Stir-Fried Kale and Bell Pepper

COURSE Side dish, Kids-Friendly

SERVES three to four

TIME About 20 minutes

Cooking Tips: Stir frying prefers very high temperature and will cook the veggies quickly, which means that it will also burn easily. Since everything happens very fast (cook or burn), keep some water on the side to help lower the temperature. Combine all your dry seasoning (e.g., together in a bowl and sauces (e.g., sauces, cooking wine, sesame oil) together in another bowl and keep arm's length to allow quick access. I like to use a 4qt saucepan to minimize splashing.

Possible substitutions for Kale: Swiss Chard or other leafy greens

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp soy sauce (low-sodium if desired)

• 1 Tbsp rice wine, or dry sherry, or any white cooking wine

• 2 Tsp sesame oil

• Salt (to taste, I use about ¼ tsp )

• Ground pepper or white pepper (to taste, I use about ¼ tsp)

• ¼ Tsp sugar

• 1 Tbsp cooking oil (e.g., peanut oil, canola oil, corn oil)

• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 Tbsp ginger, minced, or 1 Tsp ginger powder

• 1 pound Kale (or any of the other leafy veggies), washed, stems trimmed, cut crosswise in ¼-inch strips

• 2 medium bell peppers (any kind), cut in ¼- by-2-inch julienne

• ¼ cup thinly sliced onions (prefer red onion, or scallions)

• ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the pan over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second. Swirl in the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and tilting it back and forth.

2. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds.

3. Add Kale, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Keep stirring very fast. You may need to add a couple table spoons of water to avoid burning.

4. Add the bell pepper and onion. Stir quickly till the pepper begins to soften.

5. Add dry seasoning (i.e., salt, pepper, and sugar). Stir for a few seconds to mix.

6. Add sauces (i.e., soy sauce, sesame oil, and cooking wine). Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the Kale leaves are tender. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Recipe Source:

This recipe is modified from the NY Times Cooking's "Stir-Fried Swiss Chard and Red Peppers".

Other tips:

• Colorful: The perfect dish would have many colors by using rainbow chards and red or orange bell peppers, but the green colored veggies are most easily accessible.

• Cooking Chard: If cooking chard, the stems are edible and have very good texture. However, it takes longer to cook than the leaves. Separate the stems and the leaves, and cook the stems first for a few minutes before adding the leaves into the pot.

• Pairing ideas: I view this dish as a very versatile side dish and prefer to have some type of simply flavored meat to go along. Breaded chicken or baked fish are good candidates. For carbs, quinoa, rice, bread, or noodles will all work.