Kale? Leeks? Recipes?

I have never cooked Leeks,but Kale i usually take off the leaves,rinse them,chop them up and stir fry them with garlic and olive oil and a couple of truvia to help take the bitterness away..

I LOVE this kale slaw...never thought I'd eat kale before this:

Deb’s tweaks:
I use extra virgin olive oil instead of veg. oil.
I probably use more carrots and peppers than the recipe calls for. I like to grate the carrots and finely dice the red or yellow pepper, and I chop the peanuts for the top pretty finely, too. It adds to the “slaw” effect, and makes it possible to get everything in each bite. To prep the kale quickly and easily, fold each leaf in half, then cut out the center rib. Then take a bunch of the leaves and smash them together (like when you’re chopping fresh herbs) and thinly slice.

Kale Slaw with Peanut Dressing

Toss 2 large bunches of curly kale, center ribs discarded, very thinly sliced crosswise (about 10 cups); 1 yellow or red pepper thinly sliced, and 2 chopped carrots in a large bowl.
Puree ½ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup cider vinegar, ¼ cup salted peanuts, 2 Tbs packed light brown sugar, and ½ tsp coarse salt in blender until smooth.

Pour over vegetables just before serving. Sprinkle with ¼ cup salted peanuts coarsely chopped.

Leek and Potato soup

2 Leeks
3 potatoes
2 rashers bacon
Water or stock if you prefer


cut 2.5 potatoes into cubes and add to boiling water
cut 1.75 leeks into cubes same size as potatoes and add to water
Boil until potato is tender

In a frying pan dry fry the bacon and finely dice the remaining leek and potato
Once bacon is cooked place onto paper towel and fry the potato and leek
Dice the bacon and add back to the frying pan

Liquidise the leeks and potato and return to saucepan

mix in the bacon, leeks and potato bring to simmer

Season to taste and add water to achieve the thickness you desire

Serve

My favorite and quick way to make kale is to saute a quarter of a yellow onion and 2 chopped garlic cloves in olive oil over medium heat. Once they start to brown, 2-3 cups of kale, cook until it turns soft and dark green, then enjoy! It's a great side for grilled chicken.

One of my girlfriends makes a delish Kale and sausage soup.

She just seasons and sautees the sausage meat till cooked... adds kale and cooks a bit but not wilting it.
Adds it to chicken broth - adds cooked pasta or rice heat and done. Simple and gooood! You can probably substitue something healthier than traditional sausage meat.

I made a delicious Chicken and Leek Shepherd's Pie (which I totally plan to make again with turkey once we have T'giving leftovers!)

I got the recipe from EatingWell.com - but tweaked it a little:

Chicken & Leek Shepherd's Pie:

Filling:

1 T Olive Oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, well washed and thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced thin
1 parsnip, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic,minced
1/3 cup white (or rose) wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, or 1/2 teaspoon dried, rubbed
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups diced cooked chicken (I had about 6 ounces. It was plenty)
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Topping:

2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes - make mashed potatoes out of them however you like.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, parsnip, and carrots and cook, stirring, until the leeks soften, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

2. Pour in wine and stir until most of the liquid evaporates. Add flour and sage and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour starts to turn light brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and the carrots are barely tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add chicken and frozen peas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a deep 10-inch pie pan or other 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, you will recall that you have also been making mashed potatoes during all this excitement. Spread the mashed potatoes over the chicken filling mixture. Be sure to put the dish on a larger baking sheet to catch dribbles during cooking. Bake until the potatoes and filling are heated through and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings; about 330 cals per serving. Makes excellent leftovers for lunches. If you have the calories, drizzle some shredded cheese over the top, because, well, yum!

Thank you Phocid! I'm going to try the Chicken & Leek Shepards Pie. It looks yummy. I have Irish roots, so I like to make Potato Leek Soup. It's so easy & hearty on a chilly day. Someone already included that though, so I'll recommend Colcannon. The bunch green onions can be substituted with a couple of leeks.

From All Recipes -

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/alisons-colcannon/detail.aspx