Get To Grillin': Kale That Is

This weekend brought some long awaited Spring temperatures and if you're like me, you couldn't wait to get outside and rekindle a relationship with the grill.

I was fortunate to be the guest of some veggie loving grillin' machines and they had the genius thought to incorporate an awesome kale dish in their grilled dinner.  If you don't have a grill, you can still prepare this simple yet tasty dish in your home.  However, if you can get your tail outside to cook it, you should.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale sliced in 1 inch bites (I recommend getting kale from a Farmers Market)

1 large clove of garlic minced

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

2 tbsp of olive oil

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp sea salt

Heat your grill to a medium flame.  Place an oblong aluminum tin pan on the grill for approximately 5 minutes to heat the pan.  Add olive oil and red onion to the pan.  Cook the onions until they begin to soften and become more translucent (5-7 minutes).  Add garlic to pan and cook for 1 minute.  Next, add kale red pepper flakes, and sea salt and cook for 10-15 minutes to soften.  Lastly, squeeze the lemon juice over the kale and toss the mixture right before you remove it from the heat.

You may eat the kale as it is or add toppings such as diced tomatoes, black olives and feta cheese.

Produce Picks 4/2/13: Asparagus and Cauliflower

This week at Aldi asparagus is on sale for $1.69 per pound (Generally is runs about $2.99-$3.50 in grocery stores).  I decided to go for a raw preparation and pickle them and add them to an antipasto salad.

Pickled Vegetable Ingredients:

2 carrots sliced in small bites (Currently $0.99 for 2 lbs at Aldi)
1/3 head of cauliflower cut in in small bites (You can get an enormous head for $1.99 at the International Market at the Farmers Market for a smaller head at Aldi for $1.89).
1 lb. of asparagus cut in slices about an inch long
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Antipasto

Add anything and every thing that moves you.  There really are no rules here.  However, you can find most of these items I listed at Aldi too.

1/2 c chopped nuts pistachios (walnuts, almonds, whatever)
1/2 cup of banana peppers chopped
1 container of artichoke hearts chopped
1 container of roasted red peppers diced
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. basil (or fresh basil if you have it)
1 tbsp. red pepper flakes

Combine all of your ingredients for the pickled vegetables and place them in a container to marinate for a 24 hours.  If you only have time to prep the items before work and want to eat them later, no worries.  It will still be good.

 Remove the pickled vegetables from the brine and add them to your other antipasto ingredients.

Some people will want to eat this it as it is.  I choose to serve antipasto salad over mixed greens.  There is so much flavor that you won't ever need any salad dressing.