Rice With Kale And Vegetables

Rice With Kale And Vegetables

Curly Kale

People who shop in Farmers Markets of get a weekly vegetable box will be very familiar with curly kale and will have developed innovative ways of using this nutritious and prolific vegetable. It is less commonly found in the supermarket but has recently enjoyed a surge of popularity. It must be said, too that kale is often cheaper at Farmers markets and green grocers than in supermarkets (and probably fresher too!).

This easy to make brown rice vegetable dish is sustaining and delicious and uses the nutritious, tasty vegetable curly kale

Types Of Kale

There are several types of kale including the most well known curly kale. These are Cavolo nero or black kale with flat dark green leaves, hungry gap kale with flatter less curly leaves and russian kale with flat reddish leaves.

In Europe kale has been around for a very long time and older people now often had a lot of kale as a child.

Cooking Curly Kale

More recently kale has been cited as a superfood as it contains protein, vitamin A and C as well as betacarotene. But many people are unsure how to cook it as it seems to have gone out of favour for two or three decades until the last 5 years or so. In fact many people are in need of curly kale cooking instructions!

There may be no one best way of cooking kale. The answer really is that you can cook it as you would any leafy vegetable such as cabbage or spinach. It can be steamed, boiled or if you are feeling a little indulgent, fried in butter and serves as a vegetable on the side. alternatively ad dit into pasta and rice. Or even mash it into potatoes with a little cheese sprinkled on top. this article on How To cook Curly Kale may help

Easy Midweek Supper dish

This rice, kale and vegetables dish is an easy way to have several vegetable. I have chosen to cook it with brown rice and vegetables. You still get the taste and of course goodness of the ale but is less of a true strong green hit. In fact the sweetness of the pepper really offsets the kale well. Very easy to cook, and you can vary the vegetables you add.

I have recently converted to cooking mainly with brown rice rather than white mainly because it is much healthier for many reasons. It has much more fibre and has a much slower release grain too.

Easy Curly Kale Recipe

Rice With Kale And Vegetables

Ingredients

• 200g / 7oz brown basmati rice
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 leek, washed and sliced
• 1 red pepper de-seeded and chopped
• 3 tablespoons frozen peas
• 100g / 3.5oz curly kale, chopped small, thick stalks removed
• knob butter
• 5 tablespoons hot water
• soy sauce to serve
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Cooking Directions

1. Wash the rice by covering with cold water and swirling your hand and the draining and rinsing

2. Place the rice in a saucepan and cover with boiling water to about 2 centimetres above the top of the rice

3. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until soft. Add more water if necessary

4. Meanwhile in a large frying pan, heat the oil

5. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until transparent

6. Add the pepper, garlic and leek and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

7. Add the kale and peas

8. Stir and cook for a few minutes

9. Add the knob of butter

10. Stir fry in the butter for a couple of minutes

11. Add the cooked rice

12. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a few tablespoons of hot water

13. Add soy sauce to taste

14. Serve immediately

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