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Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Skillet

By Margo on March 11, 2013 in Main Dishes, Recipes, Staff Picks, Winter

Craving Mexican food but determined to eat healthy and use in-season veggies? This Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean skillet does just the trick. Fairly simple and deliciously aromatic (and vegetarian!), this recipe makes a meal for 4-6, or sides for a crowd. Sumac and cumin give this dish its wonderfully deep flavor. Sumac isn’t a super common spice, but I found it at Central Market. (If you can’t find it, you can get a similar flavor from mixing chili powder and paprika in a 1:1 ratio.)

I like this recipe because it isn’t fussy. I wanted kale and sweet potatoes to be center stage, but if you would rather taste more black bean, just use a little less of the veggies. If you’re sensitive to onions or garlic (like my Mom is), you can easily leave them out and it will be just as good. Similarly, to kick it up a notch, I’d consider adding another clove or two of garlic, some chili powder, and thinly sliced red onions (added with the kale.) Serve it alongside rotisserie chicken, or eat it wrapped up in a tortilla. And if you’re not interested in healthy, I think this would be an excellent enchilada filling! Because lets be honest, who doesn’t love things smothered in cheese? Any way you slice it, this recipe can easily be made your own.

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean skillet
serves 4-6
prep time: 15 minutes | cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 or 3 sweet potatoes
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
1 can organic black beans, low-sodium, drained
3 hearty handfuls (3 cups ish) kale (I used Russian kale, because it’s what I had, but green kale is just as good!)
1-1/2 to 2 tbsp. organic olive oil
1/4 tsp. sumac
1/8 tsp. cumin
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 lime, for serving
tortillas, for serving
sour cream or greek yogurt, for serving
1 avocado, for serving

Prep
1. Peel sweet potatoes, shallot, and garlic. Wash and dry kale.
2. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Lay cut surface flat on a cutting board and slice in half again lengthwise. Then, slice into ¼-1/2 inch thick pieces. (Sweet potatoes are tough to cut. I don’t have an amazing knife, but this method works great! See photo.)
3. Dice shallot and garlic.
4. Tear kale into large pieces.

Cook
1. Place large sauté pan over medium high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add sweet potatoes, shallot, garlic, sumac and cumin to pan and cook for 2 minutes until you can smell the spices, stirring throughout to coat.

2. Bring the heat down to medium and cover. Let cook for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, making sure the sweet potatoes don’t burn (oops, a few of mine did!) Cook until the sweet potatoes are soft enough to easily cut in half and are nice and brown.

3. Add black beans. Stir to mix. Add kale. At this point it will be a little hard to stir, but don’t worry, kale cooks down! Season generously with salt and pepper, mix and cover.

4. After 3-4 minutes, uncover and stir. If it’s feeling a bit too dry at this point, drizzle a little more olive oil. Taste for seasoning- if you want more spice, add a pinch of sumac! Cook for another minute or so until kale is cooked to your liking.

5. If you’re serving with tortillas, start warming them up. For just a few people, heat them with a bit of oil in a small skillet. For a larger group, wrap a tortillas in foil and stick in a warm oven for 2-3 minutes. Cut your lime and slice the avocado.

6. Serve on top of warm tortillas, drizzled with lime and served with avocado slices and greek yogurt. I made a taco out of mine. Enjoy!

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Kale Chips

By Christy on May 3, 2012 in Appetizers & Snacks, Fall, Gluten-free, Recipes, Side Dishes, Spring, Vegan, Winter

My poor kale was starting to yellow. One too many days in the fridge. I needed to cook it right away but was not in the mood for cooked greens. A quick toss with some oil, salt, and sesame seeds and I had a delicious crunchy snack of kale chips. Even the kiddos will like this one.

1 tablespoon sesame oil or chili oil if you like it spicy

1 head kale, thoroughly washed and dried

salt to taste

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Remove tough stems from kale. Toss with oil. Sprinkle with salt and sesame seeds. Bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring after about 20 minutes.

