Sautéed Green Kale

After a few days of adding some previously, although rarely, used veggies I'm back with a real one. So far I've always thought of Kale as rabbit food .... not people food. But I've gotten great recommendations from multiple people and its been on my list since the beginning of the year. Today, Kale became New Veggie #23.   The recipe I tried today comes directly from one of my old friends - Nitika Jassal. I've made very slight modifications to make it just a little more my style. She told me I was a dork for not having tried Kale so far in my life and encouraged me to try it. I'm glad I did :)

Prep Time: 10-12 min.

Ingredients:

1. One bunch Kale, chopped
2. 2 tsp Earth Balance buttery spread    
3. 2 tsp Garlic, minced 
4. 2 tsp red chili powder, or flakes 
5. 2-3 tsp Mustard seeds
6. Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

Tear, or coarse chop kale, making sure to remove any particularly tough stems. Heat earth balance on medium heat and add garlic and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to sputter, add chili powder, mix well and add kale, and just a splash of water or vegetable broth. Cover kale with spices, and turn heat down to medium low and cook, covered for a few minutes, until the greens begin to wilt. I learnt after I was done cooking this recipe that Kale should ideally be cooked down until its completely wilted, as that helps release its nutrients. I added sea salt after the Kale was done cooking to add just a little bit of texture to the dish and to prevent the leaves from releasing all their water in the pan. Now normally I would not use butter, and instead would use Vegetable broth. I used butter because absorption of  ß-carotene from vegetables such as kale and sweet potato is enhanced by a little bit of fat in the preparation.  

My Assessment: I kinda sorta liked it. It was somewhat tough to eat even after 10 minutes of cooking. I will definitely cook it for longer the next time. I've not given up on it yet :) Thanks Nitika, for the suggestion!