Today I’m sharing a recipe that has been one of my staples in college. It takes all of about 10 minutes and less than $10 to make. Plus, if you follow all
of the ingredient amounts, the recipe usually yields about enough for 4 meals for me. So without further ado, let’s get started!

If I had a dollar for every time that somebody asked me “how do you get your protein as a vegetarian?”, I’d probably have enough money to start a kale farm. But of course life doesn’t work that way and the best way to answer that question is just to show them what I eat. This dish is a perfect example of two different protein sources that are also chock full of other nutrients. The combination of leafy greens and legumes for a complete protein heavy dish is one that I, and lots of other plant based athletes, swear by.

Kale has been enjoying its moment in the super food spotlight for a few years now and once you take a look at why, it seems almost obvious. With 2.9 grams of protein per cup, it’s the most protein rich leafy green you can find. Combine that with just 33 calories, 0.6 grams of fat, and the fact that it’s actually tasty if cooked right, you’ve got yourself a surefire winner for super food of the year. Though it has become a popular food in healthy eating circles, it can be intimidating and off putting if you don’t know the proper way to prepare it. Raw kale can be woody, bitter, and taste like you’re eating grass. In order to make it less bitter and more edible, it is imperative to massage it. I know, it sounds crazy, but trust me on this, it makes a world of difference. Massaging my kale before I cooked it transformed this dish into a once a month recipe to a once a week recipe for me. Anyway, the way that I like too do it is to chop up my kale first, and then massage it while I wash it. This mostly looks like rubbing the leaves together while the water runs over. That way you kill two birds with one stone– you make sure that its washed and safe to eat while also making sure that you actually want to eat it. You’ll know that its massaged enough when the leaves look smoother and darker green in color. Like this:

      

Before                                                                        After

As you can tell, they look very different. This just means that the parts that make the leaves all stiff and woody tasting have been broken down so that you’re left with a vegetable that is actually palatable!
Black beans does not have the same super food status that kale does, but it has its virtues. For every 1 cooked up of black beans, there are about 15 grams of protein. That’s waaaay more than kale does so why hasn’t it reached super food status? Well honestly it’s because pretty much all beans have that much protein in them. That’s why they’re the magical fruit, right?

So, with all of these nutrients that these two star ingredients provide, there’s no doubt that this dish is a perfect answer to the age-old protein question.
As for the actual recipe itself, here’s what it takes to make:

Staple Kale and Black Beans            Yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 cups of kale, roughly chopped (3 kale leaves)
1 can, or 15.5 oz, Goya Low Sodium Black Beans*
1 medium red bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Sesame seeds (optional)
*I use Goya’s Black Beans here just because they’re convenient, but you could use any canned beans that you’d like.

Directions:
1. Strip kale leaves from the stems, discard stems
2. Roughly chop kale leaves into 1/2 inch strips. Transfer to a colander post chopping
3. Wash kale. Use hands to thoroughly massage kale leaves, about 2-3 minutes. You’ll know the leaves are ready when they are feel less stiff and are darker in color. Set aside.
4. Rinse off beans—we don’t need or want all of that extra sodium that comes with canned beans.
5. Wash red bell pepper. Dice into 1/2” cubes.
6. In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat.
7. Once pan is hot, add black beans, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Stir thoroughly.
8. When beans have been heated through and start to steam, stir in kale.
9. When kale is fully incorporated, add red peppers and sesame seeds.
10. Cook for 5 minutes or until kale is wilted and red peppers are no longer crunchy.
11. Serve warm with brown rice or in a tortilla.