Kale and Chorizo

I've wanted to cook with kale for a while but found it a bit daunting and, to be honest, wasn't really sure what to do with it!  Then one day I saw this baby at my local supermarket and I could not resist.

A quick search on the internet did not produce a recipe I was totally happy with so I just winged it and I must say I was quite happy with the result. 

Kale really is a "superfood" with lots of impressive health benefits.  This leafy green vegetable, a member of the cabbage/broccoli family, is full of vitamins - A, B folate, C and K.  It has cholesterol lowering benefits, cancer risk lowering benefits and is a powerful antioxidant with lots of anti-inflammatory benefits.  I can recommend reading about the many health benefits of this food - fascinating! 

I sauteed a thinly sliced red onion, thinly sliced chorizo sausage and some garlic in a little olive oil.  When the chorizo was nice and crispy I added about half the bag of kale (60grams) and put the lid on the pan.  After a few minutes the kale had wilted so I added some toasted almonds, cracked black pepper, gave it a good stir and it was ready. 

The end result was quite delicious and full of flavour - salty, crunchy and sweet! I had this as a meal but it would make a lovely side dish for chicken or fish or tossed through pasta.

Do you have a favourite way to cook kale?  I would love to hear any ideas/recipes for this wonderful vegetable!

Zucchini Slice

This zucchini slice is easy to make and delicious to eat.  It is a wonderful recipe for those occasions when you need to bring a plate.  I originally got the recipe from the taste website but as I tend to do I have changed it a bit! 

The main difference is that I like to cook the onion and bacon first with some garlic.  Not only do I love the aroma of these three beautiful ingredients cooking but I think it adds something to the dish.  And, everyone loves this slice, even my 18 month old niece so whilst the garlic enhances the flavours it is very subtle.

The ingredients...

Please imagine there is some minced garlic in the picture as I forgot to include it!  I use the minced garlic you buy in a jar for this recipe as I don't want chucks of garlic in the slice.  Also, I had run out of vegetable oil so used extra virgin olive oil and it was fine.  This is a very forgiving recipe! 

Sautéing the onion, bacon and garlic

Cheesy zucchini goodness

Adding the cooked bacon and onion

Ready to bake

Golden deliciousness!

Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 200gr bacon, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup of self raising flour, sifted
• 5 eggs
• 375gr grated zucchini
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper
• Butter or olive oil spray to grease the pan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Grease a baking pan of approximately 30cm x 20cm in size.  The Pyrex dish I use is slightly smaller than this.
3. Sauté the chopped onion, bacon and garlic until soft and golden.  Around 5 minutes should be long enough.  Let it cool slightly.
4. Beat the eggs, add the flour and mix until smooth.  
5. Add the zucchini, cheese, oil, onion and bacon mix to the flour and eggs. Combine well.
6. Season with pepper and salt to taste.  I never add salt as I don't believe it needs it.
7. Pour into the greased pan and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through.
8. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, cut into squares and then remove carefully!  Delicious served hot or cold.