Happy Kale Day! Quick Kale Saute with Potatoes and Butternut Squash

Before I was a dietitian, I was a waitress. Serving food is something everyone should have to do once in their life. It’s hard work, but the best money you can make as a teenager and college student. I worked at many different restaurants including Chili’s, Bison Witches, and Ruby Tuesday. Back in my Ruby Tuesday days, the only thing I knew about kale was that it lined the salad bar. We used to wash the thick rubbery leaves with mayo to make them shiny. I never thought about eating it because…gross.

Fast forward to present day where kale has become trendy and every food blogger has posted their version of the kale chip. It makes me happy to see the nutritional rockstar move off the salad bar sidelines and into the spotlight. Kale is packed with B vitamins, manganese, potassium, and vitamins A, C and K. Kale is also a good source of calcium, iron and magnesium. You can find it in many shapes and sizes, in large bunches and pre-washed in bags.

I love to get the pre-washed kale at Trader Joe’s to throw into stir-frys, salads and anything else I’m cooking up during the week. This recipe is just an example of how I use kale in a combination of vegetables. I actually make this combo quite often with mushrooms, but I didn’t have any in the fridge today. Mix it up however you like, just make sure to eat your kale!

Quick Kale Saute with Potatoes and Butternut Squash

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 8

Total Time 13

Course Side Dish, Vegetable

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 red potatoes diced small
1.5 cups butternut squashed diced small
2 cups kale roughly chopped
2 cups diced mushrooms optional
1/8 tsp. sea salt
2-3 tsp. nutritional yeast flakes

Instructions

Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add potatoes and butternut squash. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring until softened and slightly browned.
Add mushrooms if using. Cook 1-2 minutes.
Add kale, cook for 1 minute, stirring until leaves are bright green and wilted.
Remove from heat, stir in salt and nutritional yeast to taste. Can substitute parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast.
Serve immediately.

A couple notes about this recipe…

Use diced butternut squash to save time. I find it at Costco. Also, make sure to dice all the vegetables nice and small to cook up quicker.

Nutritional yeast adds a savory parmesan-like flavor along with B-vitamins and fiber. Look for it in the health-food section of your grocery store, or wherever supplements are sold. It’s also incredible on popcorn!