Storing and cooking Kale

My husband brought back a huge bale of kale (funny it rhymes. It was a lot so I thought bale would fit the description :) from his random trip to one of the Luigi's Urban Farm's plantation in Busay. This was the Russian Red Kale variety and the leaves were so lush, firm and green. I don't come across as fresh as this often. Most kales on the market here in our humid city are either half-wilted, dried up or rotten. Maybe because groceries store them with the plastic top open. Kales don't store for a long time even when refridgerated. Though you can place them inside a tightly closed plastic bag in the fridge crisper to make it last longer, but I have about a garbage sized bagful of them right now.  So wiith this in mind, I decided to steam and pack them in convenient serving size inside ziplock bags. It keeps in the freezer longer just like spinach. And I just need to thaw and cook them whenever I want them. 

Super healthy raw kale is a rich source of vitamins A, C, K, B6, folate and manganese. Kale is also a good source of thiamine, riboflavin, panthotenic acid , vitamin E and several dietary minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and phosphorous. Today's health craze includes kale in juices, salads and side dishes. Cooking them longer will lose some of its nutrients but a simple quick stir fry won't hurt as much. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 seconds

Ingredients

• 1 salad bowlful of washed kale
• 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• Salt and pepper or
• 1tbsp. Oyster sauce

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a wok until it's smoking hot. 

2. Quickly stir fry the chopped garlic in the oil and add the kale just before the garlic turns brown. 

Stir fry for about 30 seconds only. Turn off the fire and let the remaining heat from the pan continue to cook the kale. Don't over cook. 

3. Season with salt and pepper or oyster sauce. 

Serve with the main dish.