Everyday Kale

Back in the day, when I was a kale rookie, I doctored it up in various recipes, meticulously cut the stems off, cut the leaves in neat strips, and measured precisely.

Now that I'm a kale junkie (thanks for getting me to this point, Colvins!), my approach is much more casual:
I rip the leaves off the stems,

pile them on a cutting board,

and just slice/chop. It ain't pretty, but it's quick and effective for a weeknight meal. The process is the same whether I'm cooking it or making up a wilted salad. I don't even have a picture of the final cooked product since I do this quickly and serve it up when I'm not thinking "blog recipe." Here's my weeknight cooking method….

Everyday Kale

• kale (remember, greens cook down significantly!! Don't be afraid of a large amount)
• salt and pepper (or, better yet, Paula Deen's House Seasoning)
• lemon
• splash olive oil

1. Prep the kale: wash it, rip stems off, roughly chop.
2. Heat a skillet, drizzle oil in if it's not nonstick, and dump in kale. Stir once or twice, pour in some water (not a lot--just enough to keep it from burning), cover skillet, and cook. I think this is roughly medium heat….
3. When kale is done to your liking, season it with salt and pepper and a squirt of lemon juice. Do not squirt lemon juice over it until you're ready to serve it; it can discolor the kale slightly. Kale is pretty sturdy and can sit a bit off heat until the rest of your dinner is ready.