and blended until smooth
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch nutmeg

Cake Ingredients
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspon baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons flax seed meal
¾ cup warm water
1 to 1½ cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups blanched, shocked, and chopped kale (about 2 bunches)
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Icing Ingredients
2 8-ounce containers Tofutti cream cheese
¼ to ½ cup vegan margarine
¾ to 1½ cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling Directions
1. Whisk cornstarch, sugar, and salt together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Add milk and sweet potato and whisk until lumps disappear.
3. Heat over medium heat, whisking, until the custard thickens.
4. To test whether the custard is thick enough, dip a wooden spoon into the mixture and run your finger through the coating.
5. When the custard is thick enough, the trail will not close back up.
6. Take the custard off heat. Whisk in vegan margarine, vanilla, and nutmeg.
7. Cool with a plastic sheet pressed to the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Cake and Icing Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 8×8″ pans with parchment paper. In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through salt). In a large bowl, whisk together flax seed meal and water. Beat in sugar and oil. Add vanilla and blanched and shocked kale and mix until combined. Add dry mix and stir until moistened. Fold in walnuts. Pour equal parts into pans. Bake for 18-20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes.
2. For the icing, beat together Tofutti cream cheese and vegan margarine. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; whip until smooth. Do not overbeat.
3. Use a knife to loosen edges of cake from pans. Using parchment paper, lift cakes out of pans. Carefully remove parchment paper from one cake. Frost one cake with sweet potato filling and one cake with icing. Layer and serve chilled.

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Kale

Thank you to Jeff, our warehouse manager, and his family for sharing their delicious vegan mac and cheese creation!

Vegan Mac and Cheese with Kale
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
4 tablespoons Earth Balance spread
¼ cup flour
3 cups vegetable broth
⅛ cup soy sauce
1½ tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 pound cooked macaroni pasta
1 bunch kale, leaves cut from stems and chopped

For the topping:
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 cup breadcrumbs Directions

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium size oven, over medium-low heat, melt the Earth Balance spread. Add flour and vegetable broth. Whisk into a smooth paste.
3. Stir in soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, turmeric, and salt and pepper.
4. Add nutritional yeast and mix until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
5. Add cooked macaroni and chopped kale leaves to the sauce and stir until pasta and kale leaves are coasted evenly.
6. In a small saucepan, melt the Earth Balance spread and toss the breadcrumbs to coat. Top macaroni dish with this mixture.
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Let rest for five minutes before serving.

Sweet Potatoes and Greens

The following recipe, courtesy of current White House chef, Sam Kass, was submitted by our Bala Cynwyd CSA site host, Hannah. She writes, “It was delicious, even without the cinnamon, cloves and honey.”

Sweet Potatoes and Greens
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 or 3 large sweet potatoes
2 bunches of greens (chard, kale or collards)
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground gloves
salt and pepper
¼ tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

Directions
1. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces
2. Heat half the oil in pan over medium heat, and add potatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just brown on all sides and soft (about 12-15 minutes, depending on size). When cooked, add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the greens (do not dry), remove stems and cut leaves into small pieces. Heat remaining oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding greens. Stir often and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Combine potatoes, honey and lemon juice with the greens, stir and serve.

Fall Minestrone with Kale and Butternut Squash

Fall Minestrone with Kale and Butternut Squash
(Adapted from The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters, published in 2007)

Ingredients
1 cup dried cannellini or borlotti beans (this will yield 2½ to 3 cups of cooked beans)
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 bunch kale, stemmed, washed, and chopped
3 to 4 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 small can tomatoes, drained and chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped sage
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
1 leek, diced
½ butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
Parmesan cheese

Directions
Prepare beans and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid. Heat olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until tender. Add kale, tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, and salt and cook for 5 minutes longer. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add diced leek. Cook for 5 minutes longer, then add squash and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Taste for salt and adjust as necessary. Add the cooked beans, along with 1 cup of the bean cooking liquid, and cook for 5 minutes longer. If the soup is too thick, add more bean cooking liquid. Remove the bay leaf and serve, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Baked Kale Chips

This is a well-loved favorite of many CSA members, but I wanted to share it with new members that may not have yet discovered this tasty treat! (The following recipe is courtesy of AllRecipes.com.)

Baked Kale Chips
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 bunch kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife, carefully remove kale leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite-sized pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoned salt.
3. Bake until edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Spicy Sardine and Kale Pasta

Sardines were a food fear of mine leftover from childhood. Canned whole fish just did not sound appetizing to me. Two nights ago I faced that fear and was pleasantly surprised. Who knew sardines were so cheap and delicious? And I can now say that something is "packed like a can of sardines" and actually know what that looks like!

Ingredients
1 can of boneless, skinless sardines packed in oil
1 can of organic chopped tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 bunch of dinosaur kale (de-veined and chopped)
1 lb of whole wheat spaghetti
2 tbsp. capers
4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely or pressed (less if you don't LOVE garlic like I do)
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicy!)
2 tsp. white wine or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. of fresh chopped basil
finely grated parmigiano reggiano for the top

1) Heat oil from sardines in a large sautee pan on medium/high heat.
2) Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil until garlic just starts to brown.
3) Add cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes.
4) Add chopped canned tomatoes and cook until heated through
5) Add vinegar, chopped kale, dried basil, black pepper and capers and cook until kale is wilted.
6) Add sardines, broken up into pieces.
7) Set on low heat to simmer while you cook your pasta- stirring occasionally.
8) Cook pasta according to instructions, and when it is al dente, drain it and add to the sauce.
9) Toss pasta in the sauce with fresh chopped basil until well combined.
10) Serve piping hot with a dusting of parmigiano reggiano.

Enjoy!

A Salty Spicy Kale Pasta Recipe

This recipe is so delicious and satisfying- I've made it many times. It comes from 101 Cookbooks, a blog written by Heidi Swanson, a vegetarian and natural foods blogger based in San Francisco. It combines whole wheat pasta and kale, with a sauce made from olive oil, lemon zest, freshly chopped garlic, toasted pine nuts, spicy harissa and oil cured olives. I've made it with quinoa pasta as well and it is just as good. Harissa can be a bit difficult to find, but any middle eastern grocery should have it.

Heidi Swanson's Harissa Spaghettini

It should be noted that this also tastes fantastic cold the next day. Enjoy!