getting my green on!

our veggie garden is amazing! HUGE! and we certainly are learning a lot about what to do next year. i do like chard, and i am learning how to use kale, but we planted WAY too much this year. so here are my two favorite ways to use kale and please share yours with me!!

Tamari Kale from Shelley
strip kale leaves off the vein and blanch them.
meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a dry pan.
add sesame oil and saute some minced garlic. just as it browns, remove from the heat. add tamari (soy sauce). pour over drained blanched kale and serve as a fab side dish

Butternut Squash and Kale soup
(original recipe from Real Simple mar '06, but i changed it enough to call it my own)
heat 1TB olive oil in a large saucepan over med heat.
add 4 cloves garlic, minced and cook, stirring for 1 minute
add approx 2 bunches kale (i also used some chard) stripped off the vein and chopped.
add 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
stir until covered.
add 1.5 cups dry white wine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
bring to a boil. cover and reduce heat, simmer until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.

i was a little nervous at first, it smelled so strongly of wine, but that cooked off and resulted in a very rich broth. i am sure you could also use a broth. we ate it with a hearty whole wheat bread and were glad for leftovers!(zoom, carrying a handful of kale away from the garden)

i know this is a little late in the season, but bring on the green recipes!