the pollen count

Just made one of my favorite healthy dishes – “ Butternut Squash and Kale Saute” and ate the whole thing for dinner! It only has 5 ingredients, not counting the olive oil for sautéing so you can whip it up at the last minute and feel really good about eating it all since it is so healthy and delicious, too. You could also use sweet potatoes instead of the butternut squash and top with pecans instead of walnuts, but walnuts have more Omega 3’s than any other nut so I like to use them to up the nutritional value.  This dish packs a wallop of good-for-you stuff, is vegan and low in calories (if you feel the need to keep track of them).

 

RECIPE: “ Butternut Squash and Kale Saute”
Serves 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side dish (at least in theory)… I can eat a lot of this!

 

1 small to medium butternut squash
1 large bunch kale (I like Lacinato/Dinosaur Kale for this dish), rinsed well
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 – 1 ½ TBSP maple syrup
¼ cup chopped walnuts (you can toast the walnuts for a crunchier texture)

 

“Add maple syrup to cooked kale & squash”

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Peel, seed and chop the butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in a dutch oven or wok style pan and add the squash. Saute until it is slightly soft but not mushy, about 15 minutes. It will start to brown.
3. While squash is cooking, wash kale and cut out the white stem/rib, then chop leaves into 1- 2 inch pieces.
4. When squash is cooked, add another TBSP olive oil and the chopped garlic, stir and let garlic cook for a minute or so.  Add the chopped kale and stir well to cover with olive oil.  Cover and let kale cook down for about 5 more minutes.
5. Remove cover and add maple syrup, stirring well to coat the kale and squash.
6. Serve with the chopped walnuts on top and dive in 🙂