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Get Keen with Local Leafy Greens

By Aspen on February 22, 2012 in Greenling DFW, My Greenling

We are up to our elbows in green goodness here at Greenling DFW, and we couldn’t be happier! It’s a popular sentiment around here that dark leafy greens season is the best season (though once local blueberries and peaches start coming in, you might hear the same crew changing their tune) Either way, local leafy greens are in peak season right now, and they have so much more flavor than their non-local counterparts- which really cuts the groundwork out of convincing your family to eat ‘em.

Trying to choose just one favorite green is arduous, so we’re celebrating all of them. They are often interchangeable in recipes, but they do have unique qualities all their own too:

Collard greens, have thick, yet supple leaves and a propensity to taste amazing sauteed with bacon.
Mustard greens, their peppery cousin and Southern cooking staple, are perfect sauteed with just a little oil, chopped onion, and salt & pepper (Alright, they’re pretty good with bacon too)
Kale, with it’s chewy, curly leaves that soften delicately when cooked, is a great way to “sneak” nutrition into a non-veggie-centric meal like Shells & Cheese. It’s great raw in a salad too, just give it a little massage!
Swiss Chard, probably the green with the largest, most bountiful leaves, is soft, tender, and very versatile - saute the leaves and then use the ribs in a creamy pasta, or even use it as a pizza topping.
Spinach, the most widely accepted leafy green, can really be added into anything you can think of- stuff some local portabellas with it, make a warm salad, or use it in a lasagna- the possibilities are endless.

Whichever green you choose, you know you’ll be doing your body (and your brain) good- all of them are an absolute goldmine of nutrition, chock full of the most naturally occuring vitamins you’ll find in a food. So get your local greens on and please, share with us on Facebook if you discover an amazing recipe with your greens!

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Kale Berry Smoothie

By Megan on December 8, 2011 in Beverages, Desserts, Recipes

I used to be afraid of kale. I definitely used to be afraid of the idea of putting greens in drinks. I like green foods, but there is just something about green liquids that make me want to run in the other direction.

It’s a good thing I changed my mind about kale. It’s not just fantastically healthful; it’s extremely versatile. I eat it in everything now, from soups to pasta to simply sauteed for a side dish. And even, yes, in smoothies.

As you can see, these smoothies aren’t green, which helps get my entire family past the weird factor and on their way to drinking up a treat. But don’t be fooled – each smoothie has two cups of raw kale, giving you lots of potassium, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. Plus, the sweetness comes from the fruit, not from the added sugar many smoothie businesses sneak in.

A kale berry smoothie a day keeps the doctor away? Well, it couldn’t hurt.

Kale Berry Smoothie
serves 1

1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
2 cups torn raw kale
1 cup cold water

Layer ingredients in a blender and blitz for about 5 minutes, until smooth. Enjoy and conquer the world.

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Spiced Coconut Kale

By Stephanie on May 23, 2011 in Uncategorized

This sounds awesome, right? It’s just as good as it sounds, too. You get sweet flavors of coconut and curry seasoning some greens that are cooked just right – not tough but not soggy.

I riffed off of this recipe, changing it to use kale instead of spinach and modify for other ingredients I had on hand.

UPDATE: I made another batch of this tonight and used lime juice instead of lemon. Heaven! I think I like it better this way. Also, I dare you to make this dish and not sing this song as you cook.

Spiced Coconut Kale (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

1 small spring onion (or shallot)
1 large clove of garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch of kale, chopped
squeeze of lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly toasted

Place the onion and garlic on a cutting board, sprinkle with the salt, and chop/mash everything into a paste.

Heat the oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Add the seeds, cover with a lid, and let them toast a bit. Remove the lid, stir in the red pepper flakes and let cook for a minute. Stir in the garlic-shallot paste and all of the kale. Stir until the kale starts wilting and brightens up in color. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until kale is tender but not mushy. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with coconut.