Sauteed Kale

I generally don't make New Year's resolutions, because I know that I am probably going to forget it or break it in a week. However, this year I would like to definitely free up more time to relax, sit back and not do anything. Just relish the moment, read a book or do something creative. It seems that these moments are getting rarer and life gets busier. One of the things I can do, is cut back on the time spent in the kitchen, specially during the week. So my quest will be to make healthy and tasty dishes in minimal time. I hope to accomplish this by finding shortcuts, making more use of all the kitchen appliances (that just sit on the counter) and by cooking meals which may not consist of many dishes, but is well balanced. Here's to New Year's resolutions!! Now that it's on my blog, I am definitely motivated to follow through!!!

On this note, I am going to pen down one of the simplest methods of cooking Kale. It is quick and took me less than 10 minutes to get everthing in the pan. Green vegetables are always full of vitamins and minerals and are healthy for you. And this preparation is absolutely lip smacking. It makes a great side dish or you can serve it as part of your main course with chapatis.

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 bunch of kale leaves, about 4-5 leaves, chopped and washed
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
salt to taste
1/2 lemon
2-4 tbsp water

Method
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion, and ginger-garlic paste. Fry this till the onion is transluscent. Then add the tomato and cook for a few minutes. Next add the kale leaves. If needed, add a couple of tablespoons of water. This will help wilt the kale quickly. It will also deglaze the pan to remove any onion and tomato that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Cook the kale for about 5-10 minutes, till the kale has wilted a little and cooked through. Add salt and squeeze lemon juice over the vegetable. Stir well.

Tips
The stems of kale leaves are generally very fibrous, so its best to cut the leaf around the stem and discard those. You can use store bought ginger-garlic paste. If you decide to use fresh ginger and garlic, use roughly equal amounts. Do not cover the kale while it is cooking. This will help retain the green color. It will turn brown when covered, but will cook sooner. Adding water to the pan also help to deglaze the pan and remove any onion or tomato bits that stick to the bottom of the pan.