"Can I please have more Kale?"

WOW! What a hit! Who could have ever guessed that sauteed Kale and Brazilian Black Beans & Brown Rice would be so loved by American 2nd graders. Really! They could not get enough of this dish! "Can I please have more kale?", "I LOOOOOVE this rice", "Can we make this for our end of year dinner, it's SO good!" Comments like that were heard in all the classrooms today as we tasted our meal while listening to some silky Bossa Nova music.

Here's the recipe (pictures will come tomorrow)
Brazilian Black Beans and Rice with Kale

Brazilian Black Beans
Ingredients:

1 TBS oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated ginger (or minced)
2 cups diced tomatoes (1 can, with juices)
1 TBS tomato paste (dissolved in coconut milk)
1 cup lite coconut milk
4 cups (2 cans) black beans (drained and rinsed)
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
½ cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
• Saute the onion and garlic and ginger in the oil.
• Add tomatoes, coconut milk (with dissolved tomato paste) and stir – cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the black beans and crushed red pepper.
• Stir and simmer until heated (about 10 minutes)
• Serve on top of Rice,

Brown Rice:
2 cups brown rice
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Saute one chopped onion in olive oil,
add one can diced tomatoes with juices,
add 2 cups brown rice plus 1 and 1/2 cups water
bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover - cook 45 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed.


Kale Directions:
Rinse kale.
Tear leaves of Kale off stems. Tear leaves into small pieces. Discard Stems.
Saute 2 cloves minced garlic in olive oil for one minute, add kale and a pinch of salt.
Cook, covered for about 5 minutes or until kale wilts and leaves turn dark green.
Serve on side with black beans and rice.

FRANCE! Ooh, La La!

The French take great pride in their vegetables and they are careful not to overcook them and they prefer to pick them only at the peak of their flavor. Green Beans are very nutritious. This recipe calls for French Haricot Verts (but you can use “regular” green beans from the supermarket or farmer’s market). Shallots are also available at the supermarket, but you can use a combination of onions and garlic if you’d like. A hearty one-dish meal can be made with the addition of other vegetables and served with a piece of French peasant bread. Our volunteers thought this would be a quick, simple and fabulous dish to bring to a pot-luck or block party! I agree!

French Green Bean and Potato Salad

Ingredients:
4 cups (about 1.5 lbs) Haricot Verts (or regular Green Beans)
6 small red potatoes (about 1.5 lbs), peeled and par-boiled
6 – 8 shallots, minced
3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS fresh tarragon / 2 tsp dried tarragon (if you don't have tarragon, dill weed tastes great, too!)
1 TBS dijon mustard
2 TBS wine vinegar
1 head bib lettuce

Directions:
• Steam the beans until tender. Place beans in serving bowl.
• Cut par-boiled potatoes into bite size pieces and add to serving bowl.
• Sauté the shallots in 1 TBS oil in a small frying pan.
• In a bowl, whisk 2 TBS oil, vinegar, mustard, tarragon, and shallots together (or add all ingredients in a small jar, cover and shake) Add to the warm beans and potatoes. Toss the salad.
• To serve, place some of the salad on a leaf of lettuce for each person.