Teresa's Kale & Beet Greens with Pecans

Sometime just before Thanksgiving of last year my friend Jim and I were chatting about our kids. The conversation wound here and there, meandered across a range of subjects, geographies, and finally, time. It  reached way back into my past—all the way back to college days—and then skipped ahead a month or two. Somehow we realized we had a mutual friend, Mickey. I was close buds with Mickey in college (but we lost track of each other after graduation) and Jim had recently met him through church.

It happens that Mickey was going to be the keynote speaker at an upcoming seminar at the church Jim attends. It was the perfect opportunity to reunite with my old friend. Needless to say I was more than a little excited about that possibility.

The day came and there was Mickey. All the years erased and we fell back into the easy conversation we’d always shared. Jim, and his wife, Teresa, invited us all back to their home for lunch so we could spend a little time together to catch up on life over those many years. What a perfect afternoon spent with old friends and older friends.

The guys chowed down on locally made submarine sandwiches. (For you in other locales that would be grinders, heros, hoagies, torpedos…). But, Teresa, wonderful Teresa, almost apologetically offered sauteed kale and beet greens. Woohoo! She made a huge, huge, huge pan of this wonderful recipe and we consumed it by the bowlful. (OK, now the guys, they didn’t even look longingly at our lunch. Jim may have displayed an involuntary facial twitch I’d never seen before but the other three—Mickey, my husband, and Jim and Teresa’s son—didn’t even seem to see the greens. Denial, my friends, total denial born of deeply seated lachanophobia. Fear of vegetables.)

The colors of the beet greens and kale, along with the pattern of the bowl it was served in, was festive. The flavor was subtle and wonderful. The company upbeat and comfortable. It was a day I’m going to enjoy remembering for a long time to come.

If you’d like to view my friend Mickey’s beautiful artwork you can do so at Bee Still Studio or here.

And, you can enjoy Teresa’s festive Kale & Beet Greens with Pecans any time the mood hits you. It’s simple to make, very flavorful, and so good for you.

Love that Diane Elbin of The W.H.O.L.E Gang features a weekly collection of recipes focused one key ingredient. It’s a great place to share—and receive—great cooking ideas. Be sure to visit and check out all the fabulous kale recipes that have been posted!

Teresa’s Kale & Beet Greens with Pecans

1 large bunch kale, ribs removed, chopped
1 bunch beet greens, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ginger
3-4 tablespoons of Pecans (you can toast them for about 3-4 minutes to improve flavor)
Orange zest (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Gently clean the kale and beet greens under cool running water.

Remove the stems from the beet greens and chop them into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces.

Remove the ribs from the kale and discard. Chop the kale and beet leaves into 1/2-3/4 inch strips.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and chopped beet stems. Saute about 5 minutes until garlic and stems are softened. 

Add the beet and kale greens and saute adding ginger and salt to taste. (I recommend using freshly grated ginger but powdered ginger will work, as well.) Turn the greens in the pan using a large pair of tongs. The water clinging to the washed greens is typically enough to steam them a bit but, if needed, you can add a few extra tablespoons. Saute until soft—about 5-7 minutes longer. 

Serve sprinkled with toasted pecans. A small amount of orange zest, if you have it, provides a colorful garnish for this dish.

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Sweet Potato Biscuits

Gluten-free biscuits are the new gluten-free bread.

I’ll admit I haven’t made GF bread—yet. And, I stay away from commercial GF breads because, well, do I need to explain why to you of all people? You know they’re not so great. OK for breadcrumbs, but not much else.

GF biscuits are another story. They’re divine—light, a little crumbly, savory not sweet. Perfect warm with fig jam. Ah, and they would make tasty little ham and cheese sandwiches. In fact, this recipe in Bon Apetit was the inspiration for The Sensitive Pantry’s version of Sweet Potato Biscuits. IMHO these little guys beat bread hands down.

I’m kind of excited because I found another wonderful way to serve them—topped with beef barbecue, Sloppy Joes, the kind with ground beef and barbecue sauce. You know, the kind the cafeteria ladies served in Middle School. (And maybe your Mom made them for you but I’m pretty sure my Italian-American Mom never even had a Sloppy Joe let alone actually made them!) Sloppy Joes really need a soft bun underneath them and I’ve yet to find soft GF buns on the grocery store shelves. But these Sweet Potato Biscuits are perfecto for Sloppy Joes!

If you’re up for a little reading on the subject of baking biscuits you might try Dorie Greenspan’s Biscuits on Parade: A Recipe + A Biscuit Tip-Sheet.

This recipe, along with Karina’s and other GF blogger Sweet Potato Biscuit recipes, are featured at the Gluten-free Goddess blog. Check them out and maybe try all four recipes!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 cup sorghum flour

3/4 cups GF flour blend*

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 tablespoons Earth Balance (cold)

1/2 cup rice or hemp milk (cold)

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (cold)

1 cup sweet potato puree (cold)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients (the first 8 listed above) together in a large bowl. I like to use a whisk for this.

Mix the cold milk and lemon juice then put it back in the fridge until needed.

Add the cold Earth Balance to the dry ingredients and mix together with a fork or pastry blender. I usually start out with one of these tools and then abandon it for mixing with clean, dry hands. The dough should be a bit clumpy with the clumps about the size of peas.

Add half the milk mixture and the cup of sweet potato puree to the flour. (I used canned organic sweet potato puree that I picked up at Whole Foods. You can make your own by boiling and mashing fresh sweet potatoes. You may have to adjust the amount of milk you add to the dough to get the desired moisture and consistency.)

Stir everything together with a large spoon, adding more milk mixture as you go, until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Pull the dough together with your hands forming it into a ball. A note about the dough—it should be a medium-light weight dough and able to hold together. You may need to add more liquid or more flour at the end to reach the right consistency but avoid over-handling the dough.

Transfer the dough to a very lightly floured pastry mat. Press the ball down into a disk and place a piece of parchment or plastic wrap over top. Using a rolling pin gently roll it out to about 1/2 inch high.

Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into 2 inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Tip: dip the cutter in flour between cuts. And, if you don’t have a biscuit cutter you might try a sharp edged glass.

Pull the dough scraps together and repeat.

Place the rounds onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake about 15-18 minutes until they just begin to brown. Serve warm.

*Note: I used Authentic Foods Gluten-Free Multi Blend Flour. You could use your own GF flour blend or, if you don’t have any on hand, try subbing with brown rice flour + 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum.

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