*Vegan Sparkles*: Creamy (Spicy!) Peanut Kale

I must admit, I'm a sucker for any tasty veg dish with a flavorful peanut sauce. Perhaps this is part-in-fact to my peanut butter obsession (see previous post!) So after friend (& loyal customer at my cafe), David Sluder, gave me a large assortment of local, garden-fresh veggies, I knew I had to get experimental. The garden bounty included: bell peppers, baby eggplant, & a big ole bag o' kale.....I went with the kale.

Kale is a freakin' superstar, but it's so often overlooked. For years in the 80's & 90's it was that odd garnish on your plate or the bed on which your actual "meal" was presented. Well that time is over! Now kale is being hailed as the most nutritious vegetable in the world....DANG! Besides that it has a crazy high antioxidant concentration, check out the nutrition stats below...

Gee Whiz!! And that's only for boiled kale....think what it's un-cooked, raw benefits must be!
So, I go through all that to say.....it doesn't have to taste like a plastic-y garnish. It is good & can taste good too. Now enters my experiment: why not make kale in a way that includes a rad, protein-rich, spicy, creamy sauce?? Sounds t-t-t-tasty! Here we go.....

Camille's Creamy (Spicy) Peanut Kale

1 Tbl onion powder
1 heaping Tbl minced garlic (or if you must, garlic powder)
2 Tbl nutritional yeast
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used PB &Co's Heat is On....so the PB is already pretty spicy)
2 Tbl Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
2 Tbl apple cider vinegar
3 Tbl agave nectar
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (I used veg broth...more flavor!)
1 large bunch kale, ripped up & de-stemmed

Let's start off with a note on the kale.....it sucks if it's undercooked. Then the stalks & stemmy bits are too hard & the leaves are very al-dente. It's juuuuust right when tender & the color is a deep green.....bright green = not done/undercooked. but when it starts turning too dark & brownish = overcooked. I decided to steam my kale since that allows it to retain the most nutrients. (Boiling just lets all the healthy goodness leach out into the water) But back to our recipe....

Step 1 - Clean that kale! Cut off all the big stems. Rip off the leafy bits with your hands....in little chunks for bite-size bits or in longer strips if you desire. Then rinse under cool water.

Step 2 - After the kale is rinsed clean, shake it out well in a colander (or put it in one of those handy salad spinners if you got one). Then place in your steamer with the water at a rolling simmer. (**if you dont have a steamer, you can macgyver one up by placing your kale-filled colander, covered with a lid, over top of a pot filled with simmering water.....same effect)

Step 3 - Let kale steam while you prep the peanut sauce. Granted I didn't time it, but it takes the kale about 20-30 mins to steam. If your steamer doesn't have a timer, you can use my clues for checking it's doneness =)

Step 4 - Peanut sauce time! Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl & whisk like crazy! It takes some *umph* to whisk peanut butter smooth, especially when involving other ingredients....but you can do it! Just think of the biceps you'll have to show when you're done....

And if you don't have any spicy peanut butter, that's fine. You can just use regular & omit the heat.....or you can add a bit of cayenne & chili powder to the mix, just kick it up to your liking.

Step 5 - When the kale is done steaming, drain it off & toss thoroughly with the peanut sauce. Make sure it's all evenly coated in creamy goodness....

Final Step - Serve and devour. If for some insanse reason you don't eat it all right then, you can store it in a tupperware in the fridge (& it's just as tasty as a cold salad). Tah dah!!

Garnished with a sprinkling of sesame seeds....