Kale, the Other Leafy Green Stuff

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem


Short of the occasional side salad or pizza toppings, we don't eat many vegetables in our family. The problem lies with me, the cook. I know if make it more than likely the rest of the family will eat it, or at least some of it. So in an attempt to incorporate an exciting variety of healthy foods in our diet I picked up a bunch of kale last week. And it sat in the fridge until now, staring at me every time I opened the vegetable drawer to grab another head of garlic or tomato to blend into a chutney. I couldn't ignore it any longer and went out on a limb tonight. After a little research (read: instant messaging my health-food eating friend and crying for help on how to tackle this leafy green monster taking up precious fridge space) I found it its basically a sturdier, stronger tasting spinach, so cook it as such. So I did. And you know what? We all ate it and liked it, alhamdulillah.


Linguini with a Kale Cream Sauce with Cheddar Bay Biscuits

1/2 box of linguine
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 tbsp cream cheese
1/2 head of chopped kale (rinsed well)
sprinkle of feta (optional)

1. Cook linguine per package directions; set aside (do not rinse!)

2. Make bechamel/cream sauce: In small pot, melt butter. Add flour and wisk until incorporated. Cook in medium low heat for a minute to cook off any raw-flour taste. Slowly pour in milk, continuing to wisk out any lumps. Increase heat to medium hight and cook just until it begins to boil. At that point, remove from heat and wisk until thickened.

3. In a seperate frying pan, saute onions and garlic in olive oil just until translucent. Add kale and red pepper flakes. Cook until kale has wilted , about 4 minutes. Add kale mixture to milk sauce. Add in cooked linguini and cilantro. Stir in cream cheese until melted through.Salt to taste. Garnish hot pasta with a sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese.