Kale with Dates and Caramelized Onions [HMC]

I never thought I'd see the day, but kale has become the "in" vegetable--at least here on the West Coast. It's a far cry from the days when people would look at a bundle of kale like it was a shrub, and make whining noises at the thought of turning it into a meal. So what's changed? Two things. First, it's hard to look at kale's incredible nutritional profile and *not* want to get it into your diet. Just a cup of kale contains 90 percent of all the vitamin C you need in a day; one study showed loading up on these kinds of antioxidants reduced cognitive impairment in an elderly population. Second, people got exposed to enough creative and delicious kale dishes to want to tackle it themselves. With a little creativity, kale can be a centerpiece for a fine salad, as this recipe shows. This dish is a festival on the plate, with eye-popping colors coming from the ruby pomegranate seeds playing against the greens of the kale and mint.

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Step 1

In a large, deep saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Decrease the heat to low and cook slowly until the onions are just caramelized, about 5 minutes more.

Step 2

Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, just until aromatic. Add the red pepper flakes and dates, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to deglaze it, scraping with a spoon to loosen all the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Add as many greens as will fit to the pan, along with a pinch of salt. The water that adheres to the greens will be enough liquid to wilt them; when they've wilted down enough, add the the rest of the greens, if any haven't made it into the pan yet. Taste the greens, add an additional tablespoon of water if needed, cover the pan, and cook until the greens are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and taste again, adding of pinch of salt or another spritz of lemon juice, if necessary.

Step 3

Arrange the greens on plates and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top. Serve hot.

Step 4

One trick to preparing hearty greens like kale or chard is to rip them off their tough spines. This makes them easier to eat and digest. Once you've stemmed your greens (a great job for the little ones), chop them (the greens, not the kids) into bite-size pieces with your sharp chef's knife. When you add your greens to the pan they will resemble Mount Vesuvius, but you'll be surprised how quickly that volcano of greens shrinks into a small mound.

Step 5

Another trick for preparing greens is to put them in a bowl of cold water for a bath; this allows dirt and sand to fall to the bottom. Remove the greens from the water, stack the leaves and roll them up, then cut the rolls into think ribbons, and then lengthwise into small bite-sized pieces.

Step 6

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Calories: 133 per serving.