Braised Kale with Garlic and Tomatoes

I love greens. LOVE them. This probably stems from my childhood, when my grandma would cook dinner all the time, and we would have collard greens or kale at least once every two weeks. Tony had his first experience with kale recently when I made North African Stew. Needless to say, he wasn't really a big fan of the stew--just not his thing, I guess. He had eaten collards before, so kale as a side dish wasn't too big of a leap.

I tried this recipe as a side for Cajun pork loin, and the combination was excellent! The flavors really complemented one another. I had the idea to combine them from a terribly written (and I do mean terrible--typos galore) recipe found on the Food Network website, which I modified a bit to fit our taste.

Braised Kale with Garlic and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale, cleaned and chopped roughly, stalks removed
1 roma tomato, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth

Procedure:

1. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium heat.

2. Add tomato, garlic and seasonings to the skillet, and allow the tomatoes to fully cook for about 5 minutes, stirring once every minute or so.

3. Add kale and broth, mix thoroughly and cover. Heat on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until kale is dark green and tender.

See--how simple is this!?! It's a totally no hassle, extremely healthy side dish, and it takes no time at all if your veggies are pre-washed and already chopped!