Kale & Pineapple Pairing

Fancy Feast!* 

There's not much to this dish, which, by no mere coincidence, makes it amazingly simple to throw together. I found myself with an abundance of kale chilling in the crisper, a fresh pack of Dr. Praeger's veggie burgers, and some frozen pineapple chunks all begging to be combined in some such fanciful way today. I felt the true gentlemanly thing to do was to oblige them.

Using a covered frying pan, I heated a splash of water (about a 1/4 cup, or so) until it was near boiling, all the while chopping the greens (kale, broccoli, & okra) in preparation for their sauna. The kale shrinks rapidly when it's steamed, so don't worry if it looks like a lot when you first toss it in. Once the greens go all in, drop the heat to a low temperature, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice to add a touch of tanginess. I like to balance the lid across the halfway point of the pan, so the steam isn't completely trapped inside; this way, there's some air flow. Once the kale wilts, toss in the pineapple and add in the spices & Bragg**. Waiting until this point makes it a lot easier to mix everything together, as opposed to doing it immediately, when things are crisp & bouncy. Since this is a simple steaming process of fresh vegetables, it really doesn't take long for things to be ready & edible. The veggie burger is microwaved for under 3 minutes, diced, and stirred in after the veggies are done steaming.

The bellow recipe ratios represent my individual appetite on this particular day, at that particular moment. So if you're feeding more than yourself, or you're just ravenous from running around, it's probably best to up the ante on the portions I've laid out. Also, this is a meal that, if you desire slightly more sustenance, could be accompanied by a base layer of any grain (or pseudo-grain) or pasta, from brown rice, amaranth, quinoa, to couscous (the usual suspects***). I opted for eating it as is, without any additional accouterment, and was fine with it. This recipe lets the natural flavors of all the ingredients sing a subtle song of sweetness, and I'm happy with the harmony in their tune. When all is said and done, this is a nice quick meal—though there are plenty of directions to go in with this all-terain vehicle, if you're feeling adventurous in the kitchen—that adds up to less than 200 calories. The kale & the pineapple combo is what really sells this dish (the okra isn't half bad either), beyond that, go nuts kids.

Recipe:



1 1/2 cups Kale
1/4 cup Broccoli
1/4 cup okra
1/4 cup pineapple (diced)

To Taste:
garlic powder (fresh & diced works better, but I was all out)
ginger
crushed red pepper flakes
Bragg liquid amino

Pre-packaged:
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burger





Footnotes:
*This is not cat food.

**Bragg Liquid Aminos tastes somewhat similar to soy sauce, because, well, it is a variety of soy sauce, it's just not so salty. I think it's pretty awesome. This is my usual go-to replacement for kikkoman soy sauce, tamari, salad dressing, and I even find it useful in marinades. I have, on occasion, been told that I'm a bit heavy handed when it comes to pouring the Bragg's—by Japanese tongues no less (arguably the experts on soy sauce; if not at least top tier in knowledgeability)—but I can't get enough of the stuff.

***Amaranth took some warming up to, I wasn't initially a fan, but now I've come to rather enjoy it. Replace "amaranth" with "couscous" and this statement holds true for that too. I'm currently giving kasha a chance to win me over, but I'm not really digging it just yet. Still, I remain open minded. In general, I don't like to shut doors on things. I prefer to leave them cracked open just a bit, with an easily accesible street-level window of opportunity near by, for the occasional quick getaways.