Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider

This recipe calls for what might appear to be a lot of kale, but it wilts to a manageable amount in the pan. The dish is a suitable side for roast chicken or pork. Also, consider using kale as a stand-in for spinach in other dishes. This low-calorie side dish has about 15 percent of the minimum daily recommended amount of fiber.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

Ingredients

• 2  bacon slices
• 1 1/4  cups  thinly sliced onion
• 1  (1-pound) bag chopped kale
• 1/3  cup  apple cider
• 1  tablespoon  apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2  cups  diced Granny Smith apple (about 10 ounces)
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon; cook 5 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add kale, and cook 5 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Add cider and vinegar; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add apple, salt, and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until apple is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

75 (28% from fat)

Fat:

2.3g (sat 0.8g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

2.5g

Carbohydrate:

12.7g

Fiber:

2.1g

Cholesterol:

3mg

Iron:

1mg

Sodium:

255mg

Calcium:

71mg