Daily Dinner Table
Ideas for dinner tonight. Household and kitchen tips, recipes, tweaks. What's worked great, and not so great.
Kale and Orzo Medley
This was last nights dining experiment. I wanted to make something pretty healthy, vegetarian and pocketbook friendly. It was tasty, the family ate it all up, but I think I’ll add a little more spice next time, and I thought some rinsed black beans would be a nice addition, but we didn’t have any. Next time. I’d rinse them, so they wouldn’t make the whole meal grey. I also think that pretty much any sauteed or steamed vegetable would go nicely too. So, check your fridge, see what needs to be used, and give it a go.
For 4 servings you’ll need;
1/2 box Orzo, cooked in salted water for 9 minutes or to al dente. Drain, reserving about 1 c pasta water. Set aside in same pan
6 c chopped Kale
1 1/2 T minced garlic
2 1/2 tomatoes, diced. (2 cans of diced tomatoes would work too, try some with the seasoning in them, use the liquid)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 c dry white wine
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 T chopped basil (fresh, if using dried start with 1 1/2T and go from there)
1 T chopped oregano (less if dried)
olive oil
4 T tomato paste
3/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
squeeze of lemon juice
Tony Legner’s cat 5 Food polish for pizzazz
(optional black beans drained & rinsed)
In large frying pan over medium heat, drizzle 1-2 T oil. Add onion until golden. Add garlic and sweat for a minute or two. Add kale by the handful, adding oil as necessary to wilt and cook kale. As there is more room in the pan, add another handful. Repeat until kale is all wilted. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, and beans. Stir to mix all ingredients. Add basil, oregano, squeeze of lemon juice, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Taste and add spices according to your preferences. This is where I like to add a little Cat 5. Cook until kale is tender, all flavors mixed, keeping some liquid in the pan to use as sauce. Add a little of the pasta water and maybe more olive oil if necessary. Add the cooked orzo to vegetables, mix well. Plate each serving, top with some parmesan, serve with tomato & cucumber salad and crusty bread.
Kale and Orzo Medley, a healthy vegetarian dish.
Daily Dinner Table 