November’s a time for superfood!

Our kale has done really well this year although there’s quite a lot of whitefly on it! I plunge it into cold water and leave it for a little while to get rid of as much as possible, but I guess when it goes in the pan the cooking will get rid of the rest!

Of course we all know that kale is one of our superfoods- it’s believed to support a healthy immune system, bone health, heart disease and even protect against cancer. It’s high in Vitamin C, E and K, is great for digestion and of course is full of antioxidants.

Kale can be boiled or steamed and only needs around 6-8 minutes in the pan. It can be stir fried, stirred into soups or simply added into casseroles and stews for the last part of cooking time. Take some time to pull away the leaf from the hard spiny rib though before cooking as that can taste tough and bitter.

You can add it into soups and casseroles for the last few minutes of cooking or try roasting it into some kale crisps. Stir it into some pesto and add it to your pasta or simply stir it through some buttery leeks.

Creamy kale, citrus and garlic stuffed chicken breasts

This recipe looks really fancy but is super easy and you can prepare it all ahead of time

60g kale, finely chopped

Zest of ½ lemon

2 tbspns mascarpone

1 garlic clove, crushed

S&P

2 skinless chicken breasts

6-8 rashers smoked streaky bacon

Boil or steam your finely chopped kale for about 4 minutes until just tender then drain and plunge into ice cold water to preserve its colour. Squeeze dry with your hands.
Put the kale, lemon zest, garlic, mascarpone and S&P into a food processor and whizz until combined.
Cut a long slit in the side of the chicken breasts, spoon in the filling and spread along each breast.
Flatten the bacon rashers with the blunt edge of a knife then wrap 3-4 slices round each breast, overlapping slightly.
You can prepare the stuffing or the completed breasts ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Put the chicken on a baking tray and pop in a preheated oven 220C/fan200/gas7 for about 20-25 minutes till the chicken is cooked, basting occasionally. Cover with foil and allow to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes
When ready to serve slice the breast and serve with your favourite veg