QUICKIE MEAL

HEAR MY INTERVIEW ON GO VEGAN TEXAS! RADIO, ALONG WITH KAREN DAVIS OF UNITED POULTRY CONCERNS-- go to this link to access the archived interview.

Lately, I've been rushing upstairs from my office to the kitchen around 5 PM to find something to make for dinner. Usually I plan ahead, at least in the morning, but I've been on a deadline. This is a favorite quickie meal:

POTATOES AND BRAISED KALE WITH MUSHROOMS AND ITALIAN VEGGIE SAUSAGES

This is just a guide--you don't need a recipe for this.

Clean and trim and slice a whole pile of kale-- it will cook down alot.

Steam, boil or microwave some thin-skinned potatoes, cut into chunks. I microwave them in a microwave steamer.

In a large deep skillet, saute as much chopped garlic as you want in a little olive oil-- gently-- don't brown it! I would use maybe 4 cloves for the two of us. Add some sliced mushrooms-- as much as you want-- and brown them a bit. Add the kale and about a cup of vegetarian broth. Bring to a boil and then turn it down to medium and cover it. While this cooks (check it to see if you need more broth-- you want it to cook down, but still be a bit brothy to moisten the potatoes), brown as many Tofurkey Italian Sausages as you like, in a grill or in a skillet with a little olive and/or Asian (toasted) sesame oil.

These vegan sausages are really good, but they are big and kind of high in fat. A big eater or a very hungry person can eat a whole one; daintier or less hungry diners may only want half of one.

When the kale is tender (I cook it maybe 10 minutes) and the potatoes are done, drain the potatoes and add them to the kale, stirring gently to mix the ingredients. Add a bit more broth if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste (you could add a bit of red pepper flakes, if you like things spicy) and serve with the browned veggie sausages.

Enjoy!