Kale Italian style

When we think Italian we think of some of the traditional dishes, pasta, pizza, or fried calamari. Being half Italian, there was the tradition, but a major part of that tradition is using wholesome and fresh ingredients. Frozen? Hell no, Italians make it from scratch. So this recipe was inspired by using simple fresh ingredients with the flavor of the Mediterranean. I chose Kale as part of the major ingredient, why? Kale is a nutrient powerhouse, packed with antioxidants, omega 3's, iron, vitamin K, Calcium, among much much more. This super green detoxify's your body and the omega 3's act as a natural anti-inflammatory. GO KALE!!!

Ingredients
- bunch of dino kale
-3 tablspoons extra virgin olive oil
-4 cloves garlic sliced lengthwise
-pinch of sea salt
-1/2 lemon squeezed
-1 tablespoon of applecider vinegar
-1 1/2 cups of cannelli beans/ great northern beans
-3 roma tomatoes diced
-sprinkled parmesean or feta (optional
-1/2 tablespoon of balsemic vinegar

Directions
1. First de-vein the kale (the center stalk). Put the strips in a large bowl. When done de-stalking, take a few strips at a time fold them a few times, and chop into large bite sized pieces.
 2. In a large bowl dress the kale with the olive oil, and applecider vinegar and a tiny pinch of sea salt.
3. I let this marinate for 15-twenty minutes, it will soften the kale before you steam it.
4. Boil some water for steaming, remember you don't want to place the kale in the water, but you want the steam to cook it. I use a metal coliander if I don't have the appropriate equipment.
5. Steam the kale for about for about 7 minutes, you can even take a piece to test tenderness.
6. Remove put in large bowl, add the lemon juice, more olive oil if it needs it, cannelli beans, diced tomatoes, balsemic vinegar. Toss it a little bit, then add your feta cheese or Parmesan if you'd like.

So easy right? This is a meal in itself. Its gluten free high in protein, and high in fiber.. mangia mangia!