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SAUTEED KALE SALAD

This sauteed kale salad is packed with nutrients and flavor.  Lightly sautéing the kale minimizes the kales bitterness and makes it more tender.  Since kale can be an acquired taste, this is a great way to prepare kale for “newbies” to this superfood.  This meal also comes together very quickly if you have some basic prepped food items in your refrigerator.

Here are some commonly prepped foods for me that I put to use:

  • Cooked chicken – If I’m not prepping a specific recipe for protein then I simply bulk cook a batch of plain, lightly seasoned with only salt and pepper.  Leaving the chicken plain allows you to incorporate into other recipes throughout the week, seasoning accordingly to the dish you are making.  This also gives you variety throughout the week using the same prepped chicken.
  • Diced onion – having diced or sliced onions in the fridge will make cooking so much easier.  Many of my meals will use some sauteed onion at the beginning of the preparation, or raw on top.
  • Chopped greens (kale in this case) – When I go grocery shopping, it is also a requirement that I immediately prep to some extent in order to fit it all in my mini dorm-sized refrigerator.  I bought 2 big bushels of kale that took a large amount of space.  Once I clean and chop it I portion it out into ziploc baggies, 3-4 oz of greens per baggie.  Using the ziploc allows you to squeeze the air out and compact the greens to be much smaller.  When I buy large tubs of spinach or field greens from Costco/Sam’s I have to transfer this to a large ziploc bag.  The plastic tub literally will not fit in my fridge.
The other items used on this recipe were not prepped, but were convenient quick ingredients: canned beans, pepitas, jalapeno, lime, spices, and avocado.

A few of my favorite prep tools:

These “Rubbermaid Brilliant” containers keep my produce crisper and fresher in my Nova Kool refridgerator.  They really do help protect from the intense condensation my fridge kicks out.  I also add clean paper towel at the base and on top of my veggies so any moisture that does come in hits the towels first before my vegetables.  These are a game changer!

 

I always keep a roll of my EZ Cutting boards on hand.  When I am out boondocking or dry camping I use the cutting boards to protect my main cutting board from cross contamination.  I also use food prep gloves.  I buy chicken in bulk and process it all at once.  When I process, I drain out all of the packaging liquid then cut the large breasts into appropriately sized pieces for single portions. I also dice up a majority of the chicken as well.  I will then Ziploc them.  It makes cooking meals so much quicker when you don’t have to fiddle with breaking it down every time!  The diced chicken is great because it is quick for stir-fries and doesn’t require a fork and knife to cut while eating (we usually eat without tables set up).  Since I process chicken in bulk I use the plastic cutting board and prep gloves minimally.

 

 

Leave a comment below if you have any questions on prepping, portioning, etc. to help you with your planning.  Being set up with proper food planning is key for staying on track!

Sauteed Kale Salad with Avocado black beans onions and pepitas

Sauteed Kale Salad

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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad
Servings 1 Serving

Ingredients
  

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 tsp olive oil divided
  • ½ tbls diced jalapeno optional
  • 3.5 ounces of chopped kale
  • ½ - 1 lime juiced
  • 3-3.5 ounces of cooked chicken chopped
  • 3 tbls canned black beans strained and rinsed
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp coriander
  • ½ cup broccoli slaw
  • ¼ oz pepitas
  • Pinch of garlic salt
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ⅛ cup red onion chopped
  • ¼ avocado

Instructions
 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat a 10” skillet over medium/high heat. Add 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil, and add the jalapenos to cook for 1-3 minutes. The shorter you cook these the spicier they will remain. Add the kale in an even layer and let sit in the pan for a couple of minutes to get a slight char. Add juice of ½ a lime and toss kale to gently sauté. Add in the broccoli slaw and toss to mix then immediately transfer the kale/slaw mixture to your serving plate. You do not want to cook the slaw; you are just adding to pan to toss together before plating.
  • While the kale is cooking mix the chicken, black beans, cumin, and coriander in a small bowl. After you remove the kale from the skillet return the skillet to medium/high heat and add the remaining ½ tsp of olive oil. Add the chicken and beans to the pan to heat through for 2-3 minutes.
  • While the chicken is cooking prepare your pepitas by tossing with the paprika and garlic. Using your teaspoon that you measured your olive oil with will help the seasoning stick to the pepitas from the residual oil on the spoon. You could also use scant sprinkle of water on a spoon (not too wet!).
  • Top salad with the pepitas, red onion, and heated chicken and beans. Add the avocado on the side and season the avocado with juice from remaining ½ lime, salt and pepper.

Video

Keyword Sauteed Kale Salad