Greens and Beans

Greens and Beans

Before I moved to Pittsburgh I had never tasted greens and beans.  Maybe it's a regional thing, or maybe it was available in Los Angeles but I overlooked it.  Who knows?  All I know is that greens and beans is everywhere in Pittsburgh and everyone loves it.

Isn't kale pretty?

Now here's the thing.  I am not a lover of either greens or beans but the idea of them being braised together makes the combination sound appealing.  Come on.  What could be bad?  Kale is tasty enough and so are cannellini beans.  Greens and beans is also very easy to make which makes the dish all the more tempting.

Make sure to rinse the beans.

Ted has been out of town this week so I decided to make greens and beans for Kate and I tonight.  Kate loves kale so I knew she would like this.  What I did not count on is that she would love greens and beans. A lot.


And here's the really good news.  There's really nothing in greens and beans that's not good for you.  Aside from a little olive oil and whatever fat is in your chicken stock, this is a very low-cal dish.  I used homemade chicken stock but you could use fat free chicken stock in the box.  Or to make it totally vegetarian, you could use vegetable stock.  It's a win-win.


Ted sure missed out.


Recipe:  Greens and Beans



Ingredients:


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, washed, stems trimmed and chopped
1 (15- ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
3/4 cup chicken stock

Directions:


Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.

Add onion and garlic slices. Saute until tender about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper; stir until fragrant. Add the kale and let saute until it cooks down slightly. Add the beans and the chicken stock.

Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.