Green leafy veggies are a great source of iron, vitamin C, beta carotene and folic acid. Folates or B vitamins help keep our blood healthy and help to prevent birth defects. One of the vegetables that has folic acid is kale.

People often associate kale with ornamental cabbage (seen below), and don’t really think about it as food.

Flowering kale at the Jardin botanique de Montréal. Photo by Montréalais.

When I first graduated college, I had a roommate who ate kale all the time and asked me if I wanted to try some. I did and became a kale fan right away.

This recipe is very simple and quick. You can use it as a side dish or with pasta or rice.

Sauteed Kale

Ingredients:
1 bunch of organic kale washed and cut into 1 in strips
2 cloves of organic garlic minced
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

I like to support local growers or local stores. My local health food coop (the George Street Coop in New Brunswick, NJ) shipped its kale up from Maryland. This bunch required a good washing before I cut it for the recipe.

The middle rib of kale leaves is very tough, so I cut it out. This is done by making a cut parallel to the rib and making another cut on the other side. Next, I cut the curly bits into 1 in slices.

Heat a large, high-sided skillet and add the olive oil and garlic.

When the garlic has been sizzling for about a minute, add the kale. Make sure that it still has some of the water on it from when you washed it. It will help steam it.

Let it steam for about two minutes before giving the kale a stir. It should cook down to less than one-third its size.

Salt and pepper to taste.

The finished kale should be bright green and tasty.

Enjoy!

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