Sunday, October 7, 2012

Kalesagna!

Kale is one of those foods that unfortunately, many people still don't know how delicious it truly is! Kale can be used in a variety of ways, even as simple as tossing with olive oil and making crisps, and no matter what, it is always delicious. It's also extremely nutritious and affordable, which sweetens the deal, and if you're the self-reliant type, you can grow it fairly easily.

It's also a really versatile ingredient, and today's recipe illustrates that beautifully. It's not really lasagna, but it's actually not that different, when you get down to eating it. Close enough for me, anyway. So I've decided to give it a catchy name that'll simplify things when you describe it to others, when you're talking about how delicious and easy it is, and how they should try it!

Kalesagna

Ingredients

Kale leaves
Olive oil
Diced tomatoes
Mixed vegetables
Olives
2 eggs
Shredded cheese (optional)

to taste:

Garlic
Basil
Oregano
Crushed red pepper

1) Preheat your oven to 350 F/ 175 C. First, cut or tear the kale leaves into small squares, say about a square inch each at most. Remove any stalks. Heat them up in a frypan over medium-high heat until they are slightly crispy, but we're not making kale crisps here so only slightly crisp them! No oil is needed as long as you keep an eye on your pan.

2) In another pan, heat some olive oil (a spoonful will do) until it moves freely in the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add the crushed red pepper and stir it in, then a minute or two later add your garlic, basil, and oregano. Stir these in too, and cook until aromatic.

3) Now add the tomatoes. Stir to blend completely, and keep stirred as you cook. Cook until the mixture is not soupy or runny (as it is likely to be at the start, with the tomato juices).

4) If you want, you can use cooking spray on your dish, but it isn't strictly necessary if you're just going to be eating out of it. Line the bottom of your oven-safe dish with some of the kale, enough to cover the bottom of it.

5) Press down the kale and add the mixed vegetables. These should be already cooked and ready; you can get some good canned ones, or you can cook a mixture of vegetables to your liking before adding them.

6) Now place the sliced olives on top of the vegetables, and add the tomato sauce you've made on top of that, pouring carefully to coat it in a layer atop everything you've already added. Next, add the 2 eggs, beaten. You may need to move some things here or there with a fork or chopsticks to make sure the egg goes down into the layers below, since you don't want it just sitting on top.

7) Finally, top this with a layer of the rest of the kale, and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top if you want. You can also sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes if you prefer.

8) Bake for around 15-25 minutes, or until the egg has set.

9) Serve hot!


Tips and Such

- The kale will actually reduce in size as you cook it, so use a little more than you might think from just looking.

- You can grind some fresh black pepper over the dish, or even use paprika before putting it in to bake, and it will lend an extra burst of flavour!




My kalesagna is a delicious dish that's full of nourishing nutrition for you. It's quick, it's easy, and it's a great way to have that fulfilling lasagna taste without pasta.

So if you've never tried kale before, or even if you're an old pro at kale preparation, you should definitely give this dish a try! It'll please your palette and keep you full and content on these chilly afternoons.

};) Dhiar ♥

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