This was the meal that brought me out of my blog sabbatical because I just had to share! One of the fun things about cooking is after you do it long enough, you start to just know how certain tastes are going to meld and blend together. I love how you know you can combine the savory of Worcestershire, tang of champagne vinegar, sweet of agave and the piquant of dijon mustard to create an incredibly tasty glaze, and know that it will all work together. When you can look around your pantry or fridge, then just start mixing, that is when magic happens. And friends, that is the most fun part to reach in your kitchen adventures!
This meal was inspired by a pinterest post for a sweet potato and kale hash, it was a breakfast dish with a fried egg on top. I have nothing against sweet potatoes, but I do have a love a-ffair with butternut squash so I decided to swap one orange veggie for another, just the way I like it. Mr. Max has been on a big kale kick ever since we did a cooking class in January with a crispy kale dish. I wanted to be able to take his new favorite veggie with my favorite veggie, then add some other stuff and make it a meal. Sounds pretty technical, huh?
I was shooting from the hip with this dish but wrote it down as I went a long so I could remember and hopefully get around to posting.... ta-da! I actually did this time. Nutritional fact breakdown can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.
Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings
- 10 large Kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped into large chunks (we operate by, the darker the better! Grab some dino kale to try it out)
- 1.5 - 2 cups Butternut squash, cubed
- 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 1 shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp. worth)
- 3 cloves garlic, minded
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp. rosemary
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. shredded Parmigiano Reggiano (approximately)
When you have about 10 minutes left on the timer for the roasting squash, take 1 tbsp of olive oil and begin to saute your shallots in a large saute pan over medium heat. Once frangrant, add the garlic and saute for about 3 minutes.
Add the kale and the final tbsp of olive oil, tossing in the pan to coat, which will help it cook and crisp. Let it sit for about 2 minutes on medium heat, then move it around the pan again. Right about now, the squash should be ready to take out of the oven. Add it to the pan and combine the two, adding the cumin and chili powder. Turn up the heat to about medium-high (6 or 7 on the dial) and let that kale crisp a little more in all the flavors.
Finally, you will add two large pinches of Parmigiano Reggiano. Give it a stir, fold it together, do what feels right.
Dish it out and serve for a deliciously nutritious, easy weeknight meal!
Served with petite Pork Tenderloin Medallions in a Cider-Dijon glaze
Directions:
Slice a pork tenderloin into 1 inch discs. In a small skillet, mist with cooking oil and set 4-5 slices, not touching one another, on the hot surface. Cover with a lid and let cook for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Both sides should have a nice brown marks, medium heat should register to 145 degrees.
As the medallions cook, time to whip up an easy glaze. I combined some of my favorite tastes mentioned in the opening paragraph: 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1.5 tbsp. Worcestershire, 1 cup apple cider, 1 tbsp. champagne vinegar, 1 tbsp. agave nectar, 1 tsp. shallots, 1 tsp. rosemary. Place all of this in a sauce pan over medium heat, when it begins to simmer, bring the heat down to low to allow it to thicken, about 10 minutes total. To serve, spoon over top pork medallions.
Nutritional fact breakdown for pork and sauce can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.
One serving yields four small or three large medallions and 1 tbsp. of sauce.
Tastefully yours,
