Week 1--Kale

In conversation with some family members and friends who say I eat "weird stuff," I began to think that much of what I eat I didn't actually grow up eating.  I have an adventurous spirit when it comes to food and I'm always searching for new foods that are nutritious and tasty.  This has led me to expand my palate and my cooking repertoire to satisfy my unusual cravings while keeping me healthy.


This year I will be featuring a weekly recipe with a seasonal produce item.  The recipes will be either my own creation or copied from outside sources.  I will try to choose recipes that are fast, easy, and versatile (aka:  good for kids and picky eaters as well). As much as possible I will select organic ingredients and most of my featured produce items will come from the local farmers market. 


This week we begin with Kale.

Kale is from the cabbage family, although its central leaves do not form a head.  kale is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, iron, calcium, and of course fiber.   Kale is also a good source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells (Source:  Wikipedia).   

This all may sound fantastic but if you can't make this fibrous, green vegetable edible there is really no point in all its health benefits, so let's get to the cooking...

Today we will be making ground beef tacos with, you guessed it, Kale.  Here is what you will need:

1lb ground beef.  I chose Trader Joe's organic, 100% grass fed 85/15 ground beef (see image below)

1 large onion chopped

1 large bell pepper chopped

3 large cloves of garlic minced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of water (or beer if you must)

Ground pepper

Cumin

Paprika

Salt

1 large bunch of kale chopped into small bite size pieces.  Remove hard middle stem.

Taco shells or tortillas

For garnish

1 cup shredded cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce

salsa(s)**  Probably a good idea to have more than one (mild and spicy)

Directions:

1. Brown meat in a large skillet (Note:  You do not need any cooking fat.  Cooking spray should be sufficient)

2. Add pepper, cumin, and paprika and salt to taste (I don't give measurements for spices because I never measure.  Pinch, dash, whatever you want.  Make it tasty)

3. Once meat is no longer pink add onion, bell pepper, garlic and cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft

4. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes

5. Add kale, cilantro, and water, cover and let kale steam for approximately 15 to 20 minutes (may require additional cooking since Kale can be tough)

6.  While kale cooks  heat up tortillas or taco shells.  Taco shells are probably more kid-friendly.  Organic corn tortillas are not easy to come by but if you can find them by all means use them.  I have ethical issues with Guerrero or any other brand of Mexican tortillas because they are known to contain genetically modified corn.  My husband however loves his Mexican tortillas so that's what I used.

7. Prepare garnishing for tacos.  I used jack pepper cheese, shredded lettuce, avocado/green salsa (purchased from Trader Joes) and my own extra spicy roasted tomato salsa, made with chiles de arbol (recipe upon request)

8. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:  I'm not a trained chef.  I cook from the heart.  If you like what you see let me know.  If you have ideas for improvement I'd love to hear them.  My passion is tasty and nutritious food.  No fuss.  No frills.