We sautéed our green kale in coconut oil recently and it was delicious. The coconut flavor was not at all overpowering, and the sweet green kale flavor really came through.

When we experiment with ingredients, we take a familiar recipe, one that we know we like and have used often, and change one ingredient to see how the dish changes.  So, instead of extra virgin olive or safflower oil, or even bacon, we used coconut oil instead.  That’s the only thing we changed.

We topped the kale with fresh fruit and candied nuts, which can vary depending on what is seasonally available. This time around, we used Florida strawberries, lady apples, and candied walnuts.

Preparation Time:  15 minutes

Cooking Time:  5 minutes

Serves:  4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of green kale
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 12 fresh Florida strawberries
• 2-3 lady apples
• 12-18 candied walnuts (see Candied Pecans recipe in our Roasted Acorn Squash Pie post, use walnuts instead)
• 2 small garlic cloves, sliced
• Kosher salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Wash the kale well as it may be sandy, cut the green leaves from the thick rib, discard the rib or save for another use, chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces, rinse and spin dry; set aside.
• Wash the strawberries, slice off the stem end, quarter the strawberry lengthwise; set aside.
• Wash the lady apples, quarter lengthwise, cut the center core edge off; set aside.
• Peel and slice the garlic; set aside.
• For the recipe for our candied walnuts use the recipe for Candied Pecans in our Roasted Acorn Squash Pie with Candied Pecans post and use walnuts instead.

Cooking:

• Heat a large frying pan on medium-high, add the coconut oil, add the garlic slices, stir, add the kale, a pinch or two of salt and a turn or two of a black pepper mill, stir until the kale is wilted (about 5 minutes).
• Garnish with fresh Florida strawberry, lady apple wedges, and candied walnuts.