The idea for this dish came from the lovely Andrea from Dishing Up the Dirt.
She posted a recipe for a pasta with Kale and Goats Cheese.
Which made me think
a) yum
b) who needs the pasta?
Why not just up the amount of kale and serve everything with a handful of roast nuts for crunch and substance.
Love how the tangy creamy goats cheese melts slightly into the hot kale to make a chunky sauce.
And this dressing for the kale is so so good.
I first started using it years ago as a way to make Brussels Spouts completely addictive.
But have only recently thought to apply it to other vegetables. Better late than never 🙂
I actually have a slight preference for the fish sauce because the flavours are lighter and fresher while still deeply complex. But the soy sauce is good too if you don’t keep fish sauce on hand.
Kale & Goats Cheese Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch kale (300g / 10oz)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice or wine vinegar
- 100 g goats cheese
- 100 g roast hazelnuts
Instructions
- Bring 1cm (1/2in) salted water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Remove kale stems and tear each leaf into 2-3 pieces. Discard stems.
- Add kale to the pot. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until bright green and just cooked.
- Drain kale well and return to the pot. Season with the fish / soy sauce and vinegar.
- Divide kale between two bowls. Crumble over goats cheese and finish with hazelnuts.
WINE MATCH: A buttery Chardonnay or a light red like Pinot Noir.
Variations & Substitutions
short on time – just slice the kale across the stems and be prepared to chew a bit more 🙂
dairy-free – replace goats cheese with hummus, avocado or this macadamia cream.
nut-free – replace nuts with cooked chickpeas, cooked lentils, poached eggs, cooked chicken or cooked sausages.
more substantial (carb lovers) – cooked pasta!
more substantial (low carb) – extra cheese, extra nuts, a big drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil, poached eggs, avocado or pulled chicken.
Low FODMAP – replace kale with spinach and use macadamias as your nuts.
different vegetables – these flavours are also excellent with beautiful broccoli, chard, collard greens, mustard greens, bok choy, roast cauliflower or even roast brussels spouts.
different cheese – feta, pan fried halloumi, blue cheese, cheddar, shaved parmesan or creamy ricotta.
carnivore – add some cooked chicken or sausages or chorizo.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
kale – will keep in the fridge in a plastic bag uncooked for 1-2 weeks. Once cooked it will keep for a month or so in the fridge. Can be frozen both cooked or raw.
fish or soy sauce / rice or wine vinegar / roast hazelnuts – keep them in the pantry.
goats cheese – if unopened it usually has a shelf life of a few weeks in the fridge. If it is opened, will only keep for a few days so use for another meal or freeze.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the goats cheese and nuts separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, warm greens in a pan with a little oil then top with cheese and nuts.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Tried this for lunch today, and it was good, but quite the learning experience. The issue I had was serving my lunch in the bowl I used to mix the kale with the fish sauce and vinegar, so I ended up with a lot of that stuff in the bottom of my bowl and later could not get rid of the smell of the fish sauce from my nose (even with a good brand of fish sauce). I won’t do that again! I had to use almonds because my grocery store did not have hazelnuts in stock. They are not my favorite nut, but they would be perfect for this dish. One thing I love is that we have a fairly new microwave that has sensor programs, and I used that to cook the kale. It cooked it very quickly and perfectly. I know you don’t like microwaves, but this one is great for cooking veggies and reheating leftovers. I will try this again, remembering the lesson I learned today. 🙂
Maybe try soy sauce instead of the fish sauce Susan – or just use salt to season.