Lentil and Kale "Super Food" Dinner
Published: Mon, 10/24/16
Howdy Slow Cookerers!!
In case you are keeping a countdown we are exactly 1 month away from my birthday.
:-)
But for today, let's talk about Kale.
I've been slow to warm up to kale. I sort of feel like I've been peer-pressured to cook with it ---- I see it all over the internet and all over the cooking channels and thrown in my face in lots and lots of food magazines.
and I hate being told what to do.
I tried the oven "fried" kale chips. I put it in smoothies.
Guess what? I'd rather eat a bag of Lays, and even if I call the smoothies "dinosaur shakes" or "swamp juice" my kids aren't all that impressed, and I'm left to drink a pitcher full of murky liquid all on my own.
of course, I'm the type of person who likes cheese in a can more than is probably socially acceptable...
anyhow. I needed to cook up the kale I had in the fridge, because I hate wasting food even more than I hate being told what to do.
This, here, is SUPER FOOD. Not SUPER in that it tastes like oreo cheesecake or chocolate mousse, but SUPER in that it has a bunch of super foods in it: lentils, tomatoes, garlic, and kale.
and it actually tastes pretty good!
#forreals!
Lentil and Kale Super Food
serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4 as a full meal
2 cups lentils, rinsed
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (7-ounce) can fire roasted whole chiles (mild; this provides tons of flavor)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cups chopped kale (just the leaves. give the stems to the guinea pigs or the compost heap)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (start with 1/2, then season if needed at the table)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon cumin
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Rinse lentils until the water runs clear, and then put the wet lentils into your slow cooker.
Add diced onion and the chopped garlic. Add the entire cans of fire roasted chiles and diced tomatoes.
I used the whole chiles because I had them in the house and so the kids could pick them out, but the chopped chiles would be just fine if that's what you have already.
Add the kale, dried spices, and stir in the broth. Cover, and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the lentils are bite tender and the onion is translucent.
It took closer to 6 hours in my 6-quart.
The Verdict.
I ate this as my main course, but Adam and the kids had it as a side dish with some sliced chicken and artichoke sausage.
Adam and I really liked everything about this--- we felt full but not grossly overstuffed, and we were really quite satiated. The prominent flavor is from the ginger and cumin; it tasted a lot like Dal.
HEY STEPH:
I've been getting quite a few questions about photos. I have opted to not put photos in these emails because most people now read emails on their phone and waiting for a photo to load can get annoying.
If you would like to "pin" the recipe, if it exists online I will link to the recipe in the title above the listing of ingredients. I hope this helps!
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I insisted on three bites from the big kids, but couldn't convince the baby. I am looking forward to leftovers for lunch, and since I'm trying to eat better more often than not I'm going to make another batch and freeze in lunch-sized portions.