Braised Kale with Mushrooms - Get your veggies in ;)

Detoxing from all the cadbury mini-egg binge eating isn't too hard with this healthy and tasty kale dish!

This was one of those dishes that came together very last minute. I was at my local grocery store and wanted to pick up some romaine lettuce but the prices were outrageous for some reason! Something like $6.99 for one romaine heart. W.T.F. !?!?! So I opted for a pre-washed/pre-packaged bag of chopped kale and figured instead of a fresh romaine salad, I would try a braised kale dish!

Glad it worked out that way because this will probably be one of my go-to veggie sides from now on. It was super simple and quick, the most tedious part was mincing the garlic ;)

I've also heard of braised kale recipes that add bacon or pancetta for that extra kick of flavour, but keeping it all veggie made it a faster and quicker dish to whip up. However, i do love me some bacon so will probably throw that in the next time I make it!

I made this as the side to the bone-in strip loin I posted about earlier (Check it out here: https://www.basicallycooking.com/single-post/Toronto-Food-Blog/Recipes/Bone-in-Striploin-Steak/basicallycooking) It was a perfect complement to the striploin. Simple & basic! Check out the recipe for the Braised Kale with Mushrooms dish below!

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A few basic ingredients is all you need for this simple kale dish.

Ta-da! A simple and healthy but also yummy veggie side dish :) Perfect pairing with a steak or another grilled protein!

Recipe for Braised Kale with Mushrooms

Adapted from Serious Eats: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/01/cook-the-book-garlicky-mushrooms-and-kale.html

Serves 2

1 tbsp

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms (I cheated and used pre-sliced white button mushrooms! hehe)

1 bag of chopped kale

1/4 C water

1 tsp pepperoncino (dried chilli flakes - http://www.food.com/about/red-pepper-flakes-507)

1 tbsp lemon zest

Squeeze of lemon juice to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a braising pot and add in the garlic. Stir to coat the garlic with the oil. Brown the garlic, this takes about 2 minutes

2. Add in the onions and cook until translucent, about another 2-3 minutes

3. Add a pinch of salt to the onions and a few cracks of fresh pepper (I like to season as I go...)

4. Add in the mushrooms and mix well with the onion and garlic, let the mushrooms cook for about 5 minutes. Add in another pinch of S&P to your liking.

5. Once the mushrooms are lightly browned, add in the kale. Give it a good mixing to combine with the mushrooms, onions and garlic. (I started with mixing with a wooden spoon, but needed to grab some tongs to mix the kale well) Add in a splash of water and the pepperoncino & mix. Cover the braising pot and let the veggies cook for about 8-10 minutes.

6. Check on the kale and once it is cooked down and wilted, turn the heat off and give it one more stir. Season with S&P if desired.

7. Plate onto a serving dish and sprinkle with the lemon zest and a few squeezes of lemon. Serve, devour & enjoy!