Grilled Kale

I've had several requests for this recipe, and I don't have a photo of it yet, but I'm posting it anyway. I'll update with a photo the next time I make it, which is pretty often. My kids LOVE this stuff. I'm absolutely not going to complain about kids asking for more leafy greens. Roasting the kale gives it a nutty, more complex flavor and divine little crispy parts. This was originally intended to be done in the oven, which is always an option, but right now you couldn't pay me to heat the oven (and subsequently the whole house) up to 400 degrees. So I adapted it for the grill. Do not skimp on drying the kale after you wash it. If the kale is wet, it will steam instead of roasting, which means no crispy parts. Trust me, you want crispy parts.

Grilled Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of kale, rinsed and patted thoroughly dry
• Extra virgin olive oil spray or about 1 tbsp of oil to drizzle
• 1 tsp of bottled minced garlic, or a couple of cloves of fresh
• dash of cayenne pepper
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar, if desired.
  

Procedure:

1. Preheat the grill (or oven to 400 degrees F). We usually heat our grill pretty hot because we use charcoal. I cook the kale while I'm grilling chicken or steak or whatever.
   
2. Trim the kale by folding the leaf in half and cutting the stem out of the center. Tear into salad-sized pieces.
3. Toss the kale with olive oil or mist thoroughly with olive oil. Mix in garlic, cayenne, and salt and black pepper to taste.
   
4. Put the kale mixture on a large baking sheet. Spread it in as even a layer as possible. It will shrink considerably as it cooks.
5. Place the pan in the grill and roast covered for about 5 min. We usually start it directly on the lower grate and then move it to the upper grate in our grill after it gets started cooking.
6. Toss the kale every 2-3 minutes so that the kale in the middle of the pan doesn't just steam. You want to move it around to maximize the all-important crispy parts. Cook until the edges are browned. If it's cooking too fast, move it to a cooler part of the grill. It usually takes 10-12 min total for me to grill it just the way we like it.
7. You can dress the finished greens with a drizzle of balsamic or other vinegar and more olive oil, if desired. My kids especially like it this way.