Caribbean Kale "Paneer"

 One of my favorite Indian dishes is saag paneer. I had an enormous bag of kale to use in smoothies and one evening recently we decided to make some curry and I thought kale could be a fun way to add some veggies to dinner. This year as we embark on the end of our forties we have both made a concerted effort to drastically alter our lifestyle. Full disclosure, I had been a regular consumer of alcohol most of my adult life and it simply wasn't serving me anymore. We both began rigorous fitness training during the pandemic as well as daily meditation and decided our days of freewheeling partying and drinking to alleviate stress, boredom, celebrate success, etc. needed to be put behind us. I've never felt better. 

Ridding myself of negative relationships, unhealthy lifestyle choices and really focusing on gratitude through journaling has made a tremendously positive impact in my life and that of my husband. The joy of life is that each day we are given the chance to start anew and learn from our past mistakes while working on curating a better future for us and the world around us. Namaste.

This dish is so comforting a creamy and easy to make. It is a very bastardized version, but that'a what's so fun about being creative in the kitchen and using what you have on hand. I have also made it with more of a mediterranean twist and used Greek Haloumi cheese as a nod to the Greek heritage of my husband's family, a zest of some lemon and it's bright and fresh. Traditionally garam marsala would be used, but I used my favorite Jamaican curry powder instead and it's delish!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup of kale

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tbs Jamaican curry powder.

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup paneer cheese or haloumi cut into cubes

zest of one lemon (optional)

I steamed the kale, curry powder and garlic in chicken stock for about two minutes until bright green and softened. Then in a blender added the coconut milk (or heavy cream if you want to get decadent). Add cheese and bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes until bubbly and warmed through. This really is more like a smooth sauce and also works great as a bed to nestle gently steamed or seared fish.