Kickin Kale

"Kale is my best friend.  I eat Kale salad.  I put it in my smoothies, kale in my soup.  Kale, kale, kale! I feel like Popeye. I love it!"

~Alanis Morrissette (explaining her kale obsession to Runner's World)

I  know, I know....a big pile of green stuff doesn't photograph as well as say, a cupcake, but HEY!...we got excited about these greens, therefore they qualify for a post.  Besides, they're incredibly good for you and are perfect this time of year when garden fresh veggies are but a faint memory.  We went crazy for them.  After our first experience last week, they were so good we had to have them again, asap.

In our market they sell big bags of pre-washed and chopped kale and collard greens which make it really easy.  I bought the big bag of kale with the thought of making kale chips, but when it was evident that wasn't going to happen, I looked up a recipe to cook them.  Not discovering anything appealing, I decided to cook them like good 'ole southern collard greens.  That means long and slow, and with bacon!  I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com.  The original recipe, although delicious, was WAY too salty, so I've adjusted it.  The huge one pound bag cooks down much more than you would imagine.  I was shocked that the Mister and I polished it all off by ourselves. By the way, just a little tip;  they go great with garlicky mashed potatoes and any hearty meat, and if that meat has gravy, EVEN BETTER!

Kickin Kale
Inspired by a recipe for collard greens found on Allrecipes.com


1 tablespoon olive
3 slices bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt  (taste towards end of cooking, and add more if needed)
1 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh kale, washed and chopped into 2-inch pieces


Heat oil in a large pot over med-high heat.  Add bacon and cook until crisp.  Remove bacon, crumble and return to pan.  Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and stir around just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add kale and cook until it starts to wilt.
Pour in chicken broth, and add salt, pepper and pepper flakes.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45-55 minutes until broth is mostly boiled off and greens are tender.  ENJOY!