Simply Perfect Sides: The Best Steamed Kale

We all know kale is super-duper healthy for you, making it a staple in most vegan kitchens and the star of many a vegan recipe. As much as I’ve wanted to like it, though, it took me some time and a lot of trial and error to find the best way to enjoy kale.

Raw (i.e., kale salad) is yummy but you need a really good dressing (like this one–my all-time fave) to effectively soften those tough leaves and cut the bitter flavor, and I just don’t always have the energy to both make the dressing and then clean my food processor. I do like raw kale in smoothies, but I’m not someone who can have a smoothie at dinner and feel that I’ve eaten the evening meal, know what I mean?

Sauteed with garlic and olive oil, which is my go-to for spinach and softer greens, seems to result in kale that is slightly dry and unevenly cooked. I have also had limited success with kale chips, finding that it’s far too easy for them to become dried-out or slightly (or even majorly!) burnt.

BUT I think I have finally nailed it. Trust me, this super-quick steamed side dish is your perfect kale. Even my husband, who is no big lover of leafy greens, will eat it without complaint, and dare I say, with some enjoyment? (Though I’ll let him weigh in on that one himself.)

To make:

• Wash and chop kale.
• Bring a tiny bit of salted water (maybe 1/4″ of water) to a boil in a medium saucepan. The water will not take long to boil so be ready!
• Add kale, cover, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until bright green and slightly wilted.
• Drain and add salt (or garlic salt!), pepper (or lemon pepper!), and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Toss to make sure it’s evenly coated.

That’s it–you’re done! You can also apply this exact method for collards or any other hardy, thick-stemmed greens.

Not counting the time it takes to wash and chop the kale (which is like, what, 2 minutes?), this side dish is ready in less than 5 minutes. Huge win in my book. I love being able to add a big nutritional boost to my dinner with minimal prep or cleanup.

Oh yeah, and it tastes delicious–seriously!

Vegan MoFo – Gettin’ Down with Brown

The point of this post is definitely not to be like “Look What I Ate!”  Trust me, I am aware that this is not 2007.  But once in a while I get excited about something I’ve made out of whatever stuff I have lying around.

Plus I’m really excited about the little bowl I made today because it fits in with my MoFo theme this week in that it’s full of yummy and under-appreciated brown foods!

Allow me to introduce you to the Brown Bowl (with accents of green of course!):

You’ve got your quinoa, your steamed kale, tempeh sausage crumbles, and brown rice all in one! (Sorry the image is a little off-center…Wordpress and I are currently having a disagreement over photo-editing.  And of course the rice looks white…sigh.)

Anyway, the bowl.  It’s a super-yummy and healthy option for lunch or dinner!  I suppose it doesn’t technically need a sauce but I like to have one.  Here, I used straight-up sriracha but a tahini sauce would be amazing as well (specifically I’m thinking a sriracha-tahini sauce.  Yeah, I’m obsessed.)

(And in this one everything is still off-center and looks yellow/orange.  Grr.)

I used the recipe for Tempeh Sausage Crumbles from Vegan with a Vengeance (click for recipe).  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in the early stages of my tempeh appreciation.  I’m loving this recipe as a cheap and versatile way to incorporate this protein- and iron-rich food into my diet.  Seriously, a single serving of tempeh (1 cup) has 31 grams of protein.  [Source: NutritionData.com]  Compare to a serving of steak (3 oz., and who actually eats that little?) which has 23 grams of protein but is also served with an unattractive side of cholesterol [source].

My first go at the tempeh crumbles recipe made enough to feed me for something like 5 meals.  Last week I packed it up with mashed Yukon Gold potatoes (left over from this recipe) and steamed kale.

I didn’t eat it in little perfect sections obviously.  Here it is, all mixed up like 311:

Tempeh sausage crumbles…not just for brunch anymore!