This Thai-inspired dish incorporates eggplant, a red bell pepper, mushrooms and kale - a leafy green thats healthy but unfortunately tends to taste bitter and “earthly.” However, kale is a fantastic addition to the flavors in this dish, making it a perfect way to try kale for the first time!

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cup veg broth, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 green onions, white and light green parts chopped
red bell pepper flakes as desired (start with 1/4 tsp)
1 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2-3 tsp toasted sesame oil - optional
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 eggplant, chopped into chunks, top removed
1 cup packed fresh basil, roughly chopped
sesame seeds - optional garnish
cooked brown rice
Directions:
1. Steam kale (about 17 minutes)
2. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in non-stick skillet over med-heat in 1/4 cup broth
3. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has reduced
4. Set mushrooms aside
5. Add 1/4 cup of remaining broth, onions and garlic to skillet, cook 5 minutes
6. Add remaining 3/4 cup broth, red pepper flakes, sugar, ginger and sesame oil
7. Cook 1-2 minutes
8. Add eggplant and red bell pepper, stir to coat and cook 10 minutes
9. Add basil and mushrooms and cook another 3-5 minutes
10. serve over brown rice and garnish with sesame seeds if desired











{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Lindsay, you are so wise and knowledgeable of so many cuisines! And you’ve incorporated most of my favorite veggies, how do you do it?! Yum!
Oh, my. This looks delicious, even with those darn mushrooms in there.
I LOVE kale! Seriously, it is one of my favorite veggies. Thanks for another delicious sounding way to use it!!
Courtney
I have an eggplant in my fridge just waiting to be incorporated in this dish!
eggplant AND kale AND basil. thats to die for!
i need to make this asap!
Oh my goodness that looks so awesome. It’s perfect for this time of year as local greens and basil seem to be coming out of the ground all over the place (we’ve been harvesting our lettuce and basil for the past week or so). Sweet!
The thought of eating kale used to be a joke… I mean who EATS this stuff? Ick! But after some heartfelt produce searching I have come to love kale for the earthy, colon-cleansing, calcium providing superfood that it is. And always interested in yummy ways to get it into my diet. Thanks! http://doesabodygood.blogspot.com/2007/11/kale-more-than-garnish-at-cheap.html