Garlic Butter Rice with Kale

Garlic Butter Rice with Kale is my new favorite side dish. Think beyond the normal kale salad and make this amazing side dish full of nutritious kale.

Considered to be a "super food" kale is so very good for you. Here are just some of the health benefits of kale:

• exceptionally high amount of Vitamins A, C and K
• high in antioxidants
• help lower cholesterol which can reduce the risk of heart disease
• it has cancer fighting substances
• an excellent source of minerals that many people don’t get enough of, including calcium, potassium and magnesium
• So this kale recipe is an excellent delicious way to get more nutrition into your diet!

This Garlic Butter Rice with Kale is so good my husband even ate it, and liked it, and he is not a veggie fan. That was a win-win to me!

You may also like:
Kale and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

RECIPE
Ingredients
4-5 cups chopped fresh kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken bone broth
3 tablespoons butter, reserving 1 tablespoon
2 tsp garlic powder

Method
Remove kale from stems, roll leaves up cigar style and slice thin ribbons then chop. Place the kale in a large bowl and rub with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook rice in a rice steamer (or on your stove top) with the chicken bone broth, 2 tablespoons butter and garlic powder.

Once rice is fully cooked, fluff with a fork. Add kale, remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to combine. Cover steamer and let sit on "keep warm" for approx. 15 minutes. Alternately, if you cooked the rice on your stove top, remove from heat, add kale and let sit covered 15 minutes.

Serve as a side dish with most any roasted or grilled meats. We loved it with fried chicken breasts and garlic cheese biscuits.

Yield: 4 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Cocoa Fig Spread

Cocoa Fig Spread, oh where have you been all my life? My daughter recently purchased some Cocoa Fig Spread, called me up and said "mom you need to make this" then proceeded to tell me all about it. She sent me some photos so I could see it, and the ingredients label from the back of the jar.

photo credit: Sharon Benton Studios

I did a little homework and discovered Cocoa Fig Spread is a product of Croatia. How cool is that! Croatia, with its over 1,000 islands and islets, is a country with an exceptional natural beauty, varied terrain, and cosmopolitan cities. Croatia is also renowned for its production of healthy food, a characteristic of this part of Europe.

photo credit: Sharon Benton Studios

Around the time I was making it, I was preparing for a Getaway with some amazing women chefs, and a fabulous food photographer, Sharon Benton Studios. Several taste tested and critiqued it for me, then proceeded to set up an entire photo shoot around it. It was fantastic and the photos used here are the result.

photo credit: Sharon Benton Studios

This versatile Cocoa Fig Spread is amazing on baked goods and breakfast treats, or warm and poured over ice cream or fresh fruit.

Fold gently into mascarpone and use as a filling for crépes. Pairs with soft cheeses such a Brie, Manchego, and aged Cheddar's or Gouda's or spread onto whole grain toast with sliced bananas.

photo credit: Sharon Benton Studios

You may also like these other Fig recipes
Southern Fig Jam
Drunken Fig Jam
German Fig-Apple Mustard
Fresh Fig Spice Cake
Fig-Cranberry Chutney

RECIPE
Ingredients
4 cups diced ripe figs (I use Brown Turkey)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fair trade cocoa (Equal Exchange or similar product)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/3 cup brandy

Method
In a large heavy saucepan combine diced figs, sugar, cocoa powder, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves. Stir and heat over medium high heat bringing to a gentle boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring often. Mixture will begin to thicken up and figs will be macerated.

Remove from heat and stir in brandy (be careful as it will splatter some). Spoon mixture into a blender or food processor and pulse on low a few times, or until mixture is smoother with a few remaining pieces of fig.

Pour or spoon into prepared 8 oz mason jars, leaving 1/4-inch head-space. Top with lids and rings and process in a water bath or steam canner 10 minutes.

Remove jars and place on a kitchen towel on your counter-top and allow jars to sit undisturbed 24 hours. Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is depressed and won't flex up or down.

Yield: 5 - 8 oz jars

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.