coconut kale.

1.5 tablespoons extra.virgin coconut oil
zest from 2 meyer lemons
juice from 1.5 meyer lemons
red pepper flakes or chipotle powder, to taste
4-5 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 bunches lacinato kale, ribs removed and chopped into ribbons
salt, to taste

heat coconut oil on medium-high heat in cast.iron skillet until it becomes a fragrant liquid. add garlic and cook, though be careful that the garlic doesn't burn. add lemon juice and red pepper flakes/chipotle powder. incorporate into sauce, then add chopped kale. saute until kale is cooked through. in the final 2 minutes of cooking, add lemon zest and coconut milk.

i have, like some starved herbivore, mowed through an entire pan of this kale with no help from either my husband or scavenging dog [and he scavenges with the best of them]. the coconut milk soothes the tang of the lemon juice, and together they tame the green bitterness of the kale. lacinato is my preferred kale variety - it's sweeter, and seems to get along better with the coconut oil, but any kale will do!

brussels sprouts + maple syrup.

this is a shameless riff on this fabulous recipe for caramelized brussels sprouts. i've made one or two adjustments to suit my tastes, but the base recipe from eat, live, run is remarkably good on its own merits.

1. spread slivered almonds on a baking sheet. set oven to "broil." toast almonds. it takes about half a second for the almonds to go from perfect to burnt, so watch them very carefully. yank them from the heat when they're done, or even a little underdone, as the heat from the sheet will crisp them a bit more when you've plucked them from the oven.

2. take your brussels sprouts - slice them very finely into rounds, so that when you toss them about in a bowl, they come unbound from each other and dissolve into tissue-thin shreds of greenery.

3. peel garlic - use however many cloves you like. i prefer 2-3 cloves for a regular grocery shop bag of brussels sprouts. crush garlic. throw garlic into cast iron skillet with olive oil. let the garlic cook for just a few seconds, until it's aromatic. burnt garlic is a bitter, nasty business.

4. throw in the brussels sprouts. toss to coat in olive oil and garlic. when the sprouts have cooked for maybe one minute, add two small capfuls of maple syrup. i prefer maple syrup to brown sugar because it has an individual flavor distinct from simply sweetness.

5. toss the brussels sprouts again so that they pick up the maple syrup flavor. add salt and pepper to taste, then add the almonds. let the sprouts cook for a minute or two more. you do not want them to cook until mushiness - you want leaves that still have a bit of crispness.

6. load up a bowl with sprouts. dust the sprouts with a thin layer of well-rounded cheddar cheese. devour. my husband is lucky if he gets a bite or two, as i can easily eat the whole salty, sweet, vegetal mess all by myself.