turn over a new leafy green

Leafy greens are another one of those superfoods. They are packed with fibre and nutrients and we should all aim for 1 serving a day. Infants and small children may have a harder time eating some of the coarser greens, as they can be a bit stringy, depending if they are raw or lightly cooked. But they are so good for them...and definitely keep things regular:)
Nora has had all kinds of greens by now...spinach, swiss chard, collard greens and kale...they are especially prevalent in Vancouver at this time of the year and we even grow chard in planter boxes on our porch. You can't get more local or more seasonal than that! She hasn't successfully managed raw greens yet, even lettuce is a little difficult. So we've been experimenting with different cooked greens. Any Italian food recipe can handle some greens thrown in (e.g. lasagna, risotto, polenta), but usually they call for milder ones like spinach or chard. These also work really well in crepes, if you steam the greens first then squeeze out all the moisture. Coarser greens need to be cooked a little longer, but do wonderfully mixed with beans (stay tuned for my post on wraps:) or in soups and stews, where they get to cook longer.
Tonight, I couldn't believe how well Nora ate this kale! Well, everything goes down easy when covered in mashed potatoes. But seriously, what a way to add colour and so many nutrients to potatoes. By freezing the kale first, it crumbles really easily and becomes less tough. This technique can be used for cooking kale in all kinds of recipes. It makes it almost an essential to add kale to any mashed potato dish.
This recipe is based on a dutch dish called Borenkool or Farmer's Kale. Using sausage makes it a big meal, substituting a fried egg makes it a little lighter for dinner or a casual brunch.



No Fail Kale
4 servings

1 bunch kale, washed & dried
1 lb potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 cup milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cheese, grated
salt & pepper
4 eggs or 4 sausages(veg or meat), fried

Place kale in freezer for 20-30 minutes. Place potatoes in a medium-sized pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil then crumble frozen kale on top, removing stems. Simmer for 15 minutes or until tender, then drain excess water. Add milk, fat, cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Mash well. Divide into 4 bowls then top with a fried egg or sausage.

Nutrient Information(per serving):
*calculated with the fried egg; if using sausage, all macronutrient values increase
286 KCal
18 g Protein
20 g Fat
11 g Carbohydrate
2 g Fibre
2.5 mg Iron
400 mg Calcium
725 RAE Vitamin A