Tuesday, November 29, 2011

TwoFaced: Kale

Kale intimidates me for some reason. I can't exactly verbalize why. I mean, I've been venturing into new leafy green territory over the past year (swiss chard has become a personal favorite), but kale continues to mystify me. 

You know what doesn't intimidate me? Becoming internet friends with another paleo-minded blogger living hundreds of miles away. Becoming Facebook friends with and Twitter follower of that very blogger. Exchanging phone numbers and texts with that basically stranger of a blogger. Even less intimidating? Meeting her in person. Tonight. For dinner at the restaurant version of our TwoFaced feature!!

But back to what does intimidate me. Kale. When Jenna and I chose it as our ingredient for this week's TwoFaced, I looked at it as a prime opportunity to bounce back from the several days of Thanksgiving gluttony I subjected myself to. I figured my strategy to just pick a recipe and make it happen was the best way to mitigate the kale intimidation factor, so I decided to make chicken roulade with kale and feta.
**I'm pretty sure no other blogger in the history of blogging has done this, but it appears as though some of my chicken wasn't cooked all the way through. Please note that I nuked these for a couple of minutes before eating. You should probably just cook your chicken longer.
In the end, kale wasn't as intimidating as it first seemed. It's actually a lot like cooking swiss chard, but tastes more like spinach. Paired with salty feta and tucked inside juicy chicken thighs, it makes a pretty delicious meal to bounce back from all that damage you did last Thursday.

And now I'm off to meet my internet friend in a strange city where I don't know anyone, said the girl who thought kale was scary.


Chicken Roulade with Kale and Feta
Makes about 4 servings
  • 1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you could also use chicken breast)
  • 3 cups chopped kale
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large pan, saute onion and garlic in a Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add kale. Saute for several more minutes, until kale wilts.
3. Move kale to a large bowl. Add feta and mix well.
4. On a clean surface, lay chicken thighs out flat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon kale mixture onto each chicken thigh.
5. Starting with the smaller edge, roll up the chicken (mine didn't exactly role as much as they folded into a taco, but whatevs). Use toothpicks to hold the chicken into shape. You might use 3-4 toothpicks per chicken thigh depending on how full you stuff them.
6. Drizzle olive oil in a pan and brown all sides of each rolled chicken thigh.
7. Move chicken to the oven to finish cooking through, between 10-15 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

8 comments:

Emily Gosling (I mean...almost) said...

giiiiirl....

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/03/baked-kale-chips/

Jenna | The Paleo Project said...

I definitely want to try this with chicken breasts and maybe goat cheese rather than feta! Great ideaa... but then, you already knew that! See you tonight!!! (OMG)

Marian said...

Kale used to intimidate me too! But when I finally bit the bullet, or Kale shall I say, I realized it was silly to not have eaten it after all that time:) Massaged Kale is my favorite!

Violet Tinder said...

"**I'm pretty sure no other blogger in the history of blogging has done this..."
Hahaha you are too funny!!!
The finished product looks delicious!
Violet Tinder

Fashion Dawgs said...

Yum kale is so good!

Fashion Dawgs

CindyH said...

I love this blog. I am from a small town in South Alabama, (I hate that you couldn't hear my redneck accent when I typed that), and at the young age of 41 I have decided to eat healthy and get in shape with Crossfit everyday. I have lost 32 lbs. in three months and I have tried several of your recipes and shared them with my Crossfit family. We love your food. Thank you for sharing!!

Lydia Armstrong said...

Aside from the undercookedness, these look amazing!! I love feta.

And as far as finding amazing thrifty finds, you really have to look and be dedicated! I would honestly and accurately say at least 75% of my wardrobe is thrifted, probably more, so it's mostly the only way I shop, and I've been doing it forever. Sometimes I spend all day digging through racks and come up with nothing, and sometimes I find amazing things.

J + A said...

hahah aww, it still looks awesome! love swiss chard!

http://191orchard.blogspot.com

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