My New Favorite Recipe

I used to work at Mrs. Winner's Chicken and Biscuit back when I was 16.  For a time they had an all-you-can-eat bar and I used to be the one to man the bar.  I would set the bowls of salad trimmings into ice and surround it with thick, large leaves of curly kale.  That was the only kale I knew.  I thought kale was a decorative leaf, not something to eat.

Last year my mom planted kale and shared some with us.  Around the same time Faithful Provisions, my favorite couponing site, had posted a Kale Chip recipe.  I tried it out and you would have thought it was chocolate covered strawberries the way the Fish Sticks devoured it.  I ran to the Farmer's Co-op and bought a pack of seeds.  We enjoyed Kale Chips all throughout the fall last year.  I had to start making 2 cookie sheets at a time and My Man had to divvy it up so no Fish Stick was too greedy with them.

Kale is a power food - one of those that are on the top 5 most nutritious foods - packed with vitamins and minerals.  Then this year Broccoli Cupcake posted a recipe about Garlic Kale that Whole Foods makes.  I've never had the Whole Foods one but I love garlic (and know how awesome it is for you nutritionally) and I love kale.  I will say that the raw garlic gives it quite a punch so for the Fish Sticks, I half the garlic.  I could eat 3 cups of this at a time, it's THAT good.

Garlic Kale

2 bunches kale, wash and cut into thin strips

2 cloves crushed garlic 

2 Tb. sesame oil (or tahini)

2 Tb. Bragg's Amino Acids (healthy alternative to soy sauce)

2 Tb. fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)

2 Tb. water

4 Tb. nutritional yeast

black pepper

Cut the kale and massage with your hands.  This is crucial as it releases the flavor of the kale and also assists in allowing the marinate to soak in.  Mix all the other ingredients in a separate bowl.  I actually waited on the nutritional yeast and then sprinkled that over the top and tossed.  Get your hands a bit messy and mix it up by hand, squeezing as you go.  The longer it marinates, the better it is.  So delicious and so healthy!