Kale, Bell Peppers and Pine Nuts Sautéed With Garlic

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced or sliced
• 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbs. pine nuts
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash kale and allow water droplets to remain on leaves. In a small dish add garlic to olive oil, stir, and allow to sit.
2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and toast pine nuts until golden and fragrant, stirring constantly for about a minute. Remove nuts from pan. Add the garlic and oil to the warm pan and sauté over medium heat, stirring once to flavor the pan, then add bell pepper strips and season with salt and pepper (the salt will help the peppers release their moisture, which will keep the garlic from burning).
3. Sauté peppers for about two minutes and add kale. Stir briefly, cover the pan with a lid, and turn heat to low.
4. Cook for about two minutes, then stir. Cover again, turn off heat, and allow veggies to steam in the pan for two minutes before serving.

Why No Numbers? Readers sometimes ask us why we don’t publish nutrition information with our recipes. We believe that (barring specific medical advice to the contrary) if you’re eating primarily whole, healthy foods — an array of sustainably raised vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, meats, fish, eggs, whole-kernel grains, and healthy fats and oils — you probably don’t need to stress about the numbers. We prefer to focus on food quality and trust our bodies to tell us what we need.  — The Editors

Photography by: Terry Brennan

This article originally appeared in “Dig Into Garlic” in the October 2011 issue of Experience Life.