My Chef's Hat - Kale fried rice

Growing up, I was one of those really picky eaters that would only eat certain vegetables.  I loved broccoli, but refused to eat the florets and would only eat the stalks.  But that was a good enough compromise for my parents.  I used to love spinach, but I ate a bad batch one time as a kid and refused to eat it until I hit my 20's and discovered spinach artichoke dip.  I wouldn't eat zucchini or squash as a kid, but I've recently developed a taste for them, if they're cooked tender-crisp. 

Kale is one of those vegetables that I've always liked.  My parents made it very often as I was growing up, and they never had to force me to clean my plate.  It's one of those "superfood" veggies that provides tons of nutrients and health benefits.  I usually go super simple, cooking it down with just some onion, garlic, Mrs. Dash, and veggie broth.   However, that can get kinda boring.  So, off to Pinterest I went in search of some new and exciting ways to prepare kale.  And I came across kale fried rice. 

Here's the recipe picture:

And here's my version:

This is a really delicious dish!  The recipe calls for brown rice.  However, I had white rice left over from the red beans & rice I had made for mardi gras, so I needed to use that up.  I like brown rice from the Chinese restaurant, but whenever I make it at home it's too mealey.  So I usually do a mix of brown and white.  The sesame oil was very overpowering, and as I'm typing this I just realized why...I thought the recipe called for a tablespoon per serving...oh no, it's a teaspoon...huge difference.  I don't have mirin, or even really know what it is.  But they say you can use sherry as a substitute, so I did that. 

Will I make this again?  No question.  And I think with the appropriate amount of the sesame oil, it will be perfect.  I'll add a litte more kale too, just because.  There's no such thing as too much kale.


Recipe found on Iowa Girl Eats