Make the dressing first ... it’s a cooked one. Vary the recipe by adding arugula or other greens, but it definitely requires the sturdiness of kale to stand up. You can use thawed frozen peas or even chopped fresh snap peas, but if you use your own homegrown freshly shelled peas, look out—you might just perish from pleasure. Choose Cambozola or Roquefort or a “mild gorgonzola”—an oxymoron? If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, substitute goat cheese.
Reprinted with permission from The Book of Kale & Friends: 14 Easy-to-Grow Superfoods, 130+ Recipes by Sharon Hanna and Carol Pope (Douglas & McIntyre).
Minted Kale with Peas and Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (125 mL) finely minced shallots
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
- Scant 1/4cup (60 mL) rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) oil
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp (10 mL) brown sugar
- 4 cups (1 L) packed kale, chopped in chiffonade
- 1 cup (250 mL) loosely packed mint leaves, chopped in fine chiffonade
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) thinly sliced sweet onion
- 1 cup (250 mL) fresh peas or chopped snap peas (or frozen peas thawed just before using)
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) mild blue cheese or 1/2 cup (125 mL) goat cheese
- A few grindings of pepper
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories235
- protein7g
- fat16g
- saturated fat6g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates18g
- sugars7g
- fibre5g
- sodium205g
Directions
01
Sauteu0301 shallots in butter until softened. Add rice vinegar and cook down for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add oil while whisking, then add mustard and brown sugar. Cook until mixture is thick; remove from heat and allow to cool.
02
Put kale, mint, and onion in a mixing bowl and toss. Add dressing and toss again. Top with peas and cheese, and add a few grindings of pepper. Toss just before serving.
Carol Pope
Carol Pope is co-author (with Sharon Hanna) of The Book of Kale & Friends: 14 Easy-To-Grow Superfoods (Douglas & McIntyre, 2014) and associate editor of more than 18 books on gardening and eating sustainably.
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