Month: June 2014

Stephanie Taylor, I take your Italian Bake and raise you the Italian Grill.

Steph introduced us not only to Paleo, but also the Italian Bake–very similar to this set-up, except in the oven.  The first time she made this delicious dinner for us, I was having a pregnant moment and ate sour cream and onion chips instead.  I know I missed out, but it was just one of those days.  Anyhow, we just happened to have all of these ingredients on hand, so there was dinner!

The last few weeks have been crazy with the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, i.e. Cookout Season.  I can’t even remember the last time I really made dinner, what with constantly meeting up with friends and being out of town.  When we are home, we throw something on the grill.  I must have had some kind of dinner aspirations last week, however, because there was a lovely, leafy bunch of kale in my refrigerator eyeing me every time I opened the door to refill my water (tanning in the backyard is quite dehydrating.)  So, we threw the cheddar brats on the grill and I wondered what to do with nature’s superfood giving me the stinkeye from behind the fridge door.

I poked around and found half an onion, 6 mushrooms, half of a lemon, and an open Manager’s Special package of bacon (which means it’s the organic center cut good stuff we don’t usually absolutely never spend money on!)  I sauteed the onions and mushrooms, tossed in the kale to wilt, doused it all in fresh lemon juice and salt & pepper, and crumbled some hot, crunchy bacon on top.  Incredibly tasty.  And satisfying, knowing that apparently kale is so good for you it can singlehandedly stop fracking, cure melanoma, and save baby seals.