Hearty. Flavorful. Vegetarian.
What’s a girl to do when her husband is on the road for the week and she’s at home? Cook dishes that he wouldn’t enjoy! That was the exact basis for this dish’s creation. Being a solo diner for the week, I knew I wanted to incorporate legumes into my meals. Then came the other decisions: which legume, how to prepare it, what other ingredients to incorporate.
Having traveled so much in the first quarter of 2018, I definitely wanted a week of healthy, home cooked meals. Once I had decided on black beans as my legume of choice, I knew that the dish would be rounded out with other veggies. With hearty black beans, there’s no need to add chicken, beef, etc., at least in my book.
With our spring off to a cold and dreary start, ending my day with a cold salad wasn’t all that appealing. However, I also wasn’t in the mood for soup; I wanted something heartier. Finally, I wanted to include kale in my meal, so it was time to consider how to incorporate everything, which delivered this recipe and unusual name.
See, it’s kind of like a warm salad because there’s so much kale in it. There also are the Tex-Mex spices, tomatoes, and black beans that give it the flavors of a chili. Together it created ch-alad, a chili salad combination. It may sound odd, but it was utterly delicious. Topped with Greek yogurt it was this hot and hearty, yet vegetarian and healthy entrée.
If the weather’s in the midst of in-between, like here in New Hampshire, this recipe could be a perfect choice until spring finally arrives. It has the comfort of winter food in its chili qualities, while inching us toward spring with its promise of fresh greens. Hopefully, soon I’ll be writing about great, warm weather and dishes that keep us cool at the end of the day!
- 1 Tb. olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 medium green pepper, diced
- 3 packed cups kale leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. cumin
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- Preheat frying pan over medium heat.
- Add oil and onion; saute for 3-5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
- Add green pepper and kale, saute for additional 5 minutes.
- Add seasoning, stirring well.
- Top with broth, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add black beans and tomato.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- At this point you can serve it, or cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sprinkle of cheddar cheese.
